When did Pajama Pants Become the Norm?

Yes, they are comfortable but there are some situations where they really aren’t appropriate.

A good friend of mine owns a hair salon. Every summer she and other local businesses partner with the city to hire high school students for part-time summer jobs. A job fair is held at the local park district and students can interview with the company or business that interests them. It’s a brilliant idea; the sooner young people are exposed to the work world the more prepared they are once it is time for them to begin their careers. The jobs are paid; it’s a win win for the students and the businesses.

I was thrilled to hear about such a great program, I am all about young people getting exposure and experience. We often hear about young people getting in trouble in the summer, this is a good way for them to do something meaningful with their time. But then she told me how some of these teenagers showed up when it was time to interview. I was shocked to hear that the majority of the job seekers showed up wearing some variation pajama pants or sleepwear. Yes, the event was early in the morning, and the weather wasn’t perfect. Showing up to meet someone who can hire you wearing pajamas seems risky. Hearing this story left me asking, when did pajama pants become appropriate attire for a job fair? And why isn’t anyone telling these young people what they should wear to a job interview? I also had to wonder; did they just roll out of bed? You only get one chance to make a first impression, are pajamas the best way to do it? I am sure those making the hiring decisions had to be wondering the same.

After my friend told me about her experience, I took a very unscientific poll. I asked a few friends—all who are over the age of 35 what they wore when they were looking for their first job. Not one of them mentioned pajama pants, most of us were likely overdressed for the jobs we were interviewing for. When I received my first retail job, many years ago—making a whole $6.75/hour, I showed up to the interview wearing a pants suit. I was early, excited and put my best foot forward because I wanted to be taken seriously even though I was a teenager. Getting a job when you are 15 or 16 is challenging enough as it is. I always thought you work a bit harder to get the hiring manager to take you seriously. Dressing the part plays a role in that.

I realize I am likely showing my age; times have changed since I worked my first retail job in the late 1990’s—but aren’t job interviews sacred? I always thought job interviews were the one occasion when you always try to look nice. I learned early on that job interviews are not the time to experiment with what you wear. I have never heard of dressing down when you are trying to get hired. The hiring manager already has a job, they are in the driver’s seat. Wearing pajamas does more harm to you than it does to them. I certainly don’t mean to pick on the younger generation, perhaps they simply aren’t aware. The older generations might have to take a look at ourselves.

I can’t exactly blame young people for choosing to wear what makes them comfortable. When you think about it, seeing someone at the grocery store or the airport wearing pajamas bottoms isn’t unusual anymore. I actually witnessed someone wearing pajamas pants at Sunday brunch a few weeks ago. Maybe it is time to lead by example. There are some situations where pajama pants simply aren’t acceptable—I can’t be the only way to feel this way.

I asked my friend how she reacted when job seekers came to her table for an interview wearing pajama pants. She told me she was shocked and also very turned off. Like me, she is an elder Millennial and would never think of showing up to an interview casually dressed—let alone wearing pajama pants. She did try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but she saw herself leaning towards the candidates who showed up in more professional attire. She was looking for candidates who were going to take the work and themselves seriously, pajama pants just don’t give off that impression. Ultimately, she hired a young lady who has an interest in the cosmetology industry but also presented herself nicely. At the end of the day, it matters what you look like.

I understand that we have moved to a place where comfort seems to matter more than anything else—especially as we continue in our world of remote work. Sometimes you have to meet people in public and those in person meetings might call for something beyond comfortable clothes. How hard is it to put on a regular pair of pants? The same energy you took to put on pajamas you can easily put on a pair of dress pants.

Those of us in hiring or leadership positions should probably start telling people what really is appropriate in the workplace. Whether people want to believe it or not, wearing pajama pants to a job interview might be costing you an opportunity.

It’s time to leave pajama pants where they belong…at home.