What to Wear on Your First Day of Work: 8 Things To Consider

What should an employee wear on their first day of work? What should someone consider when selecting their first day outfit?

To help you decide what to wear on your first day of work, we asked business leaders and HR professionals this question for their best advice. From dressing to fit the company culture to focusing on comfort and utility, there are several considerations for selecting your first day on the job outfit.

Here are 8 considerations for what to wear on your first day:

Dress to Fit Company Culture
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
Look Clean and Well-maintained
Dress Up for Your First Day
What Helps You Work Best
Dress to Impress
Wear What Fits You and the Work Culture
Comfort, Utility, and Business Wear

Dress to Fit Company Culture

Wear clothes that align with your new company culture. What this means will vary depending on your industry and any company-specific dress code regulations there might be. If you don’t know what your company culture is like, see if you can reach out to a coworker before your first day. You can also search for company reviews online to see if anyone has talked about what to expect when it comes to dress code.

Jon Schneider, Recruiterie

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

If you are getting ready for your first day on the job and you are having a hard time figuring out what to wear, do not be afraid to ask a team member what the typical office attire looks like. It is not at all a dumb question to ask, and in fact, it shows that you are ready and willing to be a great fit within the organization and its culture. But, you can almost never go wrong with a nice formal business top with professional pants or skirt.

Brandon Brown, Grin

Look Clean and Well-maintained

The dress code and uniforms may vary depending on the type of establishment you’re working for. Nevertheless, it’s important to make sure that whatever you wear is clean and well-maintained at the start of your shift and throughout. Always strive to look like you take pride in your appearance and care about personal hygiene. This will make a good impression on customers and your manager.

Jamie Baxter, Qwick

Dress Up for Your First Day

These days, wearing a suit and tie to work is not always necessary, especially if working remotely. It all depends on what industry you are in and your company’s dress code policy. More people are working from home today, and they tend to dress more casually than in the past. Still, on the first day, dress as professionally as possible, and gauge what’s appropriate from there.

Phillip Lew, C9 Staff

What Helps You Work Best

On your first day, you should wear what helps you work best. Clothing is important, but productivity and how you see yourself is more important. Of course, you should always wear what gives a positive impression and is acceptable for your workplace, but wearing clothes that you know you are productive, confident, and able in will help lead you to success on your first day.

Tony Chan, CloudForecast

Dress to Impress

You were hired based on the professional impression you gave your interviewers and that’s what should carry you into your first day. If you dressed up for the interview, dress up for your first day, too. It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed when going into the office, or even just when attending your first Zoom meeting with your colleagues. If you’re overdoing it, somebody will let you know.

Ryan Nouis, TruPath

Wear What Fits You and the Work Culture

In all probability, you’ve visited your new workplace before for your interview. If the interview was conducted online, you might have at least noticed what your manager or the HR team was wearing. Base your outfit for your first day to work on these observations you’ve made so that you find yourself fitting into the work culture from day one. Even more important is to wear something you have worn before and are comfortable in. And despite what others may tell you, it is never a good idea to wear a newly bought attire to work on the first day. You’ll only end up worrying about your clothes throughout the day!

Eva Taylor, WP Buffs

Comfort, Utility, and Business Wear

Generally speaking, an employee should dress clean-cut and casual for their first day of work. Specific dress codes change depending on the employer, and it can be hard to gauge what’s acceptable on the first day, so play it safe rather than sorry. The classic dark pant and dress shirt should be professional enough without being overdressed, and importantly, what you’re wearing should not be a distraction for you. Your first day of work will be stressful enough –learning names, adjusting to the office, tackling your job requirements– you don’t need to add in unnecessary worries about your outfit on top of that.

Make your clothing choice with two things in mind: being comfortable so that you can focus, and nice enough to make a positive impression on those around you.

Jaymee Messler, The Gaming Society