What Do You Wear to a Job Fair?
Whether you are just out of college and looking for your first job or you’re a seasoned professional ready to change things up, you may find yourself at a job fair.
So how do you dress for a job fair or at a career fair on campus?
Can you dress casually or should you be dressed up?
In this post, we’ll cover what to wear to a job fair to land the job of your dreams!
Let’s Go to a Job Fair and Get a Job
“You can have anything you want if you dress for it.”
If you want to land a job, being dressed for business is the one of the best ways to show you are serious about landing a job.
It’s so tempting to dress casually for events like this.
You find yourself asking, “does it really matter how I dress?”
There are so many people at the fair that you feel like you can just blend in to the sea of people.
But, it is worth it to dress appropriately for the occasion because you only have one chance to make a first impression.
According to an informal survey of more than 40 job fair recruiters (source), first impressions make a huge impact. “These recruiters described their gut reactions to both people who dressed extremely casually and those who obviously had taken the time to sport clean, pressed, conservative formalwear.
Frankly, the results were startling.
Almost universally, recruiters at these events said that, simply on the basis of seeing the job seeker -- and before the seeker ever reached their booth, talked to them or handed over their resume -- that the prospect dressed in extremely casual clothing struck them as being unprepared, irresponsible, less capable, less educated, less qualified and possessing poor work habits.
On the other hand, they described more formally dressed individuals as capable, well-educated, intelligent, trustworthy and responsible -- the people they wanted to hire.”
Employers are looking for people who stand out from the crowd and make a positive impression.
They want to see that you know how to be professional.
Your goal is for them to look at you and think, YES! I want you working at my company.
In addition, the better you are dressed, the more confident you will feel while talking with potential employers.
You see, we are judged within the first 5 seconds of someone meeting us and that is even before looking at your resume.
Take advantage of the opportunity to look your best and make yourself someone they will remember and want to hire.
Before We Discuss a Job Fair Dress Code…Read This!
When you read through the best practices below on how to dress for a job fair, you may be thinking, this dress code seems so confining.
I want to wear clothes that are MY style! Can’t I just wear what I feel comfortable in?
Dressing professionally does NOT mean you can’t show your style.
It’s just a different LEVEL of style that you aren’t used to.
Let me put it another way.
Let’s say you are participating in a swim meet and you show up in a sweatshirt, jeans, regular underwear, and sneakers while everyone else is wearing a swimsuit, swim cap, and googles.
Do you think you’ll be taken seriously?
Of course not.
Because you aren’t dressed for the occasion.
If you participate in a swim meet, you’ll simply purchase a swimsuit, cap, and googles in your team colors or in colors and styles you like.
But you WOULD wear those clothes because they are what you wear in the pool to allow you to swim faster, fit it, and hopefully win the meet.
It is the SAME THING with going to a job fair.
Dressing professionally is what you wear to show them you mean business, get the job, and start achieving your career goals.
However, you still get to choose the clothes you’re going to wear and all the accessories.
If you are just out of college or in college, this is probably an outfit you’ve never worn before, so it feels a bit uncomfortable at first.
But you will be able to create your own style in the business world just as you have while on campus.
Let’s dive into what to wear so you can land a job!
What to Wear to a Job Fair
So what exactly, should you wear when attending job fair? Here are all the details you need to know.
Clothes
Suits in conservative colors such as black, navy, or gray are your best bet. You can wear a blazer/skirt or blazer/pants combination.
Here are links to the SUITS and SUIT SEPARATES pages of some of my favorite brands for business wear.
Underneath the suit, wear a conservative blouse that coordinates with the suit and doesn’t reveal cleavage. Be sure to choose a color you love!
If you choose a skirted suit, make sure the skirt is no higher than two inches above the knee.
Shoes
Leave the sandals, flip-flops, sneakers, and sexy pumps at home for this event.
Your outfit will be complete wearing closed-toed shoes such as ballet flats or low to mid height pumps.
Jewelry
Keep jewelry simple and minimal such as a simple, thin-chain necklace, a ring, and a pair of small stud earrings.
Avoid dangly earrings, ankle bracelets, large statement necklaces, and jingling bracelets.
Hygiene
Pay attention to hygiene and grooming.
The goal here is to look clean, fresh, and pulled together.
Days Before the Job Fair
Get a haircut, trim, or color if needed. or trim.
Manicure your nails. Since you’ll be shaking lots of hands, handing out resumes and business cards, well manicured hands are also important.
This doesn’t mean you need to go to a salon for a professional manicure (but if you want to, enjoy!).
Make sure your hands are are clean and your nails are trimmed. If you choose polish, opt for natural or soft pink shades or a classic French manicure.
Avoid decals, colorful designs, neon colors, or rhinestones on your nails.
Day of the Job Fair
Shower or bathe.
Wash your face.
Brush you teeth.
Style hair in a moderate/conservative style.
Keep makeup style natural and professional - here are some makeup dos and don’ts
Do you have any other questions about what to wear to a job fair?
Ask me in the comments below - I’m here to help!
