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Have you ever dressed your best for a situation and yet felt out of place? Perhaps one of these experiences was for a job interview where you thought wearing a nice shirt and your cleanest pair of jeans was enough to go to a final round of interviews for your first ever full-time job in your industry. If this scenario resonated with you, then the Center for Success is here to get you dressed for success. Welcome back to the Center for Success's Career Talk podcast series.
I'm your host Gloria Avalos and I'm an Academic and Career Resource Advisor in the Center for Success. And I'm joined with Michael Host, Kenny Robin, a graduate intern at the Center for Success and a fellow clothing enthusiast. Thank you, Gloria. I'm excited to be here.
Well, it's great to have you here. What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, dressing for success? For me, dressing for success goes beyond passion trends. It's about cultivating a personal style that aligns with your goals and makes you feel confident.
It's a visual language that communicates being competent, professional, and attentive. It starts with self-awareness, understanding your body shape, references, and the message you want to compare is really crucial. Then it's also about creating a wardrobe that reflects your personality and aligns with your professional aspiration. Small changes like paying attention to colors, tailoring can make a significant difference.
Those are valuable insights for our audience to have in mind. It's amazing how something as simple as wardrobe choices can have such a profound effect. In today's episode, we will be going over different aspects to consider when dressing for success. The first element would be dressing for the company culture.
Whether it is for a hiring event or for an interview, it is crucial to know the culture of the company you are interviewing for. For example, a startup in the West Loop is going to have different expectations on how to dress versus a corporate law firm based in the magmaile. You will want to conduct research online through the company's website itself to see if there's anything publicly available regarding the dress code. If that doesn't work, you can try third-party sources like employee reviews on Glassdoor, Indeed, and the like to gather a sense of the company culture, or to attempt to connect to with someone who works at the company who may either be a second or third-degree connection to you.
A fail-proof way to gain a sense of the company's dress code would be to inquire with your interviewer about the dress code. The second element will be business professional versus business casual. Business professional is what you typically associate with professional attire. You should wear a matching suit, whether it is with pants or a skirt.
Try to stick to solid colors, drag and intercolors on the outside, and layer on the net with lighter colors. When it comes to shoes, you should go for close toes, heels, or dress shoes. If you plan on wearing a belt, make sure that it matches your shoes and attire. When in doubt about the attire, you should wear an interview, opt for this style.
Business casual would be what one typically would wear daily if you had an in-person component to your job. A business casual outfit would consist of pants, slags, dresses, or skirts. As a general rule of term, you should avoid jeans, shorts, sunglasses, flip-flops, or any athleisure attire. But if you have any questions about your workplace, be sure to consult your human resources representative or your employee and book.
In my personal experience at Prior Workplaces, jeans were acceptable to wear as a part of business casual attire. But at a previous employer, they had particular specifications about shoes and shorts that were not acceptable to wear there, as well as shirts that didn't have any graphics on them that weren't the company logo. Another example of this would be casual Fridays, where one can wear jeans and sneakers freely without any repercussions. Other considerations when it comes to aesthetics for an interview would be to have your nails and hair be well-groomed, make-up in jewelry and fragrance should be moderate, piercings and tattoos should be aligned to company expectations, and clothes and shoes should be clean, wrinkle-free, and tailored.
I would add to these considerations that your shoes are comfortable to walk in as that will make all the difference. The total amount will be present for a virtual interview versus an in-person one. Since COVID, the landscape is indeed shifted, but the essence remains. Even in virtual meetings, our appearance matters.
It's about finding the right balance between comfort and professionalism. A well-taught-out virtual wardrobe still contributes to a positive self-image and influences how others perceive you. That's very true. When it comes to doing an in-person interview, you will need to dress your best, but still wear something that is true to you.
Dressing the part for the interview will instill confidence in yourself. Another way of helping you find confidence born an interview would be to arrive between 15 to 30 minutes early to freshen up, in addition to any final interview preparation and handle any matters tied to self-care like grabbing a drink of water and using the restroom. The interview starts as soon as you step into the building with the doorman, security, and or the receptionist, as there will be times where the hiring committee will ask those people their views on the candidates, which may be the deciding factor to choose you over another one. This is simple, but often taken for granted as you would greet them and ask how they are doing before segwaying into why you're there.
And this would also apply to a virtual interview. Even though it will be over Microsoft's same Zoom or any other video conference and platform, you still want to dress for success to whatever company you're interviewing for, as this is still an interview and you want to be consistent with how you will go about your routine for an in-person interview. Even if it's tempting to dress professionally up top and wear pajamas or at leisure attire at the bottom, you should still dress for the company as it will change your attitude. You also don't want to be caught up guard in case you need to get up at any point during the call.
As we wrap up our conversation, you may be thinking of where to buy such clothes. You don't have to break the bank to dress professionally. Be sure to check out the sales sections of your preferred department stores like Macy's, JCPenney, and Coles and consider going to stores like DJ, Max, Marshalls, Ross, and even Target for a professional attire. Lately, thrifting is trendy, so visiting your local thrift shop is somewhere to consider finding professional pieces that won't be too pricey.
Speaking of thrifting, did you know that SXU has a free on-campus resource for current students to obtain gently used professional clothing, shoes, and accessories? While you're in luck, as we have chance for your closet, readily at your fingertips. You have a variety of sizes, so while you're up there, you have time to try on outfits. If you have an interview coming up, attending a conference, or starting a new job or internship, in scheduling the appointment through Navigate or email the Center for Success at centerforsuccess.edu with any questions.
An upcoming event, that you can use this resource for, would be the College Career Expo happening on Wednesday, February 28th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Shannon Center. Thank you for sharing your insights with us today, Kami, about dressing for success.
Thanks for having me. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in to another episode of our Career Talk Series. Remember, your wardrobe is silent, but powerful ally in your journey towards success. Stay tuned for more inspiring conversations.
Thank you very much for listening to this WXAV 88.3 FM podcast. Be sure to visit our website, wxav.com, for more information on your skate from ordinary radio.