Congratulations, you’ve landed your first job! Starting off your career in the financial services industry requires hard work, commitment, and a sharp wardrobe. So before you start day one on the job, it’s time to refresh your closet! We spoke with seasoned professionals along with our friends at INDOCHINO to gather their best tips on how to dress to impress for your first job in finance.
1. Business Bling
A young professional in the financial industry has a lot to prove, including whether they can look the part. New trends come and go, but a great guideline to follow is keeping it simple and sophisticated. Watches and jewelry are a great way to accessorize your workplace wear, but remember, less is more.
2. Quality over Quantity
Focus on building your business wardrobe with higher quality items. Not only will you appear more refined and professional in the workplace, you will also get a lot more wear out of these pieces. A good quality suit made of a natural fibre such as wool is worth investing in as it is built to last and will be a lot more comfortable for travel and long days at the office.
3. Neutral Necessities
Being early on in your career, you probably won’t have an extensive wardrobe to choose from. Add versatility by keeping your suit selection in the neutral colour range. Choose a navy or charcoal suit (stay away from black, which can appear too formal) and add some personal flair with interesting shirts and accessories.
4. Fit In
Properly fitted attire can make all the difference in polishing your professional wardrobe. People come in all shapes and sizes, far too many for most off-the-rack clothing to compliment! Get your suit professionally tailored and take your appearance from entry-level to executive.
These four tips are a great guideline to maintaining a professional appearance, and will allow you to put your best looking foot forward on the first day! Depending on which company and where in the financial services industry you are working in, there can be a lot of variety in terms of the standard day-to-day dress. So we put together a chart to help guide you through the do’s and don’ts of workplace wear.
| Women | Men | |
| Business Formal | Full suit (jacket, dress pants or skirt, blouse) High-cut blouses and business dresses Heels 4 inches or shorter | Full suit (jacket, dress pants, tie, dress shirt) Shoes and belt the same colour Black socks: save your colourful pairs for a less formal setting |
| Business Casual | Suit jacket not required Less structured skirts and dresses No blazer required No spaghetti straps | No tie, jacket optional If you choose to wear a jacket, make sure the collar on your shirt stays up and doesn’t get buried under your jacket collar |
| Tailor Tips | Buy blazers that comfortably fit your widest point (e.g. shoulders, chest) Take-in smaller areas like the waist by altering the sides of the blazer Alter your blazer sleeve length to fall naturally at an inch past the wrist bone Buy pants that suit the thigh area Tailor the waist and legs if necessary To hem your pants to the perfect length, bring your favourite work heels to the tailor Hem your dresses and skirts to fall no more than 2 inches above the knee Sit down to ensure the most comfortable length and fit | Show about a half inch of shirt cuff under your suit Your suit sleeve length should go halfway down your watch Your jacket should fit your shoulders perfectly (many guys buy jackets that are too big on the shoulders) You can tailor the sleeves and torso to suit your body type Keep your tie knot tight The length of the tie should be roughly to the top of your belt buckle Know your neck size and arm length, and buy shirts to those specifications (e.g. 15-34 instead of small, medium or large) You can get the torso pulled in the back if you want a slimmer fit Make sure your shoes are clean and polished – every detail counts! |
Thanks to our sponsors at Indochino, we’re happy to provide a promo code that gets you any suit for $479CAD, with 10% of the proceeds donated to Capitalize for Kids. When purchasing any suit, use promo code CMR_NSIC to get this exclusive deal.
Get a beautiful suit at a great price, and donate to an important social cause!
Winta Yonathan
Project Manager Intern, Capitalize for Kids
Winta is currently a Capitalize for Kids Intern and is in her final year at Wilfrid Laurier University. Prior to Capitalize for Kids, Winta worked at Uber, PEPSICO, and Miovision.