Wanna get a job???

Then your dress has a part in it too!

It’s time for some serious interviews for internships, co-ops and full time jobs with the Industrial Roundtable (Job Fair) just being over. Most of you who did attend the job fair would have already made the first impression on the recruiter because you made it thus far. Others, who did not attend the fair (or any other job fair for that matter), will eventually end up for an interview either at McDonalds or at Exon Mobile if you choose not to live in your parent’s basement in the near future! To get a job at either of those locations (or elsewhere) you will be asked to dress in a business-like manner.

As most of you are aware by now there are two ways you can dress to be business-like: business casual or business formal. Usually the company specifies which way they prefer…but if you go a job fair without knowing what company you want to work for, you would not know what to wear. At the industrial roundtable last week I saw some people (mostly the innocent freshmen) dressed like they just finished their 30min hike while others looked like they were getting ready to be in a wedding party! Very rarely did I see people dressed like they ought to. Business casuals don’t mean that you can wear your workout clothes, sweatpants, sweatshirts or the like. It means that guys ought to wear long-sleeved shirts with khakis/dark pants and girls are to wear dark pants/skirts with a simple solid colored/mild patterned blouse. Business formal clothing are not about being flashy or fancy, instead it’s wearing a dark colored suit with a light colored shirt/blouse and a nice pant/skirt. If you are attending a job fair where you don’t know which company would want, stick to light colored shirts and a dark colored pant/skirt that would not set up apart.

College Grad.com tells that when in doubt about proper attire, call the human resource division and ask them “I have an interview with _____ in the _____ department for a position as an _____. Could you please tell me what would be appropriate dress for this interview?” And also, they mention that “Campus fashions and work fashions are two different worlds”. With that in mind, be sure to read some more tips from How to Dress before your next interview!

Although most of us would love to have designer attire, we just can’t afford it with a tight college budget. That doesn’t mean that we cannot have a trendy wardrobe. Check out shops such as Kohls, Victoria Secret, Old Navy, and Gap that have excellent business wear collections for affordable prices.

Don’t give your dream job employee an excuse to turn you down…

More on fashion tips…