| As a Civilian Marine your dress and appearance will communicate a lot about your competence, ability, and value to your organization. You should be sure to communicate with your new office regarding standards of appearance and dress codes. When in doubt, always overdress. You can easily assume more casual appearance after your initial arrival on duty. |
There is no central policy regarding the dress of government personnel; neither the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) nor the Depart of Defense (DoD) has established standing dress code policies for the entire workforce. Given the affect on clothing requirements caused by different jobs—combined with the legal complications of enforcing “one size fits all” dress regulations—authority for determining appearance standards is typically delegated down to particular offices.
Depending on the office you’re entering you will encounter a range of expectations regarding your dress and appearance. However, most Civilian Marine personnel in management or headquarters positions adhere to a
“business” dress code. While some offices adopt “dress down” days, where personnel can come to work in casual attire, such decisions are at the discretion of command leadership and are not universal.
In determining appropriate attire, it is important that you consider your involvement with active duty Marine personnel. Active duty service members work in the uniform specified by their commanding officer as the “uniform of the day.” For typical work days, Marines wear their Combat Utility Uniforms (“cammies”), which are composed of a camouflage blouse and trousers along with boots and a utility cover (to be worn while outside). On special occasions or holidays, a higher level dress uniform may be specified. In addition to being aware of your office’s policies related to civilian attire, you should try to match your level of dress to the specified uniform of the day for your active duty coworkers.
For your first day,
business attire should be considered a "must."
For more information about various levels of business dress, please refer to the following site:
http://www.dresscodeguide.com/.