One of the most basic things that you can do to set yourself up for success in the work place is to make sure that you are dressed appropriately and professionally.
And that includes every step of the job search process, from the job interview to the internship to the new job.
And in order to dress appropriately, you need to understand the dress code for your place of work, including details on things like if they view long hair as professional.
To that end, this article is going to unpack how to ask about the dress code for work.
Let’s dive in.
How to ask about dress code for new job
When starting a new job, the best way to ask about the dress code is to be start with your HR point of contact.
In the lead up to your first day, you’ll likely be corresponding with someone from HR that will be providing you with equipment and setting up with what you need for your first day. The chances are good that they will also ask you if you have any questions about the job.
During your correspondence with your HR point of contact, if they don’t set specific expectations with regards to the dress code, you an ask them: “I’d like to be certain that I’m dressing appropriately, so I was just wondering what our dress code is?”
How to ask about dress code for internship
If you are going into an internship, and don’t have much prior experience in a professional context, it will be all the more important to understand expectations around professional dress.
You can approach asking the question in a similar way to anyone that is starting a new job. Most likely, you’ll have an HR point of contact prepping you for your first day and you can ask them, either by phone or email: “I want to be sure that I come dressed appropriately and was wondering what the dress code is?”
How to ask about dress code for interview
It is very simple and not really off-putting to ask about some insights into the dress culture of a company.
When you are scheduling your interview, you can say something like, “I know that some of the offices are casual and others tend to be more formal. Please can you give me some idea of what would be appropriate for me to wear for my interview?”
When you ask, this means that you’re not going to feel very awkward walking into your interview. You also don’t have to worry about second guessing yourself when choosing your attire.
If you’re not able to get an answer to that question, then I would recommend following the general best practices when it comes to interview attire.
How to ask about dress code during interview
In general, I would recommend avoiding asking about the company dress code during the interview process. It’s a pretty minor part of an overall job and asking it too early in the interview process may give off a vibe that you’re a little too concerned about your own personal preferences.
As a starting point, you can get some idea of what the dress code is by looking at the way the employees are dressed during the interview. However, this isn’t always the best example, especially if it’s a Friday since some companies have casual Fridays.
If a dress code is something that you’re concerned about, then I’d recommend asking about it after receiving a job offer, but prior to accepting the offer.
Conclusion
Wearing the right clothing and the right type of clothing is an essential part of being in the workforce. Whether you wear your own clothes or you have a uniform provided to you by the company, make sure that you always look neat and that your clothes are clean from your interview to your first day and beyond. This is not just for your own comfort, but for the comfort of your fellow coworkers and your customers.
Hopefully, this article has been helpful for you in understanding the best way to ask about the dress code for work.
