Dress To Impress: Factors To Consider When Defining Your Workplace Dress Code
Have an internship but have no clue what to wear every day? Take this as an opportunity to build your brand!
Building your personal brand is important to your success. One way to build your brand is by dressing in a style that reflects who you are as a person. It can be tricky to determine how to reflect your style in the workplace, but there are ways to align your character with the professional standards of the company you work for with a bit of practice and planning. First, you need to think about factors that influence your workplace dress code.
Some factors to consider:
- Industry – Is a certain dress code prevalent in the industry I work for? For example, the tech industry may have casual Fridays while investment bankers need a suit every day.
- Specific Expectations – Are interns given more leeway in terms of professional attire or are they held to the same standard as other employees? Does dress code change among employees?
- Weather/Commute – Is the location of the company I am employed at more susceptible to rain, is it extremely hot, etc? Will I need to wear sneakers in order to walk to work and then bring a pair of professional shoes to work in?
After you consider factors such as the ones above, feel free to find ways to personalize what is expected of you. For instance, if you love designs and fun patterns- you could wear more professional versions of fun socks with your dress shoes or accessorize a plain dress with a chunky necklace.
The possibilities are endless and there is never a wrong way to express yourself, as long as you stick to the general guideline!