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I am not sure exactly what it was that gave me the impression that the six-employee office would be a slight bit on the unprofessional side. Perhaps it was the fact that I stood in the front of the office for ten minutes before a receptionist scurried out of the toilet to greet me. Or maybe it was seeing one of the employees unabashedly reading celebrity blogs at his work station while (loudly) recapping on the phone with a friend. But most likely it had something to do with the tw
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Comments
03.30.09
This is a great post. I work in a casual work environment where it's all jeans and a lot of sweatshirts. And while I do wear the occasional sweatshirt (and was told I fit in more as a result), I generally try to dress nicely. That's because 1) I'm still pretty new and want to make a good impression and 2) I don't like wearing sweatshirts each day ;)
03.30.09
I think the jeans will hurt you more if you are young than specifically if you are a woman. Actually I think dressing TOO nice doesn't necessarily say you aren't a team player, but it can indicate you are maybe arrogant or trying to operate "above your station". But then, I think young women (or any women) take the risk of dressing too nice and maybe being mistaken for the admin or secretary. So there's definitely a fine line. I agree that keeping your own style is very important, whether your office is casual or not and think those are some great ideas.
03.30.09
I used to write prop papers for an NGO as an intern, before I actually started to work there after I graduated. I wore causal clothing, would pop in downtown and pick up things or have meetings with those who were telling me what kind of prop they wanted written and so on. When I started working there after school, as a liaison in resettlement and development, I remember wearing quite the wrong causal outfit the first day of work. I had a meeting to attend a lunch meeting in downtown D.C....WHO KNEW..
One of the office assistants lent me a jacket and a fellow there lent me her skirt and shoes...honest to god.
So now I always think about what my mother told me when I was dressing for the prom...life is theater, you dress the part, just always know what part if it is you.
I just have to figure out what that part is before getting there.
03.31.09
Rebecca-I am settling into a new job too, and am constantly reminded that in the beginning it's all about meshing your style with the organisation's. At a previous job, I remember one coworker who (no joke) used to wear a velour tracksuit every "casual" day, while the rest of us dressed in jeans/khakis/etc. It looked super comfy, but took the dress code to the extreme that a few people complained and casual day policies were onced again revised via a "friendly reminder" email.
Miles-Good point about the being "young" factor with jeans, as the generational perspective definitely influences what someone considers to be "acceptable" casual attire.
Oliva--I'm completely with you on figuring out "what part" I'm going for. One thing I do know, whatever it actually is, it will be compatible with me wearing jeans to do it:)
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