Have you heard the sage advice: “Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have?” In other words, if you want to advance in your work place, you should dress the way those in the position dress. If you do so, you will impress those you interact with and project an air of confidence.
Some are now indicating that this advice may not be in your best interest. Kat Griffin, founder of the workplace-fashion blog Corporette, told a reporter at The New York Times that you shouldn’t necessarily try to imitate the style of higher-level managers just because they’re above you on the corporate ladder.
“Senior people have a huge bank of credibility — they’ve earned the right to dress how they please,” Griffin told The Times. “I advise readers to a) know generally what might not be acceptable, and b) to not wear any of those items until you see a midlevel person wear them, someone three to five years ahead of you.”
The bottom line is this, don’t rush to imitate the wardrobe of the company’s CEO if you don’t have the street crews to wear the same kind of clothing. If you do this while interviewing for the company, you may just ruin your chance at the job.
Rachel Premack, from Business Insider, also goes against the conventional wisdom regarding dressing for success at the job interview. She said that it could create a layer of awkwardness if you’re wearing a suit and your interviewers are wearing T-shirts and jeans.
If you’re unsure about the dress code, the best advice is to simply call ahead and check with HR within the company.
“Some questions one may ask include: Is half the office wearing ties? Is half the office wearing flip-flops? What will my interviewers be wearing?” Marc Cenedella, founder of the careers site Ladders said. “If they’re vague, you can always be direct and ask ‘Will I feel out of place in formal business attire?’ If they answer ‘not at all,’ you know it’s expected.”
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