Strictly business: Cracking the (dress) code

By Christopher DaCosta

As summer rapidly approaches, students are still scrounging for the last remaining jobs and internships. The competitive and cutthroat process can be overwhelming and with almost one in four students listing internships on their resumes, the search for professional experience can be exhausting and unrewarding.

So how can you get the edge necessary to land the resume-builder of a lifetime without switching your major to accounting? The answer lies in what the Career Center calls "dressing for success."

Director of the Career Center, Kathy Potter, explained the various standards required by employers.

"Employers expect students to be appropriately dressed for the work they are doing and for the environment in which they are working," Potter said.

Meeting these expectations for job interviews can be rather difficult for the millennial generation - with facial piercings and avant garde hairstyles at the edge of today's trends, it might be difficult to conform to conservative business standards.

"I would not suggest wearing the pierced jewelry. In the majority of jobs, excessive piercings and alternative hairstyles are not acceptable," Potter explained. Counselors in the Center corroborated her advice: "I've seen employees with pierced eyebrows and ears have to cover them with Band-Aids."

At stricter companies "these applicants won't get laughed out of the office-they would not be allowed in," according to one Career Center counselor.

Potter added that employers might perceive dress codes as an indication of a level of respectfulness and professionalism.

Graduate Resident Director (GRD) for Casa Italiana and high-tech marketing consultant, Sandy Hillhouse, pointed out that in order for interns and interviews to be taken seriously, they need to be proactive with regard to their professional appearance.

"Interns shouldn't dress like interns, they should dress like they already work at the company," Hillhouse said.

This indicates that research is crucial, not only with respect to the company itself, but also with regard to its environment and culture.

"The level of formality you project shows that you understand the importance of the situation and respect the person you are meeting," Potter said. "When in doubt, making a conservative clothing choice for your interview is usually the safest."

Conservative doesn't have to mean boring. With careful planning you can still maintain your own style and flair.

Paying attention to detail may mean a future payoff in the form of a job offer. Shiny shoes matched to your belt is a key element. Retire those tacky caricature ties to your suitcase labeled "Goodwill." Neatly pressed clothes and classic, timeless patterns speak volumes about one's decision making skills - who said fashion sense isn't a resume-worthy quality?

As Potter jokes, "You want your interviewer to hear you, not your clothes!"

According to Potter, women have a myriad of options â€" pantsuits, skirts, blouses â€" which means more room to make boardroom fashion faux pas. High hemlines and plunging necklines should be reserved for your nightclub excursions.

Junior finance major Carlos Silverberg has managed to refine his professional appearance with his own internship experience. "I want to make sure that I'll give a neat and clean appearance that will make me look professional. I also like to have a haircut, a clean shave, and neatly trimmed nails before an interview," Silverberg said.

To learn more about "dressing for success" and become further prepared for interviews, stop by the Career Center for more information.

û Contact Christopher DaCosta at (408) 554-4546 or cdacosta@scu.edu.