Business CAMPUS CASUAL
How to outfit your closet after college
How to outfit your
By Elise Weidner
When looting for apparel
suitable for a trek up the hill and a
seat in a lecture hall, some students
search no further than their
bedroom floor. Piles of rumpled
T-shirts and hole-ridden jeans can
provide endless wardrobe options
for students with little desire, time
or cash to invest in fashion. On
campus there is no requirement
for how many times each week you
must shower, shampoo or shave,
and if you're still wearing socks
adorned with Christmas trees in
August, no one will disapprove.
At Sprint, after years of keeping the employee dress code strictly "business," the company has recently made the switch to "business casual." But adding the "casual" doesn't mean employees can throw out their suits and head to work in the laid-back apparel they donned during their college years. Blue jeans, T-shirts, shirts with offensive logos, tennis shoes and revealing clothing are still not considered suitable attire for Sprint employees, says Diane Shoemaker-Katz, director of human resources and employee relations at the company.
Regardless of the dress code within the office or company at which you are applying, when
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But when you leave the casual campus atmosphere for a professional working environment, you're going to have to trade your sweats in for something nicer, something cleaner and in most cases something that fits in the category of "business casual."
However, Guilbault says that whenpreparing for aninterview,it's always better to give a little more in the area of self-presentation than it is to slack off. Take the extra
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"If I went into an interview and the applicant was in sneakers, shorts or jeans, right off the bat I sense that this person isn't taking the interview very seriously," she says. "So I ask myself, 'How seriously would they take the job?' Guilbault describes the dress code for employees at Reebok as casual and "pretty lenient." Sneakers are clearly a standard, jeans are OK as long as they are not ripped, and several men and women within her office wear multiple earrings in their ears as well as nose and eyebrow piercings, she says.
interviewing for a position it is imperative to dress professionally. People will judge you first by what they see and how you smell, says Tammy Edwards, director of diversity and inclusion for Sprint Nextel.
Wearing a business suit reflects your judgment and professionalism and demonstrates to the interviewer that you care about the interview and the prospective position, says Nancy Burford, staffing manager for Sprint.
First impressions should never be a deciding factor in whether to hire an applicant, says Laura Guilbault, a media production specialist at Reebok, but they do serve some purpose.