Dress code for internship - need help

[TechWife]

7 hours ago, skimomma said:

I would not stress too much about this.  She will really not make a poor impression as long as her clothing is neat, clean, and does not stand out.  I'd say overdressing is more of a sin in the tech world than underdressing.

 No, it really isn’t, especially for the first day. 

[TechWife]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Does the company post any presentations on YouTube? I would say for my husband’s employer, the way the tech presenters/speakers dress on YouTube is similar to their normal workwear. 

Just a bit of a caution on this. My dh presents in a wide variety of situations. He dresses appropriately for the situation. He takes into consideration his audience (internal or external as well as VIP’s that are present); the purpose of the meeting (training, sales);  location (always follows client dress code or event dress code). I can’t remember the last time he wore a real suit, but he has presented in slacks, dress shirt & jacket, he has added a tie on occasion as well.Probably most common is slacks or jeans with a dress shirt or polo. Sometimes dress codes are obvious but a lot of the time it’s a moving target.  I could probably find a YouTube video of someone from his company wearing any of these combinations, which wouldn’t help anyone trying to decipher a dress code, it would just muddy the waters😃.

Edited November 10, 2021 by TechWife

[Arcadia]

28 minutes ago, TechWife said:

. Sometimes dress codes are obvious but a lot of the time it’s a moving target.  I could probably find a YouTube video of someone from his company wearing any of these combinations, which wouldn’t help anyone trying to decipher a dress code, it would just muddy the waters😃.

I understand. I was thinking since the recruiter said jeans, the OP could take a look see for women in jeans. 

[Kassia]

4 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Does she know what she would be doing for her internship? For example, I spent most of my internship in aN office cubicle with two computers and I could “doll up” if I want to. When I know I needed to go to the department’s server room, I wear dark colored jeans and a warm blazer. 

She doesn't know yet.  

 

2 hours ago, TechWife said:

Then she will need to expand her wardrobe to include more slacks, it’s that simple. First impressions are important - slacks the first day.  Honestly though, any adult needs two-three outfits that they can wear anywhere - slacks, blouses, a jacket, good simple flats or low heels, simple earrings & simple necklace. One never knows what life will bring you - a wedding or funeral, an invite to a networking event, court, speaking somewhere, going to church with a friend, a nice night out - the possibilities are endless. 

 

She has several dresses, cardigans, and blazers and a pair of flats.  I think she's resistant to slacks because she's so hard to fit - size 2 long at Old Navy.  I've been after her to get a pair of nice pants but she's....stubborn.  😛

[Melissa in Australia]

5 hours ago, katilac said:

That's just "business" around here, lol. 

here business would include a tie and a suit jacket

[katilac]

11 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

here business would include a tie and a suit jacket

That would mostly be law firms around here, and the jacket is off for most of the day. 

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone else at work in a tie and jacket. My dh has to wear a full-on suit for certain meetings at headquarters (not just tie and jacket); he'd been in the same industry for 30+ years but had to go out and buy a suit for this purpose when he switched companies, lol. The old guard at headquarters is very old-fashioned and conservative. 

Otherwise, he dresses very business casual, and clients would definitely look askance at him showing up in a tie. He travels in three southern states. Headquarters is in the northeast, and the top few people are 70+. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by katilac

[Kassia]

5 minutes ago, katilac said:

 

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone else at work in a tie and jacket.

True, my three sons have never had to wear a tie and/or jacket to work.  When they started, it was business casual - khakis and button down shirt or polo.  Now everything is casual.  

[Faith-manor]

21 minutes ago, katilac said:

That would mostly be law firms around here, and the jacket is off for most of the day. 

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone else at work in a tie and jacket. My dh has to wear a full-on suit for certain meetings at headquarters (not just tie and jacket); he'd been in the same industry for 30+ years but had to go out and buy a suit for this purpose when he switched companies, lol. The old guard at headquarters is very old-fashioned and conservative. 

Otherwise, he dresses very business casual, and clients would definitely look askance at him showing up in a tie. He travels in three southern states. Headquarters is in the northeast, and the top few people are 70+. 

Funny how different things are! The lawyer in Huntsville who completed the closing on our asked if we would all be okay if he took his suit coat off. Our realtor and the seller's realtor were wearing business dress. The receptionist was in business dress. The office was in a set of suites with a variety of businesses represented in the building and as we watched folks come and go the only employees not wearing business dressy were the employees we saw in the hallway coming from the office and they were wearing scrubs and lab coats with masks and face shields. 

