Career Advice: What to Wear to a Recruitment Event

Posted November 21, 2019 by in Career
women in a meeting

You are finally coming to the end days of your career as a student and are about to enter the job market in your new profession.  These first few jobs mold you into what you are going to focus most of your career on, so finding the perfect match is as important to you as it is them.  You need to dress the part, prepare yourself for the job fair and get some appropriate clothing. There will probably be a few of these as well as various interviews so having a few proper sets of clothing is appropriate and needed.  You want to look the part and look your very best.  

The first thing you need to do is to look at the recruitment event and see who might be there that interests you.  This is important so you can take a minute and study what it is that their company does, what are their values and where are they located.  Some job fairs have recruiters from all over the country. Not all the people there are typically local, so if you tend to stay local then you need to know where the companies are located.  

Be Prepared

Once you have who you are going to see, you need to make a nice small speech of what you are going to say to the recruiters that will be there.  You should talk about why you think you are good for the job and a little about yourself. Print up some resumes and these might not all be the same either.  Some jobs may require a little bit different resume than the next. Take your time and adjust them for the jobs you are seeking. 

When you know who you are going to see, this will tell you the level of formalness you should be wearing.  If this is for a very professional job, then you may need a business suit. There is no need to get several business suits if you have are tight on a budget but get one solid colored suit and a couple of different shirts that would look good under that suit.  You should have matching socks and if you have any piercings try to minimize those as much as possible. Dress in layers in case there is a heating issue. And, if you have religious reasons for a particular dress, that is completely okay.  

Dress Professionally

If you choose to wear a dress suit, you will need to check the skirt length.  Skirt length is important and should not be shorter than the top of your knees. If there is a slit in the back, be sure it is not too high so that if you bend over you will be putting on some sort of show.  Another thing to consider is wearing a shirt that will keep you covered even if you bow or bend over to pick something up. You want to be professional and not flashy.  

Some career fairs, like https://recruitmilitary.com/employers/solutions/virtual-career-fair,  are virtual, so a dress code may not apply. However, if you are going into a profession that works in suits every day, you should certainly suit up for the occasion.

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