Millennial adults don’t have the best reputation in the workplace. People often argue that they are entitled and refuse to admit that they don’t have all the answers. Some of these stereotypes are true, while others are unfair assumptions that need to be challenged. Like it or not, this means that you need to work harder to show that you are a team player. This includes making sure that you are dressed appropriately for your first professional job.
As a millennial man, you need to make sure that you purchase the right suit when you are starting a new job. Here are some things about business suits for men that you need to keep in mind.
Make sure that you know the dress code of your new workplace
You will find a lot of rules of thumb that people share about choosing a suit for your first professional job make some major assumptions. They tend to think that you are beginning a career at a financial organization or law firm.
The reality is that workplaces have very different dress code rules these days than they used to. In the past, there was a single, standard dress code for almost all professional jobs. Today, different industries and workplace sizes have their own policies.
You need to make sure that you understand the dress code before purchasing a suit. You don’t want to seem out of place looking either overdressed or underdressed. However, being overdressed is preferable if you aren’t entirely sure.
Look for suits with neutral colors
You will find a number of stores selling suits with bold, flashy colors. Some of them are pink, orange or bright red.
You want to avoid buying these types of suits when you’re starting your first professional job. People in upper management and established, irreplaceable employees that have been around the organization for a while might feel comfortable wearing them. However, you need to be more conservative about the impression you make when you are starting a job.
Try to look for suits with solid colors
Some organizations heavily discourage people from wearing suits with stripes or checks. This is uncommon, but it does still happen for some arbitrary reason. It is safer to buy a suit with solid colors.
Get feedback from your direct supervisor and veteran coworkers
You don’t want to make too many assumptions about the type of clothing that you are expected to wear at your first professional job. You might have read something about it in the employee handbook. However, there are a couple of issues with trying to take that information at face value:
Sometimes the employee handbook is somewhat vague. You might not be able to tell what it is saying without additional context.
Often times, different sections of the employee handbook contradict each other. This can make things very confusing.
The employee handbook is often several years to a couple of decades old. It is also written by members of HR that don’t have much involvement in the day-to-day operations.
At the end of the day, there will be informal expectations that might not overlap with the policies listed in the employee handbook. It is a good idea to get feedback from seasoned employees and your manager. Their expectations will usually trump what is written in any handbook.