What to wear for your first professional/office job.

Fitting in with workplace norms is really important if you want to progress, but after 3-4 years of dressing casually at uni, it can be hard to work out what to wear when you start at work. The type of clothing considered acceptable varies a lot between workplaces- so the best advice is to look at how people around you and especially directly above you dress.

However, this doesn’t help if you need to buy clothes to wear before you actually start work!

I would say that there are some definite mistakes to be avoided in most offices, and obviously good hygiene is very important. Make sure your hair is neat, clean and tidy, your nails are clean and not too long. It’s also a good idea to avoid anything “out there” such as bright colours, sparkly clothing and statement jewellery until you’re fairly sure about how it will be perceived. Unfortunately, I would say this goes double for men- the office isn’t really a place you want to be making fashion statements. Unless you’re in an industry where casual dressing is the norm, it’s always best to try and be fairly smart.

For women, I would say this means a nice blouse and trousers minimum. It’s a good idea to wear sleeves- some people won’t like you having your armpits on show. Heels aren’t compulsory, and it’s probably only a good idea to wear them if you’re confident you can stand/walk in them all day if necessary. Skirts/dresses can be a bit of a minefield, but if you want to wear one, it’s probably best it finishes just above/just below the knee, and wear it with dark tights.

Make-up is a minefield all of its own. Some people still seem to think a woman has to wear make up and have a blow-dry to look professional. However, if you wear too much make up, you may not be taken seriously. Personally, I usually wear foundation, a tiny bit of bronzer, brown/nude eyeshadow and mascara and have a nude lip. If in doubt, a neat bun is usually a safe hairstyle.

For men, a shirt and tie plus smart trousers and shoes is probably the way to go, plus a suit jacket if you’re going to work somewhere more formal formal. It’s probably a good idea to avoid any jewellery at all (except a wedding ring) and have a smart bag if you’re going to bring one with you rather than using a rucksack. To start with, it’s probably best to stick to neutral/muted colours.

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of industries where men are expected to have a very traditional/conservative haircut. If you do have more out there hair, try not to draw attention to it- if for example, if it’s long, tie it back neatly and keep it clean.

I think it could be really helpful if people shared what people in their office wear to work, and what field they work in :h:

Reply 1

lyrical_lie

19

In my work everyone starts very professionally as they never know what to wear. Then as the weeks go on you see them become more and more casual. I work in a student union so jeans and a top is fine. I usually wear leggings and a top and maybe a cardi or a jumper.

Reply 2

Reue

20

Original post by lyrical_lie

In my work everyone starts very professionally as they never know what to wear.

It was the same at my last job. I started in full suit + tie and ended up in ripped jeans, trainers and T-shirt.

Reply 3

PinkAcid

10

we have a uniform so its easy as pie to dress correctly, the only problem is it takes three months for HR to order it for us so new starts go from wearing a shirt and tie to something green to try and look like they work here or borrowing the spare branded jacket (that NEVER gets washed I might add) if necessary

Reply 4

Gus_L

I don't wear anything under my mascot outfit.

Reply 5

SlowlorisIncognito

OP

16

Original post by lyrical_lie

In my work everyone starts very professionally as they never know what to wear. Then as the weeks go on you see them become more and more casual. I work in a student union so jeans and a top is fine. I usually wear leggings and a top and maybe a cardi or a jumper.

This is true of the office where I work too- jeans are technically against the dress code, but we're not customer facing, and we're a pretty casual office, so over time dark jeans etc do tend to sneak into people's work wardrobes. We also all wear lots of easy to take on and off layers due to the unpredictable heating system :frown:

The biggest minefield for me when I started was charity "dress down days"- we have them at least once a month, and it's so hard to know what to wear. I've pretty much sussed it that jeans+shirt combo with boots is fine, but nobody goes super relaxed and hair/make-up still stays very professional!

Reply 6

lyrical_lie

19

Original post by SlowlorisIncognito

This is true of the office where I work too- jeans are technically against the dress code, but we're not customer facing, and we're a pretty casual office, so over time dark jeans etc do tend to sneak into people's work wardrobes. We also all wear lots of easy to take on and off layers due to the unpredictable heating system :frown:

The biggest minefield for me when I started was charity "dress down days"- we have them at least once a month, and it's so hard to know what to wear. I've pretty much sussed it that jeans+shirt combo with boots is fine, but nobody goes super relaxed and hair/make-up still stays very professional!

Oh my office is freezing so I feel you there, I'm considering wearing gloves. Our office is people facing as we see the students, but as it's a student union it would be odd if we were all professional dress and they're coming to chat with us. So we're casual.

We definitely couldn't have a dress down day, we'd all come in in our jammies lol.

Reply 7

Slowbro93

20

In my old office, I used to wear a tie all the time. However, towards the end I used to just wear trousers and a shirt. I found out that I could have also gotten away with jeans too :tongue:

Reply 8

gr8wizard10

21

slim fit suit

banking

Reply 9

SlowlorisIncognito

OP

16

Original post by lyrical_lie

Oh my office is freezing so I feel you there, I'm considering wearing gloves. Our office is people facing as we see the students, but as it's a student union it would be odd if we were all professional dress and they're coming to chat with us. So we're casual.

We definitely couldn't have a dress down day, we'd all come in in our jammies lol.

Yeah, I think it's all part of knowing your client base. On occasion, we do go to events, but most of the people we deal with at these events are working with horses at these events, so it would be weird if we were dressed super-formally, and obviously practical shoes are a must!

Dress down days at work are super pointless imho, I actually quite like my work wear- I bought it after all- and obviously as it's for charity, donations are compulsory. I feel a bit weird about having to pay to come to work, you know (yes I am aware I probably spend about £20-£30 a year in donations max a year and it's not much, but it still feels a bit off).

Reply 10

Interrobang

20

For my job, I tend to wear suit trousers (i.e. smart black ones) and then a smart top (not a blouse) and cardigan, along with smart shoes. There is also the issue (in some sectors more than others) about how low-cut tops should be for women (some blouses can be rather low-cut!)