Grab & Go Lesson 
                                   
                                  Dress for Success 
                                  Jamie Mullins, 4-H Extension Agent, Calhoun-Gilmer Counties, WV 
                                  Jodi Smith, 4-H Extension Agent, Wood County, WV 
                                   
                                  About this Activity 
                                                                                                      You never get a second chance to make a first impression – this is the main 
                                           For use with 4-H clubs and                                 point of the activity. Students will learn what to wear and what NOT to 
                                  Use:                                                                wear to a job interview. They will also learn what employers are looking 
                                  educational events. 
                                                                                                      for when they interview potential employees. 
                                  Goals:                                                              Through this lesson, youths will learn the basics of proper interview dress. 
                                  Learners will be able to:                                           The lesson includes hands-on, creative outfit development and provides 
                                      Identify the appropriate attire  
                                                                                                     conversation starters for interview dress discussion. 
                                      to wear for an interview.                                       Youths will put the acquired information about appropriate interview 
                                      Describe the dos-and-don’ts  
                                                                                                     attire to use through the design of their own professional outfit created 
                                      of interview fashion.                                           using provided items (see materials required). 
                                      Apply these skills when invited 
                                  
                                      for an interview (work, school                                  Introduction 
                                      or scholarship-based).                                          “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” 
                                      Further develop their decision-
                                                                                                     In most situations, the way a person dresses is reflective of their 
                                      making skills. 
                                  Time-frame: 45 to 60 minutes                                        personality, attitude and even morals. Therefore, the attire a person 
                                                                                                      chooses to wear for interviews can be a vital determinant over whether or 
                                  Target Age/Audience: Ages 13                                        not they receive a job. The current generation’s style is changing; however, 
                                  to 21 and/or Grade 7 and up                                         the employment world still has specific expectations for them. It is time  
                                                                                                      to make sure they are dressed for success! 
                                  National Content Standards:                                         Wondering just how important proper dress attire is? Check out these 
                                  C:A2 - Develop Employment                                           statistics: 
                                  Readiness
                                                                                                        Within the first 10 seconds of meeting the interviewee, the interviewer 
                                  C:A2.1 - Acquire employability                                          decides whether or not a person is right for the job. 
                                  skills such as working on a team,                                    
                                  problem-solving and organizational                                    75% of employers surveyed in the U.S. said grooming and dress would 
                                  skills.                                                                 strongly influence their opinion regarding a job candidate before the 
                                  C:A2.3 - Demonstrate knowledge                                          interview began (Nye, Bollich, Braud, 2008). 
                                  about the changing workplace.                                        
                                  C:A2.5 - Learn to respect individual                                  The consensus is that conservative dress is best. It shows that you are 
                                                                                                          making an effort, and you are polite and respectful. 
                                  uniqueness in the workplace.                                         
                                                                                                        According to the Job Center of Wisconsin: 
                                  Preparation
                                                                                                          – 95% of employers (interviewed in one survey) said a jobseeker’s 
                                  Materials: Instructions/hand                                                personal appearance affected the employer’s opinion of that 
                                  out, markers, scissors, paper bags,                                         applicant’s suitability for the job. 
                                  garbage bags, duct tape, other                                          – 91% said they believed dress and grooming reflected the applicant’s 
                                  forms of tape, toilet paper,                                                attitude towards the company. 
                                  construction paper, aluminum foil,                                      – 61% said dress and grooming had an effect on subsequent 
                                  colorful  
                                  bags, yarn, paper plates.                                                   promotions as well. 
                                  *Note: Not all materials are required; this is                                                                                                                            – continued 
                                  a list of possible resources to provide.                             
                                   
                                   
                                    
