Part of the interview process is based on predicting how you would make your employer look good, and what you wore to the interview confirmed their decision to hire you. Your choice of clothing doesn’t stop when you land the job; it can actually influence the next steps in your career. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the job market, it’s important to know that your clothes can send perceptions.
Casual work days add to the misconceptions that work attire may not be as important as in the past. Choosing what to wear gets even more confusing when the latest fashion trends set the tone that everything is acceptable. Truthfully, what you wear to work is important and if you want to be considered promotion-worthy, your clothes will help send a professional message.
The problem with work attire is that your boss may not tell you how your dress is blocking your career progression for a number of reasons. Taste in clothes is a personal choice and it’s a sensitive issue in how to approach the topic. Rather than causing embarrassment, bosses can resort to avoiding the subject altogether and instead of broaching the topic of clothes will keep it to themselves.
Even though your choice of clothes is an expression of your taste, at work you represent the employer’s choice in selecting employees. Case in point, take the employee who wore a tube top to work only to have problems keeping it in place throughout the day. She not only caused a distraction but a sent a message reflecting her judgment.
So how do you know if what you are wearing is sending the wrong impression? A good place to start is by observing the style of clothes that leaders wear in your department.
140007492While the marketplace encourages creativity, the workplace is not the setting to showcase your fashion sense; rather, it is a place to represent your employer using good taste. If you want to be seen and taken as a serious professional, then dress for the job you want.
The decisions you make concerning your work attire gives hiring decision-makers a glimpse of what you deem important. If the way you dress speaks louder than your work, that’s a good sign your clothes could be blocking your career progression.
What are your thoughts on work attire? Do you think choice of clothes could prevent a promotion?
