Sofia Camez, a senior in Questrom School of Business, has a unique personal style — colorful, maximalist and sparkly. But when she began her first internship at Dell Technologies, she learned how to dress professionally while maintaining her flamboyant flare.
Taking the first step into the corporate world as a college student is intimidating for a whole host of reasons, including students’ desire to be seen as equals to the professionals they are working alongside.
“I was always thinking about how I’d be perceived,” Camez said. “In the office sometimes I would just be sitting around and the CEO would just casually walk by, and you really never know who’s around you.”
Office dress codes can indicate the expectations for a position with regard to the level of formality that is expected while working in a specific role. However, they present challenges for first-time employees at this level — and BU students aren’t immune to the pressure.
Julia Roupe, a senior at BU, said she experienced a similar dissonance when she first started her office job in Brookline.
“Once I realized this was a job I was going to stick with, and I put some money into buying some clothes that I actually liked wearing,” Roupe said. “I was able to find a way to express just a more professional version of my ultimate style.”
Taking style notes from coworkers can be a more effective way to mesh with the office dress code, Roupe said.
Maya Bradley, a Questrom senior and president of the Fashion and Retail Association, said her father, who was a senior vice president at Citibank, always wore very formal clothing.
So, when she began her first internship, she overdressed.
“The first thing that my manager said to me was, ‘I knew you were an intern because you dress so formal,’” Bradley said.
Like Camez, Bradley said she spent her first summer interning at Warner Bros. Discovery figuring out ways to find balance self-expression and personal style.
“Then when I worked there the second summer, I just wore a pair of jeans and a nice top,” Bradley said. “And people felt that I worked there, they didn’t even bat an eye at the thought that I was an intern.”
But difficulty expressing personal style isn’t the only obstacle students face in dressing for professional settings.
“When you’re a woman in the workplace, there are so many things that you have to balance,” Bradley said. “I feel like with a lot of men … there isn’t as much creativity.”
Bradley said women have more to consider when dressing professionally.
“I want people to see me as someone that deserves respect in the way that I dress,” Bradley said. “When you start to wear colors, and super vibrant things and patterns, people start to view you as less serious.”
Daniela Ramirez, a BU sophomore and intern at Boston Medical Center, wears the same platform white Converse every day. Although she said she doesn’t think much about her own personal style, she does consider what other people may think to maintain professionalism.
“Everyone does get the same idea,this is a professional environment … especially that way, we’re seen as equals,” Ramirez said. “I want to look presentable, so hopefully I can continue working for them, or they’ll give me other new opportunities.”
