Professional Dress for Your First Real Job

Whether you just landed your first big job interview, or you’re starting your first week on the job, you need to dress professional.

The professional dress code can differ from workplace to workplace. It’s especially dependent on the region’s climate. But it can also be dependent on the overall work culture in the company or area.

But if you’re attentive and follow our simple tips, you can give off the right impression and more easily fit in with your fellow co-workers.

Professional Dress for the Job Interview

The first rule is: be attentive.

If you’re headed to the job interview, look at the company’s website. How are the employees dressed in the profiles on their “About”-page? Are they wearing suits and ties or are they dressed in a neutral T-shirt or a casual shirt? The more information you can gather beforehand, the clearer the picture you get of how they want their employees to present themselves.

If you look at the About-page, make sure to also check out the specific department, you’re looking into joining. The IT department typically dress differently from the sales force.

Professional Dress for the First Week of Work

The second rule is: start off with a more discreet professional dress.

The best advice for your first week of work is that you don’t dress up quite as much as you did on your job interview. It’s better to be a bit more cautious.

This doesn’t however doesn’t mean you have to pick the most boring outfit in your wardrobe button your shirt tightly. It just means that you don’t yet know how the professional dress code in the company ACTUALLY is. That’s why it’s a better idea to be a bit more conservative – for the first week at least.

Don’t neglect comfort. The more comfortable you feel, the more at ease you’ll feel in a new environment.

Versatility is also a plus. You might have read up on the company, but you might not be aware that the air condition by your desk is a couple of degrees lower than you’d like or that the sun shines through your office window raising the temperature in the afternoon.

At SLEEK Atelier we’ve designed all of our shirts for women for a variety of situations. They’re made from 100% pure cotton, which means that they’re breathable and of a high quality. That means, you can wear them in any office environment and feel at ease.

Your new colleagues are well-aware that a new person has been hired and they will notice you. That’s why it’s smarter to go for a simple and discreet style. That way they’ll be paying more attention to your work and you can observe them as well.

After the First Week: Emulate What Your Colleagues ACTUALLY Wear – And Express Yourself

After your first week, you’ll have been introduced to everyone you work with. If you’ve been observant, you now have a clearer view of how people are actually dressed at your workplace. And you’ll have gained a better sense of how you can express yourself, while still being noticed for your work ethics and expertise.

The third rule is: Add your own unique sense of style.

This is when it gets fun. 

Is it a casual workplace? Then combine your knot shirt with jeans. Is it important to wow potential clients? Then combine some simple pressed pants with a more eye-catching shirt, such as a more bold cuff shirt.

Once you’ve deciphered your place of work, it gets easier to play with combining their professional dress code with your own sense of style and flair – and you will be the star of the office.