Is your boss judging you?

Why you need to dress for career enhancement

We all have our personal bias in relation to how to dress for career enhancement or success.  Most of us prefer to be dressed in an identical manner to others around us – others want to dress in any way that suits them, even if this is inappropriate.  Often our budget dictates whether we wear a Gucci label, or hunt out bargains at factory shops, even though the Gucci outfit does not necessarily suit our skin colouring or body shape, or the bargain garment falls apart after one wash.

Have a look around at people at the local shopping mall or people within the workplace.  When you look at them, what pre-conceived judgements have you made about these strangers, on the basis on how they dress and the image they project?

Do you think that dowdy middle aged woman dressed in a cardigan could run a large business office?  Does the teenager dressed in all black with numerous body piercing’ tell you that he came top or bottom of his class?   Is that man dressed in a K-Mart Suit an executive, or simply working the floor at K-Mart?  Does that 35-year-old women, with a very short denim skirt, install confidence in her mathematical genius?  Does the middle-aged man, with a protruding stomach and stained shirt tell you, that he is a current member of Mensa, with two published books?

Like it or not, we ALL judge on the basis of appearance.  In fact over 50% of our first impressions of a person are based on appearance and people will continue to judge you on the basis of how you dress and present yourself.

So, unless you are extremely beautiful, very rich with nothing to prove, or already in a position of power – how you dress, could be critical to your career enhancement.

Why you need to dress for career enhancement

• How you dress will influence decision-makers in all aspects of your career development, from the initial interview, through to getting that promotion.  You might be a star performer at work, but if you don’t look the part of a manger or your appearance is sloppy, then it could impede any promotion.
• We all rely on first impressions and tend to believe what we see.  If someone is dressed as a high-powered executive, we believe that he or she is a high-powered executive.  If we see someone in a white coat, we see a doctor, or laboratory professional.  Conversely, if we see someone dressed in K-Mart trousers, we believe that person to be lower middle management, or simply a floor sales person.  Or if we see a lady in a short mini-skirt, we assume she is the data entry clerk, not the CEO.  Judgements are constantly made and we simply believe what we see.
• If we look good, we will increase our own confidence, which in turn will increase our work performance.  This is evidenced in shows such as “How to look good naked” or Trinny and Susannah.  Yes, I know this stuff could be perceived as shallow, but until we as individuals and society as a whole, stop judging appearances and take note of authors such as Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth, there is usually a direct link between how we look and our levels of confidence.