‘Dress for the job you want’ advice has a major flaw

Don’t look to the execs
for the dress code.
Mark
Thompson/Getty Images

• The advice to “dress for the job you want, not the job you
  have” has a major flaw, according to one expert.
• Senior leaders at a company have earned “a huge bank of
  credibility” to wear whatever they want,” fashion blog founder
  Kat Griffin told The New York Times — so you can’t look to them
  for advice.
• It can get awkward if you’re dressed more formally than your
  interviewers during a job interview, too. It’s best to do your
  homework and learn what’s appropriate beforehand, another expert
  said.

You’re probably familiar with the saying “Dress for the job you
want, not for the job you have.”

The idea is that as a lower-level worker, you should dress more
formally at the office, making good impressions on those you
interact with and projecting an image of confidence.

The only problem is that the advice doesn’t always hold up.

Kat Griffin, founder of the workplace-fashion blog Corporette,
told Lizz Schumer at
The New York Times that you shouldn’t necessarily try to
imitate the style of higher-level managers just because they’re
above you on the corporate ladder.

“Senior people have a huge bank of credibility — they’ve earned
the right to dress how they please,” Griffin told The Times. “I
advise readers to a) know generally what might not be acceptable,
and b) to not wear any of those items until you see a midlevel
person wear them, someone three to five years ahead of you.”

Essentially, don’t rush to match the wardrobe of the company’s
CEO if you don’t know you have the leeway to wear the same
clothing items. If you’re interviewing for a role at the company,
it could jeopardize your chances of landing the job.

Related:

17 things you should never wear to a job interview

Other experts buck the conventional wisdom to overdress for a job
interview.
As Business Insider’s Rachel Premack noted, it could
introduce a layer of awkwardness if you’re wearing a suit and
your interviewers are wearing T-shirts and jeans.

If you’re unsure about the dress code, the best advice is to
simply call ahead and check with HR or another contact within the
company.

“Some questions one may ask include: Is half the office
wearing ties? Is half the office wearing flip-flops? What will my
interviewers be wearing?” Marc Cenedella, founder of the careers
site Ladders,
told Business Insider. “If they’re vague, you can always be
direct and ask ‘Will I feel out of place in formal business
attire?’ If they answer ‘not at all,’ you know it’s
expected.”