How to dress to impress for a career event

Aureus organizes many events and inhousedays with companies, for example, last week there was one at van Delft Pepernotenfabriek. However, how do you know how to dress for events like this? Aureus often lets you know if you should dress business casual or business formal, but what exactly should you wear then? We explain it for you right here!

Business casual

Business casual is a dress code that is a little hard to interpret if you are not familiar with it. You often see us Aureus people dress business formal in business casual situations. I don’t know if that is because they like business formal so much, or because they just don’t know what to do exactly.

Business casual is not very a strict dress code, however, make sure to not wear overly bright colors and that your clothes are not too tight, nor too loose. Basically: pick clothes that are not distracting and that fit you.

Men

For men, business casual means that you don’t have to show up in a tailored suit. That doesn’t mean though, that you can put on jeans and sneakers, it must still be decent and business appropriate. Think of:

  1. A good shirt
  2. A turtleneck or pullover with a shirt underneath
  3. A pantalon or a chino in neutral colors
  4. Business / decent shoes

Women

For women, there are many many options. The only thing you have to keep in mind is to not show (too much) cleavage. The easiest thing to do is to keep your outfit simple. Use neutral colors and do not wear too many or big accessories. This way you will always look chic and decent. Think of:

  1. A pantalon or pencil skirt
  2. A shirt of quality or a blouse
  3. A blazer or coat of quality
  4. Loafers or low heels

Business formal

To a business formal dress code, there are more rules to keep in mind. You are expected to be formally dressed from head to toe. Bright colors are an absolute no go, as well as jeans and sneakers, as mentioned before in the business casual section.

Men

For men, there are not very many options. You are expected to show up in a, preferably tailored, suit. Your suit should be in a dark color: think of (dark)blue, grey or black. Underneath must be a shirt of good quality, in a light color. This is stylish and creates contrast. Wear this outfit with business shoes and ensure that your belt matches your shoe color. To top off your outfit you could wear a watch.

Ties are sometimes expected as well. For the tie situation, you could have a look at what other people in the company do, since ties are not required in every company anymore. Though if you wear one and it turns out you don’t have to, you can just take it off, so you’re always safe. If you wear a tie though, the wider it is the better and ensures that it stops where your belt starts.

Women

Again, women have a little more freedom when it comes to dressing themselves. You could go for a work appropriate dress or a suit with either a pantalon or a skirt. If you choose for the shirt, make sure it is not shorter than three fingers over the knee when you sit down. Again, wear neutral colors. Women can do the same as men here: wear a dark suit in grey, blue or black and match it with a lighter blouse.

Make sure to always wear a panty underneath your dress suit (if you wear a pantalon as well). Seeing skin is unprofessional and it is better to cover it up with a panty.

Opt for simple shoes that make you look sophisticated and chic. You could go for decently looking shoes with not too high of a heel (not higher than 5 cm), no glitters and no excessive straps. Loafers are also an option. Preferably wear closed shoes.

Smart casual

Lastly, there is smart casual. You won’t see this dress code often with Aureus events, but there is a possibility that you will have this dress code later at work. This is a very free and open dress code where you can wear what you feel comfortable in. Make sure it is somewhat professional and you’re probably good!

Want to apply what you learned in a fun way? Have a look at the Aureus Career Platform and find an overview of all kind of Career Events!