I think these things are very individual from business to business. It just seems like there should be an employee handbook to consult because none of us can really know what the environment is the interns workplace.

[Storygirl]

https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-3357838/womens-sonoma-goods-for-life-midrise-sateen-bootcut-pants.jsp?color=Heavy Lead&prdPV=112

These pants come in three colors for size 2Tall, and they are on clearance. At that price, I would buy all three colors and then find some tops to mix and match.

Then make sure she has a couple of nice dark wash jeans -- one in black, and at least one dark blue.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Storygirl

[Kimberly in IN]

13 hours ago, Kassia said:

She has several dresses, cardigans, and blazers and a pair of flats.  I think she's resistant to slacks because she's so hard to fit - size 2 long at Old Navy.  I've been after her to get a pair of nice pants but she's....stubborn.  😛

My oldest dd needed slacks for her internship (different industry, dress code was casual, but no jeans.) Her go to slacks are the Sloan Slim Ankle Pant from Banana Republic or Banana Republic Outlet. She has them in a variety of colors/patterns. They are offered in Tall and have easy returns, as they are in the Old Navy family. My dd is able to dress them down or more professional. In fact, for her internship she tends to wear them with a tshirt and white vans. She even wears them to class sometimes. For her grad school interviews she dressed them up a bit.

Perhaps your daughter could find a style of slacks that fit her style that allow for the very casual or somewhat dressier from one of the brands in the Old Navy family for the easy return policy.

[Kassia]

@Storygirland @Kimberly in IN  thank you so much!

[Jenny in Florida]

22 hours ago, Bootsie said:

For young women, I think that begins with a suit/dress appropriate for interviews or a business luncheon; a pair of dark slacks or a dark skirt, a pair of khakis and a nice pair of jeans. 

I'm sure a lot of this depends on location and industry, but I can tell you that no one in this area -- especially anyone on the young side -- wears a suit or dress even for an interview at the vast majority of companies. Because I am somewhat self-conscious about my age (older than a lot of people I work with) and weight, I tend to dress up a little more than many of my co-workers, but even I routinely wear jeans and tennis shoes to the office. I haven't owned khakis in decades. When I interviewed for this job, I work black jeans, a nice knit top and a cardigan and was way overdressed compared to anyone on the interview panel. (My boss lives in jeans, t-shirts with pop-culture references printed on them, hoodies and running shoes.)

My husband works for the biggest employer in our area, and they retired the last restriction against wearing jeans to work a good 10 years ago. (Prior to that, there was a long era during which non-blue jeans were acceptable Monday - Thursday, with blue denim okay only on Fridays.) He works full-time remote for the moment, but his entire "work wardrobe" even when he was going into the office consisted of jeans, polo shirts and neutral-colored athletic shoes.

I'm not saying there aren't situations in which dressing up is appropriate, but I think if the recruiter who works for the young person's employer says jeans are okay, the person is probably fine wearing jeans. If I were in a position to advise the young person, I would suggest nice, possibly not-blue jeans and a top that is not a t-shirt, maybe some basic flats instead of running shoes, but that would be considered plenty dressy for work around here.

[Jenny in Florida]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

Our realtor and the seller's realtor were wearing business dress.

Our realtor wore shorts and a polo with his company logo. The receptionist was in jeans and a t-shirt.

[Jenny in Florida]

2 hours ago, Kassia said:

True, my three sons have never had to wear a tie and/or jacket to work.  When they started, it was business casual - khakis and button down shirt or polo.  Now everything is casual.  

Yeah, the last time my husband wore a jacket or tie to work was in the 1990s.

[katilac]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

Funny how different things are! The lawyer in Huntsville who completed the closing on our asked if we would all be okay if he took his suit coat off. Our realtor and the seller's realtor were wearing business dress. The receptionist was in business dress.  

I will be at a closing next week, I'll try to remember to check out the outfits, lol. 

I can't remember what people were wearing at the last one (within the year), but I'm sure no one was in a suit or equivalent. I don't know if anyone was a lawyer though. 

[Faith-manor]

23 minutes ago, katilac said:

I will be at a closing next week, I'll try to remember to check out the outfits, lol. 

I can't remember what people were wearing at the last one (within the year), but I'm sure no one was in a suit or equivalent. I don't know if anyone was a lawyer though. 

I know, right! So variable.

