Muhahahahaaa! It is the week of Halloween and all across the hill students may hear the cry’s from the ghost of “What Not To Wear”...who Howls in the night at the thought of Holy Cross students wearing ridiculous outfits to professional events.
Soooo to avoid having the ghost of “What Not To Wear” haunt you in
your dreams, let’s use this opportunity to have a refresher on the basics of dressing to impress.
First things first…the Ghost has something major to say “NOOO jeans, NO sneakers, NO flip-flops, NO excessive jewelry and NOOOO bodily piercings or marks are recommended for dressing for success. You’re welcome to dress in these articles before and after the interview/event but absolutely not during!”
For an interview, the ghost has a general rule of thumb “you can never be overdressed.” You only have a short period of time to be assessed by the potential employer and you best make it work! Important to remember that you’re being assess on more than just your outfit. While you want to convey professionalism through your dress, you don’t want to be remembered for having spent too long putting together an outfit but being under qualified for the job.
Here are the basics for putting together your wardrobe before an occasion.
(If you already own these items, GREAT!…If not, you may want to make some effort to at least have one set of professional clothes in you closet just in case you are ever asked to throw it on.)
Men: (Fairly Simple)
- 1 Basic suit with neutral color and white button down shirt.
- Simple Tie neutral colored
- DARK colored socks (Don’t Let the Ghost catch you wearing WHITE)
- Leather dress shoes
- PRESS EVERYTHING! NOOOOO WRINKLES
Women:
- Conservative Dress/skirt (Knee-Length) or ironed business slacks with a blouse
- NO LOUD colors! (this includes any jewelry, nails and hair)
- Limit the perfume & amount of jewelry on hands/neck
- Simple hairstyle (Nooo fixing hair during interview!)
- Simple heels or flats (No dancing heels!)
Outside of an interview setting, it is very important to remain professionally dressed in the workplace. You may see the term “Business Casual” in some places as the desired attire for a particular event or occasion. It is important to also understand what this means so you’re not too casual.
Though business casual does blend the personal with the professional it really exists to make people feel more comfortable and be their most productive!
For Men: business casual usually means skipping the suit jacket and tie for a simple look that consist of a pressed collared shirt, usually tucked in a pair of dress pants all complemented nicely with a belt.
For Women: generally women can wear any type of skirt or dress with a hem that is past the knee or a tailored pair of dress pants with a blouse that isn’t too revealing. Closed-toed shoes are recommended, though heels and flats are always acceptable.
Although it may seem like we are trying to quash your self-expression…Were not! There are many ways to dress professionally and still incorporate your own style. Remember that dressing conservatively does not mean you cannot be stylish! You just want to make sure that the interviews remember you because of you r great answers,not your weird appearance. We gave you the basics now go out there and put it all together in a way that best represents who you are to your potential employer!
For tips on ways to “Stand Out From the Crowd” visit http://www.midwestsearchgroup.com/interview-tips
Happy Halloween Holy Cross!
And be sure to get your wardrobe in place for Trick or Treating!
