An article at CNN talks about “How to dress for success at work“. It uses statistics from CareerBuilder.com. Apparently 41% of people say that dressing better or more “professionally” leads to being promoted faster. Wow.
I guess what you look like matters. Actually I have to say that yes in many ways your appearance and presentation of self is important. The article suggests that people dress conservatively and professional. To do so stock your closet with versatile basics, keep it neat and clean, no suggestive attire, and dress the part.
What I’ve seen? Well looking clean and well groomed is always important. Something I think you’ll find amusing is in my DH’s graduate student handbook and my own, it says that showering daily, using deodorant, and shaving or trimming facial hair is imperative. Apparently many students lack basic hygiene skills. So while there isn’t a dress code, there are guidelines for good body hygiene. I gotta wonder what students looked like before they hinted to clean presentation?
Now in the a more professional setting, DH has noticed that men it’s very easy to look clean and presentable. Khakis and polo shirts cover a multitude of sins. However, for women there is a very fine line between nice and trashy. Mostly it’s very young women right out of college dressing in night club or bar attire. I gotta wonder why? Keep those clothes hidden.
I recall with my first job out of college I removed my tongue ring and eyebrow ring. I kept my 3 earrings in each ear and my tattoo can’t be seen unless naked. But when I “graduated” and became and adult it was time to bow to the establishment. And I was okay with it, I had to earn a living.
So does clothes make the person? Do you have a dress code at work? Do you follow it? And does it matter if you dress professionally or not?
5 responses so far ↓
1 tom // Aug 11, 2008 at 11:36 am
Clothes do not make the person, BUT you should be making an attempt to follow the dress code.
I am an engineer working on the manufacturing floor, so jeans are acceptable. I usually wear jeans and a polo/dress shirt. Standard dress code for office employee is business casual. I’ve seen many top executives shed the suit and tie for dress pants and polo/dress shirts.
I think, to an extent, following a dress code matters. I think you should dress in a way that makes you feel confident. That said, I know i wouldn’t feel confident if I was dressed casual and everyone else was business casual and we were not going to be working on the manufacturing floor.
2 kit // Aug 11, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I’m self employed and have a lot of latitude in how I dress. I would fall over and die if I had to wear the standard female business uniform of a dry clean only pantsuit every day, but I’m only sloppy when I want to be. Most of the time I wear a skirt over thermal pants and something on top like a handknit vest. It’s somewhat funky but neat and helps give my clients the impression that I do things differently.
I am quite guilty of not showering or changing for three days last week, though. It was product shipping time, and I don’t want to be that filthy or unslept again for a while. I am really glad we gave our new employee a lesson about wearing deodorant before that time, certainly!
3 Meg // Aug 11, 2008 at 3:14 pm
In many industries, especially if an employee interacts with customers in any way, dress is very important; image is absolutely a key factor as to whether you receive that promotion.
Of course image is more than dress - it also has to do with posture, tone of voice, etiquette, and vocabulary. Still, dress is a big component.
I work at a bank and I have actually had senior level people make comments to me in a mentor setting about other people’s attire and how it holds them back and/or damages their reputation. I have also had to “coach” new analysts about things like hair color and tightness of clothing, at the request of magagement.
It’s a tricky issue your boss is unlikely to ever bring up, partly because it’s awkward and partly because of fear of harassment or double standard accusations.
4 Tyler // Aug 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I work at a company that highly values creativity. We have a fairly lax dress code, and I’ve seen the exact opposite. The management here seems to think that those who dress in standard “business” attire lack edginess, and are simply cookie-cutter employees with little capability for innovation.
I guess it all depends on what is expected of you from the people in charge…
5 LAL // Aug 14, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I figured there would be a wide range of opinions and differences.
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