General Etiquette > All In A Day's Work
Meeting future employers at grad school (dress code question)
Adelaide:
I'm starting law school in the fall, and I've been warned by several students that there are prospective employers walking around the grounds at all times. Also, there may be surprise guest speakers during lecture (who also may be potential employers) that lecturers want to introduce to students they know are interested in certain topics.
My question is, etiquette-wise, what constitutes "presentable" attire? For anyone who has experience being a student or an employer, what level of dressed would you expect someone in graduate school to be on a normal school day? (We're assuming this is in an "ambush" situation where the student was caught off guard and didn't expect to meet anyone that day.) If the student you shook hands with was wearing, say, sweatpants that day, would that diminish your opinion of them? What about a student who had on minimal makeup? I know that we're not expected to wear three-piece suits to class every day, but I'm sure there's some sort of minimum that one can reach before a line is crossed and you no longer look professional. For instance, would an outfit consisting of well-fitting sweatpants, a matching jacket, and color-coordinated tennis shoes look just as slovenly as old sweats?
Arianoor:
I may be old fashioned here, but sweatpants are never okay in public, no matter how coordinated they are.
If I were at a school where potential employees were "hiding in every bush", I'd be sure to wear well fitting jeans that were clean with no holes and tee-shirts without slogans at the bare minimum. I don't see a problem with no make up, but your (general) hair should be at least minimally styled and neat.
Ceallach:
I always treat classes / lectures as business casual anyway - I've never understood the whole "roll into class in pyjamas" mindset.
I'd say tidy jeans are ok, as are casual pants/skirts, but no sweats. Tops should be modest (no midriff showing, or low cut singlets) and without offensive phrases or logos. All clothes worn should be in good condition, no rips or tears or stains. So it can still be comfortable, casual clothing, but tidy and tasteful. Likewise with hair and makeup - it's fine not to put heaps of effort in, but neither should your hair look like you just rolled out of bed and haven't bathed in a month.
As an employer I would be expecting to see the students au natural, yes. e.g. I would know they hadn't made a special effort. BUT that tells me more about them than anything else. I want to hire people who are respectful, tasteful and classy at all times because that's who they are, not people who just know how to pretend when they think it's necessary, if that makes sense. :)
newbiePA:
When I was in grad school, we were told to always wear professional dress to lectures. We did wear nice jeans with a dressy top (no tees/hoodies). Even on days when we had gross anatomy labs, we wer strongly encouraged to change into scrubs right before the lab. Sweats or yoga pants would not have been acceptable. So don't get out the suits, but dress like you wre going to work. Good luck!! Oh, if it makes any difference, I was attending a fairly prestigious, traditional university. A more casual school may be more, well, casual about this.
blarg314:
I would say that a sweat suit is appropriate if you are coming to or from the gym, but not for the class.
My guess would be slacks or presentable jeans, a nice shirt (not fancy, but skip things like rock-concert t-shirts, anything with logos or cute sayings or pictures), clean shoes in good repair, avoiding things that are move obvious athletic shoes. Avoid excessively cute (no sparkly pink hello kitty shirts). Nothing dirty, stained, ripped, or overly revealing. For grooming - clean, tidy hair - think nice hair clip rather than headband or ponytail holder.
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