Why it is Still Important to Always Dress for Success
February 9, 2010 | ama83
A little effort in your outfits can go a long way in impressing others. Simply said, if you want respect and possible admiration from your co-workers and manager, dress professionally to work. Now I know your knowledge and skills are an important part of gaining your colleagues’ praise, the fact is people size up a person’s appearance before they regard any other aspect of a their personality or qualities as an individual.
If you are having trouble getting a little esteem from the people you work with, you may consider altering your image in the workplace to a more serious manner. Unless your work involves manual labor or your job mandates uniforms for the employees, dressing serious will likely work in your favor.
What is the worst that can happen from dressing professionally at work? Are other employees going to make fun of you by calling you stuffy? I doubt it, and if that’s the worst of your worries then you should have nothing to lose in dressing more serious for work than you would dress to hang out with your friends.
So, what is considered professionally dressed? As a previous blog observed with the specifics of “business casual,” the line between being comfortable and dressing professionally is very thin. You cannot go wrong with slacks and a button-up shirt, though. Whether you are going on an interview or attending your work on a regular basis, dressing appropriately can make all the difference with a first and lasting impression.
Although we are constantly told not to judge a book by its cover, it is nearly impossible to do so in some circumstances. When you are on the job, people look at you to see whether you are someone to trust and depend on. If a person is coming into the office with jeans and a graphic t-shirt, no one is going to take him or her seriously. Some offices are different than others and do not have strict codes; however, I have found that if I want to earn immediate respect from the people I work with, it is imperative to dress professionally…like an adult.
There is a time and a place for everything, and I would never recommend dressing casual for an interview. They say first impressions are the most important, which is why I say that it is vital to appear professional from the very first day your potential employers see you. Even if you are a bit overdressed compared to the interviewers, at least the hiring committee will see that you are taking the interview seriously. If you are dressed to impress them, then they will think that you are probably willing to work hard to impress them on the job, too. The way we dress says a lot about how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive our surroundings.
I know that when I have shown up to class to help students, dressed in slacks and a blazer, I get much more respect from students and teachers than when I wore sneakers and jeans to work (I have my own separate gripes about heels, but I will touch on that in a future post). As an instructional assistant, when I used to show up in my more casual attire, students looked at me as if I was one of their peers, perceiving my helpful attempt at guidance as a form of being a know-it-all. They did not believe that I had the knowledge and education to explain their lab assignments to them. Likewise, many of the teachers I worked with would view me in this same light – uncertain whether I was just another student in the classroom.
I have learned that if I want to be respected for my position, I have to dress in a fashion that calls for respect. Perhaps this is not the case for some individuals or some positions. However, I am willing to bet that most co-workers and managers will definitely judge you on how you dress to work. Does anyone disagree or have their own insights and experiences to share?
Unfortunately, if you want respect you must dress the part, because they WILL judge a book by its cover. And in many positions you ARE representing the people/company you are working for, judging a company by their employees.