How to dress for your internship in PR or retail

Comfortable shoes are a must


Now that its summertime once again, a few things are on our agendas. Aside from the tans, home-cooked meals, and high school memories, we now have to worry about internships and jobs.

One of the most important things to nailing the job or the internship is making sure you look the part. No matter where you work, there will be a specific dress code, and it is important to follow it.

The Tab had the opportunity to speak with two employees from two very different fields, and they will provide greater insight into the styles to wear in their fields of work. Brooke, who works at a public relations firm, and Christian, who works at a retail store, answered a few questions for students in their first internship

What would you consider to be appropriate attire for this job?

Brooke: “For this specific job [in PR}, it has to be a mix of looking put together, you don’t have to be too professional, but maybe a nice blouse and jeans. But something still comfortable that you can move around in, because there’s a lot of shifting things, moving parts, or packing up, maybe running errands, so comfortable shoes are definitely a must. But still, look put together as clients and stylists come in.”

Christian: “”We’re a lifestyle brand, so we have a specific image that we want to portray, and we expect that everybody who works for the brand portrays that image. So here, its all about color, its all about fun, its all about style. You’re supposed to look the part and act the part.”

What is the craziest or worst thing someone can wear to a job or job interview?

Brooke: “Worst thing, definitely something that’s too short, because when they bend over it’s a little inappropriate. Or anything too low cut or revealing, just because you have to have a professional vibe. And craziest thing was this girl came in wearing the highest heels I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I didn’t even know how she walked here.”

Christian: “The best advice I can give anybody for a job interview, is to make sure you research the brand, even a little bit. If its a conservative law firm, and you need to look conservative, don’t wear crazy colors. Vice versa if it is a marketing firm. If its a retail job or something like that, don’t show up in black if their brand is all color. Research what their brand represents before you go to the interview.”

Do you have any recommendations for recent grads in terms of what is appropriate, and making sure you are comfortable at the same time?

Brooke: “My go-to is a pair of nice dark jeans, pointy flats, and either a cashmere sweater or a nice blouse that’s still breathable, but not too constricting.”

Christian: “So again, going along the same lines, of researching the brand, you always want to make sure, I mean, we work in retail, so just like if a customer is trying on something and even if they look good, they don’t feel good, they’re not going to radiate a sense of confidence, we want them to be confident, so there’s always going to be a fine line. What I care more about in an interview, you know looks are first impression, but its not the most important thing at all.

“So basically you really really really want people to to be able to radiate that confidencewith what they’re wearing, so they can determine that line for themselves. Comfort is important. If you’re not comfortable, I can tell. And I want you to be comfortable,. Any job wants you to be comfortable working there.”

Does the location of the job make a difference to what you should be wearing?

Brooke: “Weather is one big thing, because in Florida, anything that’s too hot you’ll just die in. New York, you have a little more room for creativity. People are more open to different kind of things especially in the fashion industry, like sneakers are now in fashion. In other places, depending obviously on what kind of job or what kind of company atmosphere, sometimes you have to be a little more professional, so sneakers would’t work in that situation.”

Christian: “To a degree, and it depends on the type of business, but the point is you need to cater your clients. If you were in a client-facing position, then you need to cater to your clients, if you’re not in a client-facing position, you’re still dealing with, internally with your company, and you need to cater to the people you’re going to be dealing with. You’re going to be dealing with the CEO, he’s going to expect you to look a certain way. If you’re dealing with clients in the fashionable center of the world, you’re going to need to look a certain way. If you’re in the Midwest, in Ohio or something,  like that, you’re going to need to look a certain way. Its just very important that you can connect with your company and with your clients.”

With advice from two different employees, we hope the decisions on what to wear get a little bit easier. Good luck on the job hunt!