With graduation and summer approaching, students will be entering the workforce or positions at an internship, but no matter what, they will be judged on their appearances.

Katie Shaw, a family and consumer sciences professor, has been researching the subject of first impressions for a presentation she was asked to give to a student organization.

“They say that your first impression is made within the first, anywhere from five to 30 seconds that you see someone,” Shaw said.

Bobbi Kingery, a career counselor, said dressing for an interviewvaries.

“It somewhat depends on what field you are going into,” Kingerly said.

She said what is appropriate in one field of work, may not be appropriate in another.

“I think the rule of thumb I tend to use is if I remember what you had on more than what you had to say, you’ve made a mistake,” Kingery said.

Kingery compared dressing for an interview the same as an actor in theater; looking the part.

Tattoos and piercings, Kingery said, have become a problem for some students when searching for internships of jobs.

A lot of whats happened with your generation is, you haven’t been forced to conform,”Kingerly said. “There’s been a lot of ‘be who you are’ and thats wonderful, and that’s great, but in the workplace we have to conform to their expectations.”

She said some students have a hard time giving up their piercings because that is who they are as an individual.

Shaw said students also get confused as to what is appropriate for the job.

“Probably the biggest hurdle I have when I tell students to dress professionally is that they dress to go out,” Shaw said.

Kingery has also observed this fashion mistake. When observing students at the job fairs hosted at Eastern she said she has seen students wearing shorts that are too short or stiletto heals, which give off the wrong impression.

“There’s a big difference between what you would wear to go out and what you would wear to go to work, but some people don’t make that transition,” Kingery said.

Kingery said it is a good idea for students to research the company or job market they are interested in to get an idea of how they should dress for their interviews.

“You are being judged on what you have on,” Kingery said.

Sam Bohne can be reached at 581-7942 or shbohne@eiu.edu.