Does dress matter at a career fair?

The "Internships and Interns" group on Linkedin.com recently ran a survey of human resources directors.  There was just one question:  "Does dress matter at a career fair?"

Here are some excerpts quoted from their responses:

You bet it does. Although it depends on what business or position a candidate is looking for, so there is no standard response to this one. I like business casual for our engineering candidates. I don’t like torn and revelaing clothes or flip-flops and unkept hair. Long hair is fine if combed and under control, and please, remove as many piercings possible.

Consultant firms, banks and Fortune 50 seem to like suits (men and women). One of the recruiters made a great suggestion, “Dress for one level above the job you are seeking.” Makes a lot of sense to me.

Career Fair attendees should always “dress for success” no matter what the dress policies are for the companies they are meeting with. If you don’t have a suit, I recommend a button-down shirt and tie for the guys and a MODEST blouse and dress pants or skirt for the gals. Students always ask me how they can set themselves apart from other candidates – this is an easy way to do it! We definitely notice!

What you wear always creates a first impression; in fact over 50% of that first impression comes from the way you look.  Statistics show that productivity goes down on ‘dress down Fridays’!

I don’t expect suits, but stronger candidates would hopefully grasp the concept that this could be their first meeting with a potential employer and that they need to make the right impression.  A student approached our stand at a careers fair in November wearing flip flops, shorts and a ripped T-shirt and confidently asked “Why should he come and work for us?”. I gave him a flyer and asked him to come back when he could answer the question “Why should we employ him?”   The point is that I clearly remember him for all the wrong reasons, and I would urge students to be sensibly dressed when meeting potential employers if they wish to avoid making the wrong impression.

Here’s an additional thought. Dress impacts the way we present. Jeans and a T-shirt put us in a different mindset than when we put on that interview suit. Candidates need to be at the top of their game in every way, and what they look like and feel like when they walk out the door is all part of the picture.