                     
          Opening Questions                                                   (Goman, 2012). Business casual has become more  
                                                                              and more casual; it is time to reverse that trend. 
          • Have you ever heard of the expression, “You never get             When dressing for an interview or presentation, it  
            a second chance to make a first impression?” What do              is vital to appropriately mix professional and trendy.  
            you think that means in terms of a job interview?                 A person’s appearance is the first impression made on  
          • How do you think you should dress for a job                       an employer. One’s appearance is the first thing used  
            interview? What’s appropriate? What’s not                         to evaluate them. Therefore, it is important to follow  
            appropriate?                                                      this advice when preparing for an interview or work –  
          Background Information                                              “Dress for the job you want – not the job you currently 
                                                                              have.” 
          From the moment individuals enter the room for an                   Before the Activity  
          interview or presentation, they are being judged. One’s 
          dress says a lot about them. As Business Weekly’s Glenn 
          Ebersole expressed, “The major reason why dressing in               • Secure a classroom with space for discussion and 
          proper business attire is important for every business              activities.  
          professional is because it presents a visual image and              • Review the lesson and become familiar with the 
                                                                              guidelines of appropriate professional dress.  
          sends a message that the employees are professional.” 
          Appropriate dress demonstrates respect, pride and                   • Assemble all required materials for the lesson.  
          even suggests that the individual takes the situation               • Secure additional helpers for the activity (if needed).  
          seriously. 
          The importance of appearance and dress in a professional            Let’s Do It!  
          setting is not a new phenomenon. In fact, historically, 
          professional dress spans centuries with the “morning                • Divide participants into groups of no more than six 
          suit” surfacing in Britain in the early 1800s (Chertoff,            people.  
          2012).  Over time, the confines of workplace attire  
          have changed.                                                       • Provide each group with a bag that is filled with 
                                                                              random supplies (see materials list). It is the group’s job 
          Early in the 20th century, professional workplace                   to use those supplies to dress one member of the team 
          attire was still quite exaggerated with vests, detachable           for a professional interview. You may also put supplies 
          collars, coats and even top hats popular at that time.              out on a table for groups to choose.  
          When women more heavily entered the workplace in                    • Ask the groups, “If you had an interview tomorrow, 
          the 1930s, they modified the traditional suit to a skirted 
          version; they also enjoyed accessorizing (shoes, gloves,            what would you wear?” Allow youths to throw out 
          bags, hats, etc.).                                                  ideas and discuss.  
                                                                              • Once the group has discussed, have them begin 
          Suits remained a popular symbol of professional dress 
                                                                              designing their outfit. You may say, “Now that you 
          for decades. In the 1960s, a small change was made to               think you know what to wear, you get to show us. 
          the popular fashion staple; people began opting for a               Working with your group, design an outfit for an 
          two-button suit after seeing JFK appear in one during  
                                                                              interview. You can use anything you’ve been 
          a televised debate. It was a new trend! The 1970s 
                                                                              provided to make this professional wear.” Make sure 
          brought about a large addition of color to the workplace;           each group chooses a model!  
          professional dress no longer limited individuals to 
                                                                              • As the group creates the outfit, continue to answer 
          neutral colors.                                                     questions or give input and advice.  
          By the 1990s, business attire was becoming more casual.             • Assign a member of the group to be the 
          Suits seemed to be disappearing and khakis were a new               spokesperson. Describe the outfit and explain the 
                                                                              group’s reasons for their choices.  
          popular option. This was also the decade in which “Casual 
          Fridays” began. People were even wearing jeans to work.             • Have a fashion show where each group presents 
          With the 2000s, attire had become more and more casual              their design and explains their reasoning behind the 
          (jeans, t-shirts, flip flops, etc.). In many workplaces today,      design. Recruit volunteers to serve as judges and 
          employees feel anything goes.                                       choose the best outfit for an interview. Be sure to 
                                                                              choose volunteers who will give feedback to the group 
          This is not a positive trend. “Clothes make a strong visual 
          statement about how you see yourself. Are flip-flops,               on each outfit. 
          sweats, jeans and flashy or revealing clothing part of how           
          you want to be judged? “You might think you                         Reflect  
          are expressing your individuality, but you could also               • What did the outfits presented have in common?  
          be sending the message that you’re not a serious                    • What differences did you see in the outfits?  
          professional,” explained Carol Goman of Forbes                      • Were some outfits more casual than others?  
                                  
                   • What is the difference between business casual and 
                                                                                                                                    References 
                       professional dress?                                                                                          Chertoff, E. (July 2012). Where did business suits come from?  The 
                   • Which one is more appropriate for an interview?                                                                Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/national/ 
                   • Are there some types of interviews that would require                                                          archive/2012/07/where-did-business-suits-come-from/260182/. 
                       more casual dress?                                                                                           Goman, C. K. (March 2012). What it really means to dress for 
                                                                                                                                    success. Forbes.com. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ 
                   • What are some other important factors to keep in mind 
                       about a job interview, besides dress?                                                                        carolkinseygoman/2012/03/20/what-it-really-means-to-dress-for-
                                                                                                                                    success/#d20a5805bad9. 
               Apply                                                                                                                “Grooming for Employment.” Job Center of Wisconsin.  
                   • Why is this information important?                                                                             Retrieved from http://www.wisconsinjobcenter.org/publications/ 
                                                                                                                                    4814/detj_4814_p.pdf.  
                   • Besides an interview, what do you feel are other                                                               Isreal, D. K. (March 2010). Work attire over the last 10decades. 
                       situations in which this information is valuable for you?                                                    MentalFloss.com. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/ 
                   • What is one thing you learned today that you will                                                              24147/work-attire-over-last-10-decades.  
                       remember and use next time you have an interview (or                                                         Nye, G., Bollich, P.A., Braud, E. (December 2008). “Job  
                       have to dress professionally)?                                                                               Interviews and Clothes.” LSUCAgCenter. com. Retrieved  
                                                                                                                                    from http://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/money_business/ 
               Variations                                                                                                           personal_finance/youth/job-interviews-and-clothes. 
                                                                                                                                    Sinberg, L. Dress for interview success. Forbes.com. Retrieved  
                   • RIGHT or WRONG – When working with larger groups                                                               from http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/16/job-interview-fashion- 
                       consider having half the groups create outfits that                                                          forbes-woman-style-meetings-10-mistakes.html. 
                       would be appropriate for a job interview and half the 
                       groups create outfits that would not be appropriate for                                                       
                       a job interview. This allows youths to really think about 
                       some fashion trends (short skirts, big jewelry,                                                               
                       mismatched outfits, etc.) that are not appropriate for an 
                       interview. 
                    
                   • FASHION through the PAGES – Have participants look 
                       through magazines and pick out appropriate outfits for 
                       interviews. Get creative – have them cut out outfits and 
                       piece together a variety of fashions that are both 
                       appropriate and inappropriate to wear to an interview. 
                       Have participants work in groups to create a poster 
                       board of ideas to share. Supplies needed: a variety of 
                       magazines, scissors, tape or glue, markers (optional) 
                       and poster board.  
                
                
                    
                 Developed by Jamie Mullins and Jodi Smith, 2/2018 
                 4-H Youth Development Extension Agents, West Virginia University  
                  
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