However, while the worth of a man or woman is not presented by clothes, the reality in business is that how you dress-how you look to others-plays a vital role in how far you'll advance. Like it or not, take it or leave it, it's the way it is, and for those seriously looking for a better job, it had better be heeded.
The minute we meet people, our instant reaction to them is formed by what we see, long before we have a chance to explore how they think. That is especially true - someone meeting a potential employer for the first time. It holds just as true in a person's present employment, where, I urged earlier, you should always dress a little better than your colleagues and view each day job interview within your present company, or a day which you'll be called upon to give a spur-of-the-month presentation to the chairman of the board. So, when I about dressing right for a job interview, I intend for you apply to your current job as well.
There are, of course, professions and jobs in which clothing means little, or where deviating substantial from the norm is acceptable, even encouraged. Creative people who work in advertising agencies often tend to brace trendy clothing, which is acceptable in the atmosphere of agencies. People who work in the fields of fast design, the theater, art galleries, and other artistic endeavors have the same kind of freedom in their choice clothes and, by extension, hairstyles and makeup.
But for most men and women seeking greater success and better jobs, American business, large and small, its acceptable "uniform." It doesn't say that you wear blue, or brown, or gray; it does say that yellow shoes and pink shoes will necessarily work against you.
If you walk into a prospect employer's office and light up a cigarette, even though there is an ashtray on the desk, you have, perhaps, significantly cut your chances of getting that job. If you go lunch with that same person and order two martinis in the age of light drinking, you may have done the same harm yourself.
Clothing is just as important, as are personal gracing, hairstyles, use of makeup, and the decorative objects you choose to wear. It may offend you that you will judged to a great extent upon how you look, but then had better be willing to settle for jobs that don't necessarily represent "better."
People invest in businesses. For the job seeker, Business is you, and you should be willing not only to invest me money in you-in your business-but to acknowledge that if you don't have a good sense of what clothing is appropriate, you should seek advice from someone who does. Or, better yet, look in magazines like M and see what they're showing for working people. Must be careful to stay away from the mod, trendy styles. Play it safe; stick with traditional clothing.
The uniform of American business has not changed in decades, and is unlikely to change in the near future. It is based upon conservative clothing values, and demands certain adherence to basic rules of color and style. Those 10 conduct business in the mainstream of American anomic culture are comfortable with each other be-use they are dressed similarly.
An artist friend of mine, who provides graphic art to number of leading corporations on a free-lance basis, knows that he could go to meetings with corporate clients dressed in the style of the artist that he is. He never does. He wears a conservative suit, white shirt, into those meetings because, as he says, "I believe in meeting comfortably into the milieu in which I'm functioning at that moment." This artist is, obviously, a believer the old adage "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He's playing it smart. He's improving his chances of getting the assignment he's after, which is, after all, the reason he bothered to go to that meeting in the first place. He's astute enough to realize that making a statement himself by wearing clothing that is different from that of those with whom he's meeting is, at best, a child-h exercise-unless, of course, there is such a psychological payoff to making such statements of individuality that setting the assignment is secondary. If you fall into that better category, you probably should stop reading this and turn to a fashion magazine instead.
I've heard people complain over the years that the career success has been stymied because they insist up being their "own person." "If employers don't accept for what I am, they'll just have to do without me."
I applaud them for their convictions. I also have lit sympathy for their lack of career advancement. No one forces anyone to dress a certain way in this country which is one of its precious attributes. Along with the freedom, however, comes a parallel understanding that complaining about failure because you chose to exercise your freedom at inappropriate moments is wrong.
An objection many people have to those of us who urge maintaining a proper wardrobe is that it co money. That really doesn't stand up to scrutiny. I am certainly not suggesting that to succeed in business one must maintain an extensive and expensive wardrobe. It isn't matter of size or cost; rather, it is choosing the rig clothing, minimal as it may be, to accomplish the goal getting a better job. A young man starting out does need six suits. What he does need are two suits of the proper colors and style, along with enough shirts to able to wear a clean, unfrayed one every day and some conservative ties that can be changed, along with the color of the shirts, to give his two suits a different look each morning. The same philosophy holds true for woman seeking a better job. There may be many avant-garde dresses that appeal to an individual but they will do nothing to enhance her possibility gaining greater success in the American business work. Women, too, are playing it safe.
Basics!
Like everything else, dressing properly for business involves basics. Stick to the basics and you won't have worry about whether you're dressed wrong for an interview with a company that's offering the kind of job you wanted.
An analogy is deciding what to wear to a party. Obviously, the best way is to find out the mode of dress for the evening and dress accordingly. But many times we don't have that input. The answer? Dress up. You may be out of ice with your suit and tie when everyone else is wearing jeans, but you certainly would be more out of place in your jeans when everyone is wearing dark suits and ties.
What represents basic and correct clothing in today's business climate?
For a man, it's suits in conservative shades of blue and gray, suits that are well tailored, do not involved patterns that are unusual, and are kept cleaned and pressed. You can never go wrong with shirts that are white or blue and do not contain patterns. Simplicity. Basics.
Ties with tropical sunsets on them may be fun to wear a masquerade ball, but are out of sync in the workplace. Even though you buy your suits and shirts in outlets, I recommend that you invest in a couple of expensive ties. Reputed, solid colors, rep patterns, or subtle stripes are all acceptable, but resist the temptation to buy a flashy tie that catches your eye in the store. Or, if you are absolutely obsessed with buying that tie, wear it on the weekend.
Women should follow the same philosophy I recommend for men. Avoid wild patterns, flashy dresses, suits, id accessories. Stay away from the over-made-up look. Your hair should be nicely styled, but not in an extreme fashion, such as hair dyed in unnatural colors. And, by all means, don't use too much perfume. Stay away from the low neckline, and the length of your skirts and dresses could generally be in the range of what is in vogue-but at the extremely long or extremely short look.
That brings up a good point. No one suggests that you lust live a life of conformity seven days a week. What you a on your off-hours is your business and, unless it brings you into contact with business-related interests, should remain exactly that-your- business. We all have virtual limitless opportunities to express our individuality in clothing, lifestyle, and personal interests, but those aspects of our lives should be kept in that context.
A word of caution here, however, about viewing you off-hours as a time when anything goes in the way you dress. Lounging around your own house is one thing, but, going out into the neighborhood, especially to gathering where a number of people at their leisure will be cong gating, should not be viewed with such a cavalier attitude. You never know when you will meet someone who is not in a position to give you a better job immediate but might become an important part of your overall network of contacts. How you dress, how you look to that person will determine, to some extent, his or her reaction to you. The simple fact is that we form initial opinions about people based primarily on how they look. Yes, weekend might be a time for casual dress, but always bear in mind that you're constantly being interviewed. That's why I advocate going to work each day with the attitude that you're being sized up-being interviewed for the possibility of advancement in the firm. You don’t have to go to the same extremes during your off-time, but, I wouldn't go too far afield, either.
