Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

What To Wear When Working With Youth

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Youth work attire
Sharpest youth worker ever

Q: I was recently mistaken for a young person during a group outing. Can you give me any advice on what to wear when working with youth?

A: I’ve had that experience before too! Although, sadly, less often the older I get. Once, I had on jeans and a hoodie for a trip into London with the group of teens I was working with. We were going to be riding a speed boat on the Thames so it was a good choice for the day.

I was standing with my group while they were smoking a cigarette before we piled into the minibus for the trip. An elderly lady saw the boys smoking and asked what were ‘we’ doing and where ‘our’ parents were. I showed her my badge and kindly explained that we were getting ready to go on a journey. I encouraged the boys to move out of her way and, after one more glance at me, she made her way home.

Some people say you should dress like a youth so they relate to you better. I’ve found that it’s much more about who you are than what you wear. Youth will relate to you even in a suit if you care about them and work hard to support and equip them. Building relationships may take a little more time if you’re dressed more formally but they’re not impossible and clothes have yet to be a barrier for me in working with teens of any age, race or ethnic background.

Whatever you decide, here are a few things I’d suggest considering when deciding what to wear for youth work:

When are you doing it?

Are you going out in the daytime or the evening; in the summer or the spring? Be reasonable and don’t make the same mistake many of your youth will and underdress for the weather.

What are you doing?

Consider all the possible activities you might be doing during the session. For example, outdoor activities generally lend themselves to more casual clothing.

Where are you going?

Jeans and a hoodie might not have been appropriate if we were going to tour a museum or have high tea at Harrods, or if you’re going to be delivering programs in a school with a dress code.

It also depends on the rules where you work. You may be required (as I currently am) to wear smart casual or office dress clothes each day.

Who are you?

If you’re a supervisor or project coordinator, you might want to wear jeans with a smart/casual dressy top for working with youth to help distinguish yourself should you unexpectedly need to meet with other professionals.

One thing you should never be without no matter what you choose to wear

Your badge. If your program doesn’t have one, make one. It should include your photo, title and organization. It’s invaluable to have that with you to show that you’re the responsible party when with a group of youth, particularly if you’re dealing with challenging young people.

Questions: What do you wear when you work with youth? If you have a mandated uniform like at a school or as a youth offending officer, do you find this affects how youth relate to you? Let us know in the comments below.

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How To Dress For A Youth Work Interview

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How to dress for a youth work interview
Don’t forget to show off your mad Michael Jackson skillz if you get an opportunity

Q: Could you give any advice on how to dress for a youth work interview?

A: Well, I suppose it depends on what kind of youth worker you are. I’ll be honest, I was kind of appalled the first time I was on a youth work interview panel and saw an interviewee wearing jeans, an untucked shirt, loosely dangling tie and corduroy jacket with trainers/tennis shoes.

A little background information – I ALWAYS wore a suit or something similar to any job interview I’d ever had; heck, I didn’t even wear jeans to pick up an application. (If you’re a younger youth worker, you used have to walk through the shops to pick up an application and fill it out by hand – the computer kiosk was but a glimmer in some HR nerd’s eye). So the thought of wearing anything else never occurred to me.

But in the world of youth work, it’s becoming more and more commonplace to wear increasingly casual attire to youth work interviews – particularly as youth participation and youth empowerment become more popular. Young people are being involved more and more in the youth worker interview process and some may have a hard time seeing past your double-breasted, 3 piece pinstripe suit to the cool, ‘safe’ youth worker you are inside.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you a blanket attire to wear for all youth work interviews (although I can definitely recommend not wearing an actual blanket). Here are a few tips that might help you out when choosing how to dress for a youth work interview:

  1. Dress for Success – if you know that you’re going to be applying for work at an outdoor activity center and part of the interview process is to help belay a few youth at the climbing wall, you can probably wear your usual work gear. Still aren’t sure? Wear your dress clothes for the interview and bring your ‘work’ clothes for after the formal interview.
  2. What Not to Wear – we all know what not to wear to an interview. Keep the makeup and perfume at a minimum. Ladies, don’t wear low cut shirts or provocative outfits, especially if you’re likely to be working with teenage boys. Men, leave the incredibly comfortable but holey shirts, shoes, socks and jackets at home – even if you subsequently wear them to every youth group once you have the job.
  3. Do your homework* – go on their website to get a feel for the organization, your coworkers and their ethos. If in doubt, ask what kind of activities you need to be prepared for. If they don’t have a website, go with the suit for the youth work interview.

Look, you can never really go wrong with a suit and usual interview attire. At the end of the day, you’re still a professional. Each organization is different and its interviews are always a learning process.

Personally, I still wear my suit jacket, button down shirt and slacks. On occasion though, I’ve been known to forgo the heels for sensible youth-work friendly flats and I’ve even left my fitted dress shirt untucked. Wear what you feel most comfortable and confident in. Your knowledge, experience and ability to work with youth should still shine through.

*This is very important, beyond just what to wear for a youth work interview. I’ve had to tell jokes and plan and run youth work mini-sessions. While researching one job, I found out that the person I was applying to replace was considered ‘chief cake maker’ at the office. I brought homemade muffins with me to the interview to also apply for the position of ‘chief cake maker’. This quirky move helped convince them that I would fit in nicely with the easy-going, unconventional team.

Question: What do you recommend wearing to a youth work interview? Is it the same as any other interview? What are your youth work interview horror stories? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

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Job Interview Attire – Youth Work Session Plan Ideas

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Youth job interview attireWe’ve recently provided some session plan ideas about preparing youth for the real world.  We even shared one idea on how to teach youth to be concise in an interview.

Job skills during the interview are important. But so is making the right first impression, which is why it’s important for youth to consider their job interview attire.

As you know, the first impression starts from when you approach the building and doesn’t finish until you’re back outside afterwards, during your first point of contact. This may be picking up an application or dropping off a resume, although often these days it’s during the interview.

Depending on your budget, time and number of young people, you may want to try one of these ideas for helping youth understand the importance of job interview attire, as well as how they can look nice on a budget.

1) Working wardrobe collage

Have the youth (boys and girls! – so many people think dressing for an interview is a ‘girl topic’ – it’s just not true) cut out pictures from magazines and make a collage of an appropriate work wardrobe and job interview attire based on different career choices.

2) Working wardrobe scavenger hunt

Have the youth do a photo scavenger hunt to find pictures of people (with their permission) or shop windows and then show the pictures off and critique their findings. Maybe even find definitely for-work and definitely not-for-work outfits. (n.b. consider these points when planning a youth outing)

3) Working wardrobe fashion show

Have some or all of your youth bring $5-$10 (or find room in your budget if your youth aren’t able to come up with the cash) and plan an outing to the thrift store or charity shop. Have them put together a job interview outfit that falls within the budget and type of job they are applying for. Then head back to your center and show off the outfits in a fashion show.

Remember to preface all of these ideas with a youth work session on proper work and job interview attire. It could be part of the same session or hold several work related sessions and end with one of the ideas above.

Question: What’s one activity you would suggest to teach youth about appropriate job interview attire? Let us know in the comments below.

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