I am so glad my casual to a fault son went into anthropology. Apparently that is the long hair, cut offs, paint shirt, birkenstock sandal crowd where a new hoodie means dressed nice. 😂 His undergrad profs came to class looking they rolled out of a 1969 VW bus. I am really hoping cargo pants and a clean t shirt will be "interview" clothes after he is out of graduate school or we may have to tackle him, and drag something decent onto his body so he actually gets a job in his field. 😁

[Bootsie]

After a discussion with my college students today, I realized that the recruiter could have meant either--business casual make sure that it is at least a nice pair of jeans (concerned a college student would show up in yoga pants and wanted to emphasize the BUSINESS part of the business casual) OR that the recruiter was emphasizing the CASUAL part to say that suits are needed.

We were discussing a business case that was project Nike's growth that was written in 2018 and were talking about which of the projections were ex post accurate and what was much different--of course the growth of the ath-leisure wardrobe as people have worked from home the past 1 1/2 was not expected in 2018 which I think has changed some norms and expectations.  I had a student who mentioned that she realized, after working from home, that she could wear bootleg yoga pants to her internship with a nice shirt and shoes instead of slacks and no one knew they were yoga pants.  She said that she had even received several comments from coworkers/boss about her pants.  When she got up to the leave the classroom, I watched and realized that these yoga pants do not look nearly as much as slacks as she seems to think they do and that if the boss at her internship is noticing/mentioning her clothing the boss is probably trying to drop a hint (not a compliment).  In her case someone may say "business casual--jeans are fine" as a way of saying yoga pants are NOT fine.  

[Ausmumof3]

It would be interesting to run a survey on this with age of respondents I think.  I feel like I’m the last of the generation before leggings became clothes.  Or where they’re at least only borderline. 

[TechWife]

3 hours ago, katilac said:

 

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone else at work in a tie and jacket.

I can! It was yesterday at work. Hospital administration here defaults to suit & tie. There are so many variations these days.

[Kassia]

Dd sent me the email from the recruiter.  She said dress code is business casual and pretty laid back, and that she wore a nice pair of jeans and a top.

 

[Kassia]

3 hours ago, Storygirl said:

https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-3357838/womens-sonoma-goods-for-life-midrise-sateen-bootcut-pants.jsp?color=Heavy Lead&prdPV=112

These pants come in three colors for size 2Tall, and they are on clearance. At that price, I would buy all three colors and then find some tops to mix and match.

 

I ordered all three pairs.  Fingers crossed that they fit!  Thank you again!  

[Clarita]

On 11/9/2021 at 12:39 PM, Kassia said:

What shoes would she wear?  Dd doesn't wear heels - would flats be okay then with jeans or nice sandals in the summer?  

What kind of tops would you recommend?  Dd is tall and thin.  She does most of her shopping at Old Navy and gets talls.

Are jeans really business casual?

What would be "nice jeans" - just jeans that aren't "distressed" - clean with no holes?

For her first day, would she show up in something dressier?  She doesn't have slacks but has dresses.  

FWIW my husband is a software engineer and he wears cargo shorts and a polo to work. (He did have one job force him to wear pants.) 

Flats and sandals should be OK. Tennis shoes are probably fine, but take a look at the other employees.

For the first day to test out the waters a polo shirt (not white). After that you should know if a t-shirt is OK.

Jeans are business casual for me and my husband's work. 

"Nice jeans" nothing with too many holes. 

I hesitate to wear dress to work on the first day as a female engineer. I have had very bad experiences at work wearing feminine things. Mostly it comes down to not being respected as a person with a brain (once your coworkers know you it's not a problem). I also had some sexual harrasment issues but that usually happened with customer or coworkers from other countries. Honestly for me nice jeans with a polo would be great first day outfit. For the first day just make sure the jeans are not distressed or has holes. From seeing her coworkers she'll know to what extent her jeans can be distressed.

As for slacks if you really want sure get a pair of slacks. For me my slacks are used very infrequently interviews, first day of work, and I had about 3 occasions where a boss asked me to dress up for a customer meeting.

 This is in CA though I know some other states are different in their definition of business casual. 

[kiwik]

On 11/10/2021 at 9:56 AM, Kassia said:

Right, but if she wears slacks or a dress and finds that jeans aren't acceptable after that she won't have anything to wear for the rest of the week! 

She can wear the same pair for a few days until she can another pair or a skirt.  I would never wear jeans on the first day but she may find on the first day they do wear jeans.  

Edited November 11, 2021 by kiwik