What to wear to work can be confusing and varies by office. The best place to start is by asking your supervisor or another teammate at your internship site. Your coworkers want you to feel comfortable asking what is appropriate for their office and understand students don’t have money for a full wardrobe of professional work clothing. If you’re in a lab, you’ll need to know how to dress for safety.

Ask your supervisor

• What is the dress code expectation during video meetings?
• What is the dress code expectation when I come into the office or lab?
• What is the safety-related dress code if I work in a lab?
• Is there a different dress code for day-to-day work vs when we have meetings with colleagues outside the team?

Read on for more things to consider before you get started.

Clothing

• Lab settings are likely casual dress, but safety is really important! You might need closed-toe shoes, no jewelry, and many require long pants or skirts and long sleeve shirts to keep you safe as well as long hair tied back. Ask for specifics at your site before your first day or you may not be able to work.
• Many office and clinical sites require business casual dress. The exact definition of “business casual” differs from place to place and your best bet is to just ask your supervisor before your first day and then observe what others wear. Have you ever had to dress up for a class presentation? If yes, you likely already have something appropriate to mix and match.
• Even if you work in a business casual office, most interns can get away with having one pair of appropriate pants and a few tops. They don’t see you every day and the secret is that nobody really notices if someone wears the same things week to week.
• You may hear the phrase “dress for your day.” This means the regular dress code they gave you is fine for everyday work situations, but if there’s an important meeting or presentation you may be expected to step up a level of dress as appropriate.
• Note: The department LHSI is in has recently moved to smart casual dress. This means you may see Brandi in jeans and a business casual top or blazer. Ambassadors may be in casual attire or wearing LHSI t-shirts or polo shirts if we have an event.

Grooming

• Cleanliness and grooming are just as important as clothing. This includes clean and trimmed head hair, facial hair, finger nails, skin, etc. Some people may have scent-based allergies so use perfume or cologne with a light touch, if at all.
• There isn’t one specific hairstyle that is considered ‘good’ or ‘normal’ or ‘professional’. Basic cleanliness and grooming matter most. If hair or head coverings could be a safety concern, your supervisor will advise you on pulling your hair back or other ways to stay safe (this is uncommon but could happen around machinery).
• Ask if you’ll need to cover visible tattoos and remove visible piercings or other jewelry in certain situations, such as when working with patients or for lab safety reasons.