Casual Dress Policies Can Trip Up Job Applicants - Brief Article

HR Magazine, June, 2001 by Bill Leonard

Nearly 75 percent of U.S. workers say that clothing or personal appearances influence attitudes about professionalism, according to a casual-dress-in-the-workplace survey from CareerBuilder Inc.

Yet more than 80 percent of employees admit that they failed to research what is appropriate attire while preparing for a job interview--when first impressions are truly on the line.

"In today's cautious economy, workers must maximize their chances of success," says Diane Strahan, a career analyst with CareerBuilder. "Your resume needs to be sharp and polished and so do you. Researching and selecting the appropriate type of attire for a job interview is a requirement in today's perplexing casual work environment. What's tricky is that casual means different things to different people and different employers."

While 78 percent of employees responding to the survey described their typical work attire as casual, their definitions of casual dress varied. More than half of the respondents listed their typical work attire as "business casual" (khaki slacks, polo or golf shirt, optional jacket, for example), but nearly 20 percent of the respondents said their work attire was "extreme casual" (jeans, T-shirts and shorts).

"Making assumptions about proper business dress can be disastrous, especially for job seekers who are trying to fit into a new corporate culture," says Strahan. "The first impression is critical. Even the most glowing qualifications can't erase a bad first impression."