Dressing for industry is a challenge. You get your first internship and everything seems like its going great in your life until you realize you have no idea what to wear. If you ask your parents, they'll say business casual and, like me, you will show up on your first day of work wearing heels. Everyone will laugh at you, I promise.

This is your head-to-toe guide on how to dress for success at your first day in industry so none of you make the same mistake as I did.

Hair

Either wear your hair back or bring a ponytail holder. Safety in industry is a huge concern and you will be required to wear your hair up while you're walking around the plant. Don't worry about having the perfect hairstyle because they will just hand you a hard hat to ruin any hard work you did in the morning to tame that frizz.

Makeup

Makeup is optional and its a personal preference but keep it classy and tasteful. You will likely be working with lots of men and if you look like a clown, they will not take you seriously.

Jewelry

Many industrial companies will not allow for loose jewelry while in process areas due to safety concerns. Leave the jewelry at home until you can be sure that you will have safe storage at your desk for when you need to take it off.

Tops and Blouses

Whatever you do, do not wear a dress. If you need to go out into the plant, they will likely give you coveralls and you will not be able to put them on over a dress. For tops, you should wear a blouse or blouse-blazer combo on your first day. Likely, the dress code will be much more casual and you could wear polos, but you want to dress to impress for your first few days until you can be sure of the culture in your workplace.

Depending on your job function, you could be in an office most of the day or you could be getting down and dirty with the process. When picking out your tops, you want to think about the range of motion you will need to complete the tasks at hand. If your job requires reaching and bending for equipment, you want to make sure your top is not low-cut and is not tight fitting.

Bottoms

Skirts are a no-go. You will not be able to get your coveralls over a skirt and to walk around the plant, you will need to have your legs fully covered. For your first few days, I would suggest wearing dress pants to make a good impression. If you are on a project management team, the dress code may require that you continue wearing slacks everyday, but if you are working in the process, you will notice that most of the people around you are wearing jeans. After the first few days you will be able to break out your jeans as well. I would highly suggest investing in a pair of mom-jeans (I know, I know, they aren't the most stylish) because they are loose fitting and will allow for the range of motion needed in industry.

Shoes

You must wear closed-toed shoes and absolutely do not wear heels. Flats are your best friend. Industry requires that you wear steel-toed boots when in process areas and closed-toed shoes everywhere. Unless the company asks you to purchase your boots ahead of time, you should be okay to wear flats for your first day. If you need boots for anything on the first day, your manager will likely give you steel-toed overshoes. Keeping that in mind, you definitely do not want to be wearing pointy shoes on your first day.

Fitting the Culture

Some companies will be laid-back while others will require dressier clothes every day. It is important that you understand and match the culture of your company. My suggestion is to dress up for the first few days and get a feel for the company's culture and adjust. However, if you are concerned, it is perfectly acceptable for you to ask your HR contact or your supervisor what to wear on your first day.

Now go get 'em, ladies!