What to wear on your first day on the job

You don’t want to be overdressed, but you definitely don’t want to be underdressed either. Hitting that sweet spot is not easy, and you can never really know for sure what you are expected to wear. But we have some helpful tips for you to hone in on the proper attire for the first day of your new job.

Scout out your office during the on-site interview

Probably the easiest would be to pay attention to the office and workers while you are at the interview. Hopefully you dressed right for the interview, but that’s another issue. So while you are waiting for the interview to begin, or when you leave once the interview is over, glance around and look at the typical work attire people are wearing.

That will give you a good idea of what is common in the office. Now it might not be a bad idea to jot down what you saw, because chances are you’ll have more than one interview. You really don’t want to mix up which company had which dress code.

Do your research

Researching what to wear normally is only really necessary when trying to get into clubs in Berlin. But in the case of your first day at the job, researching adequate attire is also useful. If you were not able to scout out your new workplace during your on-site interview, this is your next-best option. How can you research dress codes?

Check out the social media outlets your new company is using. You might be able to find pictures of team events and the office - that should give you a good indication of what people are wearing normally. You can also check career websites that provide company profiles for companies. Companies often upload pictures of their office, so you will be able to see what people are wearing there, too.

Wear what your interviewers wore

You probably remember what your interviewers wore, when you met them at the interview. You can try to wear something similar for your first day on the job. Depending on who you met though, the dress code requirements may be different for you.

Use common sense: if you are applying for a senior position, don’t get a feel for what you’re supposed to wear from the junior recruiter you met in the first round of interviews.

Go with the industry norm

What you can always do is just go with the industry norm. The dress code at a startup is obviously very different to the dress code at an investment bank. If you wear a suit for your first day at a startup, you will be completely out of place in the casual startup environment. But wearing anything other than a suit at an investment bank is probably a bad idea for your first day on the job. Styles that work in Silicon Valley likely don’t in Manhattan. If you know what the norm for your industry is, then go with that if you have no other information.

Just ask

If you really have no idea what to wear on your first day on the job, and are very anxious to give off a good first impression (which is not a bad idea), you can always just ask. It would be best to ask your HR contact, they will know the answer to your question.

Asking is definitely the safest option.By following these tips, you should be able to make sure that you don’t stand out on your first day due to wardrobe issues.

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