Professional Dress and Attire

What you wear can be a form of self-expression and contributes to the development of your personal brand. The way you dress in professional settings can also provide a signal of your maturity and self-awareness for employers and other professionals.

In this context, professional dress and attire are defined as variations of dress codes appropriate within different professional settings. The chart and guidelines below are available to help you understand what is appropriate for each code of dress.

Business Professional

Required for Professional Headshot Photos, Mock Interviews, Interviews
(unless otherwise indicated by interviewer)

Skirt or pant suit, dress with slip lining

Recommended suit colors: charcoal, navy, black, or brown
Skirt suits or dresses should be knee length with a conservative slit
Professional top in a conservative color, neutrals or pastels are suggested
Ironed button up shirt and solid or striped conservative color tie
Minimize accessories and keep jewelry simple
Carry a purse or professional bag and a pad / portfolio to take notes and neatly hold your materials

Business Casual

Required for Employer-in-Residence Meetings, Employer or Alumni Coffee Chats, Industry Days, Career Fairs

Relaxed business attire

Collared or polo shirt, sweaters, solid or patterned blouses
Khakis or nice trouser of a similar materials
Flats, heels, loafers, boots, or nice tennis shoes

Casual

Attire for Career Coaching Appointments, Career Prep Events, Co-op + Internship Interest Meetings, Employer Table Talks, Employer Lunch + Learns, Student Organization Meetings with Employer Visitors

Everyday wear such as jeans and blouses

Modest pants including jeans or khakis
Modest top, button-down shirt, or blouse
Stay away from athletic wear like leggings, athletic shorts, athletic tank tops, tightly fitting clothing

	Business Professional	Business Casual	Casual
Pant suit Skirt suit or dress with slip lining. Length of a skirt or dress should be at the knee with a conservative slit. If a dress is sleeveless, a business suit jacket or cardigan is required.	Required	Optional	N/A
Hard-bottom shoes	Required	Optional	Optional
Tie	Required	Optional	N/A
Khaki Pants or similar material	Avoid	Optional	Optional
Colored shirts without suit jacket or cardigan cover	Avoid	Optional	Optional
Collared shirts without suit / sport coat jacket or cardigan cover	Avoid	Avoid	Optional
Soft-soled shoes / sneakers, sandals, boots	Avoid	Optional	Optional
Jeans, Denim	Avoid	Avoid	Optional
Leggings and yoga pants	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid
Athletic shorts	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid
Athletic tank tops	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid

Grooming and Clothing Characteristics

Regardless of the dress code in a professional setting, there are several other essentials to know about grooming and clothing characteristics.

Clothing Characteristics

All clothing should be clean and free of stains, scents, orders, tears, or wrinkles. The type of cloth / material, design style / cut, and fitting should not be too tight, baggy, or thin, allowing others to see through clothing.

Grooming

Body

Avoid wearing noticeable perfumes or scented products
Be mindful of body odor
Consider covering tattoos and covering or removing piercings for a conservative approach. In this context, body art and piercings do not refer to those which are culturally based.

Footwear

Shoes should be well-kept, free of stains or scuffs
Wear matching dress socks when wearing pant suits
Sock length: Socks should not reveal your skin when crossing your legs

Hair

Hair style should be neat and worn so it does not cover your eyes or require manipulation (e.g. regularly needing to move hair behind the ears, shaking your head to clear hair from your face or shoulders)
Hats are typically inappropriate for wearing indoors. This does not apply to head coverings worn for cultural, religious, medical, or health and safety reasons.