
Business Professional Attire
Knowing how to appropriately dress in business professional attire is crucial to your future career success. This style of dress is what you will wear for interviews and many formal recruiting events. Not only do you have to demonstrate your thorough understanding of professional attire in the accounting industry, but you also have to know how to stand out among a sea of suits.A few key areas that you absolutely must understand include:
Always making sure clothing is ironed and crisp (wrinkles or lint indicate carelessness)
Ensuring clothing is not baggy, dirty, or ripped/worn down
Women
Natural makeup, no dark or colorful eye-shadows or lipstick
Knee-length pencil skirt or slacks that match jacket color
Shirt must be button-up and collared
Conservative colors for shirt: white, light blue or pink
Jacket must be a full, long sleeve blazer
Suit color: black, navy blue, or dark grey
Minimal jewelry (stud earrings, one ring)
Closed-toed, solid-dark colored flats or heels that are no higher than 2 inches
Hair should be away from your eyes/face so it's not distracting
If you are wearing tights, must be skin toned in color
Men
Suit color: Black, dark grey, or navy blue
Belt must be worn
Shoes must match the color of your belt
Crisp, collared, button-up shirt, complemented by a tie
Conservative tie color, nothing too colorful or distracting
Button rules: (3 buttons) Sometimes, always, never rule; (2 buttons) Button the top button and not the lower one
Neat and trimmed facial hair
Business Casual Attire
"Dressing for Success" does not always imply dressing business professional. Many networking events, job interviews, and daily work environments require business casual attire. Unlike business professional, business casual gives you more opportunities to show some of your personality in what you wear.While this is more casual attire, the main guidelines set in business professional still apply:
Make sure your clothing is neat, pressed, and appropriate
Limit the use of perfume and cologne
Women
Conservative long-sleeve/elbow length button-up collar shirt (solid pastel colors)
Slacks or knee-length pencil skirt (black, gray, khaki, or navy blue colors)
Blazer or cardigan (optional)
Simple small jewelry (one ring, one bracelet)
Closed-toed, solid-colored flats or heels no higher than 2 inches
Natural makeup, no dark or colorful eye-shadows or lipstick
Hair should be neat, conservative, and away from your eyes/face so it's not distracting
Men
Long-sleeve button-up collared shirt (solid color or conservative stripes)
Tie should complement the shirt and be 2½ to 3½ inches wide (optional)
Simple long-sleeve V-neck sweater (optional)
Black, dark navy, gray, and khakis are all acceptable colors for dress pants
Black or brown leather dress shoes that match the belt
A watch with a gold or silver band – no digital sport watches