• 40 things to wear

What Should I Wear to a Job Orientation

Orientation clothes by kind of job: office, kitchen and shop floor, warehouse and site.

What Should I Wear to a Job Orientation

  1. Whatever your welcome message saysRead it again first. Some employers publish the answer, as one university does.
  2. Business casualWhat one large university recommends to its own new staff for orientation day.
  3. The clothes of the job itselfOne university’s other answer for its new staff: what you would wear in your role.
  4. Button-down shirt, blazer, khaki slacks, leather shoesCalled a safe global standard for business casual in a BBC article. Gray slacks count too.
  5. Clean, pressed clothesOne definition of business casual asks for pressed clothes with crisp seams.

Next step See what to bring on day one

All 40 things to wear

If nobody told you 5

  • Business casual What one large university recommends to its own new staff for orientation day.
  • Button-down shirt, blazer, khaki slacks, leather shoes Called a safe global standard for business casual in a BBC article. Gray slacks count too.
  • Clean, pressed clothes One definition of business casual asks for pressed clothes with crisp seams.
  • The clothes of the job itself One university’s other answer for its new staff: what you would wear in your role.
  • Whatever your welcome message says Read it again first. Some employers publish the answer, as one university does.

Office jobs 12

  • Blazer or sport coat Optional in business casual. It need not match the trousers.
  • Blouse The usual stand-in for a dress shirt.
  • Closed-toe shoes One university’s definition of business casual names them.
  • Collared shirt, no tie The core of business casual. A tie is optional.
  • Dress at or just above the knee Worn in place of a shirt and trousers.
  • Dress trousers Part of a suit, worn without the matching jacket.
  • Khakis or chinos Named in most of the definitions of business casual that Wikipedia quotes.
  • Neutral colors: black, gray, navy, white One definition of business casual leans to these, with off-white.
  • Polo shirt Inside two of the definitions of business casual, and right for a relaxed office.
  • Skirt at or just above the knee The length the usual definition of business casual gives.
  • Sweater over a shirt A sweater can take the place of a jacket.
  • Tie, kept in your bag Optional in business casual. Put it on if everyone else is wearing one.

Kitchen, shop and care jobs 6

  • Clean outer clothes, for food work The FDA’s model Food Code asks this of anyone who handles food.
  • Hat, hair net or beard net, for kitchen work The FDA’s model Food Code has food workers wear a hair restraint.
  • One plain ring at most, for kitchen work The FDA’s model Food Code allows a plain band while preparing food.
  • Scrubs, if your role wears them One university tells its nurses they may come to orientation in scrubs.
  • Short, bare nails, for kitchen work Without gloves, the FDA’s model Food Code allows no polish or false nails near open food.
  • The uniform, if you already have it If it was handed to you before the day, orientation is the day to wear it.

Warehouse and site jobs 11

  • Hard hat, from the employer Where one is required, a US employer provides it at no cost. Do not buy one.
  • Hat and ordinary sunglasses, for outdoor work On the US rule’s list of weather items that are yours to bring.
  • Long pants The US rule on protective gear lists them as everyday clothing you supply.
  • Long-sleeved shirt Everyday clothing under the US rule on protective gear, so it is yours to bring.
  • Normal work boots Under the US rule on protective gear, everyday boots are yours to bring.
  • Protective gloves, from the employer Provided where the work calls for hand protection.
  • Raincoat and rubber boots, for outdoor work Ordinary weather clothing under the US rule on protective gear, so yours to bring.
  • Safety glasses, from the employer Required eye protection is provided. Ask about prescription pairs.
  • Safety-toe boots, if the job needs them A US rule lets an employer leave ordinary steel-toe boots for you to buy. Ask first.
  • Warm gloves, for outdoor work Ordinary gloves for the cold are yours. Protective gloves are not.
  • Winter coat, for outdoor work Weather clothing is yours to bring under the US rule on protective gear.

Leave at home 6

  • No bracelets or watch, for kitchen work The FDA’s model Food Code bars jewelry on the arms and hands while preparing food.
  • No gym clothes or club wear One university says business casual is not what you would wear to a club or to exercise.
  • No open-toed shoes Closed-toe shoes are what one university’s definition of business casual names.
  • No sweatshirt One definition of business casual leaves sweatshirts out by name. Some sweaters are in.
  • No T-shirt One definition of business casual leaves T-shirts out by name.
  • No very short or tight skirt Left out by one definition of business casual, with T-shirts and sweatshirts.

How it works

What should I wear for a job orientation when nobody has said? Business casual, or the clothes of the job itself. These 40 things are sorted by kind of workplace, with the US rule on who buys the boots.

Read the full guide

If nobody told you

Ask the person who hired you. If you cannot, follow what one large university tells its own new staff: business casual is recommended, or what you would wear in your role, so its nurses may come in scrubs. Business casual has no agreed definition, but a collared shirt or blouse with khakis or dress trousers is inside most versions.

Who buys the gear

In the United States, OSHA rules make the employer provide required protective equipment, such as a hard hat or safety glasses, at no cost. The exceptions are everyday things: ordinary steel-toe boots that you may also wear off the job, long pants, long-sleeved shirts and weather clothing.

Questions and answers

What should I wear for orientation if no dress code was given?

Business casual: a collared shirt or blouse, khakis or dress trousers and closed-toe shoes. If the job has clothes of its own, such as scrubs or a uniform you already hold, wear those instead.

What should I wear on the first day of work?

What you were told to wear. If nothing was said, business casual for an office and the clothes of the job for hands-on work. For the papers, see what to bring on the first day of work.

What should I wear to a warehouse orientation?

Long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and work boots, unless you were told otherwise. If the job needs safety-toe boots, ask whether to arrive in them. Required gear such as a hard hat or safety glasses comes from the employer.

What should I wear to orientation for a kitchen or food job?

Clean clothes, hair you can cover, a plain ring at most and bare nails. Those follow the FDA's model Food Code for people who prepare food. Your state's version and your employer's uniform rule come first.

Can I wear jeans to a job orientation?

Only if the employer says so, or you were told to dress for hands-on work. The definitions of business casual that Wikipedia's article quotes name khakis, slacks and chinos, not jeans, so for an office choose those.

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