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NEW YORK — The matching blazer and pants Dani McEwen wore to a job interview at an insurance company felt like a smart choice, until she noticed most of the employees had on T-shirts and jeans.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I probably looked like I was trying way too hard and maybe seemed too uptight," McEwen, a student at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, said.
With virtual interviews and casual work environments proliferating, job candidates are having a hard time figuring out what to wear when they meet potential employers online or in person. Polished suits and other types of professional business attire — the typical recommendation of career advisers in years past — no longer are the default option when interviewers may show up in hoodies and shorts.
The disconnect between long-established conventions and the less-rigid workplace settings of a post-pandemic world is confusing many job applicants who want to dress to impress.
