It's officially been a week working for my internship at a large aerospace company. I am working in the IT department, and as you may guess it is not the most fashion-forward group of the company. Along with this, I'm one of very few women.
The thing is, I'm only a second year college student, and this is a very valuable time to start networking early. Sure I could get away with wearing blue jeans and a hoodie, but here are my top reasons why I like to put a little more effort into my outfits for work:
- You never know who you're gonna meet.
- Already, only a week into the job, I've met so many superiors and even people from other companies. With such easy networking opportunities, you don't want to mess up that first impression simply because you were too lazy to put in any effort in the morning.
- "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have."
- A fairly well-known quote that holds a lot of truth. If you ever want to move up in rank, it really helps to show that you can at least dress the part.
- It's fun to dress up!
- Yeah yeah yeah, maybe this is just me, but I like having an excuse to wear my cute clothes and be creative with business casual looks. If no other reason suits you, at least it's a reason to wear that really cute blazer you never get to wear otherwise!
Now by no means am I saying that you can't dress super casual and still be successful, all I'm saying is that it doesn't hurt to make yourself a little presentable. :) Now that I've covered that spheal, here are some tips to create easy business-casual looks!
- Boyfriend-style blazers
- Blazers that are a boyfriend fit are so perfect for an internship. They're cut so that they're not super fitted, and hang down longer like a cardigan. You can wear them with nice jeans and a simple top and it pulls the whole outfit together without looking like you're trying to wear a suit. I wouldn't wear a blazer every day, but every once in a while it's nice to switch it up, especially on those days you know you'll have a meeting.
- Black jeans
- Black jeans are KEY!!! I actually never owned black jeans until right before I started this new job, and boy did they save my life. You can honestly wear any cute top and shoes with black jeans, and you instantly look 10x more put together than if you wore denim. I've found that the darker the jeans, the dressier you look. (TIP: get skinnies/straight leg but NOT jeggings!)
- Cute flats/sandals
- As equally fun and painful as heels can be, spare yourself the trouble and invest in really cute shoes with flat soles. Some workplaces don't allow open toe, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to wear all my cute summer sandals. If you need closed toe, find some fun flats or loafers.
- Statement jewelry
- Since an internship doesn't really require too fancy of clothing, go ahead and wear your favorite basics by adding a statement necklace! You can totally make your favorite cotton tee work, and a little bling will go a long way.
- A grown-up purse
- This one was a big one for me. I've always been the girl to buy a cheap little crossbody purse and use it for years, but going in to this new job I actually needed some more room in my purse (and something a little more presentable). You never know if you're going to need to bring a notebook, folder, tablet, or even a laptop with you, and having that extra storage space really helps. Having a larger, nice purse will also help you feel much more professional and will be that final touch that pulls every outfit together.
I hope these tips were helpful and that the next time you walk into a new job, you feel confident with what you're wearing and confident with yourself! Don't be afraid to get creative, it's definitely a process of experimentation.
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