Nail Any Interview With These Outfit Guidelines, According to an Expert
Office culture transformation means widespread change across a high volume of variables, but when it comes to fashion, dressing for interviews in the post-Covid workplace has its own set of rules.
Whether virtual, hybrid or in-person, potential candidates and employees are dressing a bit more casually all across the board. To start your job search, you can create a free profile at ZipRecruiter.com to apply for jobs with just one click. Yet, the “Casualization,” or the concept that “dressing has become much more casual,” was a trend already underway pre-Covid, according to a McKinsey & Co. report, and the pandemic accelerated a sentiment that had been steadily brewing.
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That means consumers have demonstrated an increased interest in athleisure, and as more casual office wear is expected, the athleisure market is set to reach $551 billion by 2025, growing by 25 percent, according to GlobalData.
While it seems we’re all leaning into this mass casualization both in the workplace and at home, it doesn’t necessarily extend to prospective new employees, or those within the interview process.
“When I started my agency in 1997, it was such a different time,” says Elizabeth Harrison, CEO and founder of H&S, who estimates that she’s interviewed hundreds of people at all different levels of management, from SVPs to interns. “I would say the expectation of how people show up for an interview has evolved. Being neat and well put together is still very important, but what’s changed is what connotes neat and put together is a lot wider now.”
This evolution of business casual, as well as our societal shift towards greater inclusivity, means that many offices, from corporate to creative, have thrown out a lot of the outdated rules in favor of new ones that reflect our collective