Female Executive Dress Code (and Men) & Careers | WSJ, John Agno & Quintessential Careers
via flickr.com
Excerpts:
Female Executive Dress Code
Smart dressing involves sending subliminal messages, particularly when a serious job is at stake.
This is something that even high-ranking business leaders can underestimate. "People don't understand the messages that their clothes send," says Dorothy Waldt, a New York executive recruiter. Women sometimes don't realize how often a tight shirt or a low neckline comes across as seductive. People who meet them are likely to assume the sexual innuendo is intentional.
...In the ultimate employment interview, for U.S. President, Hillary Clinton wore a looped red scarf in the New Hampshire primary that looked decisive and framed her face, while her dark suit hit that nice-not-loud note that signals that we're supposed to be paying attention to her brain, not her designer.
We haven't yet taken fashion analysis as far with well-known business executives. But job interviewers don't miss much, says Ann Marie Sabath, a business etiquette consultant and author of "One Minute Manners." She is relentless about getting interview clothes right. Her advice includes ironing creases into your pants, investing in a good watch, and wearing a collar. "A collar projects authority," says Ms. Sabath.
Here are some 'dressing to impress' tips:
- Dress for the position you want, not for the one you currently have.
- The higher a woman climbs on the corporate ladder, the more light-colored suits she can and should wear (to be less intimidating).
- Match the culture of the industry: Call ahead or have your personal coach find out the office's style. When in doubt about a jacket, tie or other item, bring one along. You can take it off, but you can't put it on if you don't have it.
- The definition of business casual: one notch down from business normal.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2008 & via coachingtip.com
Excerpts:
When Job-Hunting: Dress for Success
Should you be judged by what you wear? Perhaps not, but the reality is, of course, that you are judged. Throughout the entire job-seeking process employers use short-cuts -- heuristics or rules of thumb -- to save time. With cover letters, it's the opening paragraph and a quick scan of your qualifications. With resumes, it is a quick scan of your accomplishments. With the job interview, it's how you're dressed that sets the tone of the interview.
...How do you find out what is the proper dress for a given job/company/industry? You can call the Human Resources office where you are interviewing and simply ask. Or, you could visit the company's office to retrieve an application or other company information and observe the attire current employees are wearing -- though make sure you are not there on a "casual day" and misinterpret the dress code.
Finally, do you need to run out and spend a lot of money on clothes for interviewing? No, but you should make sure you have at least two professional sets of attire.
Hints for Dress for Success for Men and Women
Attention to details is crucial, so here are some tips for both men and women. Make sure you have:
- clean and polished conservative dress shoes
- well-groomed hairstyle
- cleaned and trimmed fingernails
- minimal cologne or perfume
- no visible body piercing beyond conservative ear piercings for women
- well-brushed teeth and fresh breath
- no gum, candy, or other objects in your mouth
- minimal jewelry
- no body odor
Finally, check your attire in the rest room just before your interview for a final check of your appearance -- to make sure your tie is straight, your hair is combed, etc.
Go to Dress for Success for Women for specific tips for women.
Go to Dress for Success for Men for specific tips for men.
Other Dress for Success Resources
- Books:
- Quintessential Careers: Dress for Success Books -- all the best books for making a first great impression!
- Web Sites:
- SYMS Dress to Achieve -- a career site created to help college students and recent grads about the basics of proper job interview attire, as well as other helpful career tips to present yourself in the best possible light during job interviews. For both men and women. No cost to job-seekers.
- Donations:
- CareerGear -- a non-profit organization dedicated to helping low-income men and men struggling to get off public assistance to obtain and keep jobs by providing men with interview clothing, motivation and follow-up support that helps them get and keep jobs. Donations of suits (and more) accepted.
- Dress for Success -- a non-profit organization established in 1996 that provides programs that help economically disadvantaged women acquire jobs, retain their new positions, and succeed in the mainstream workplace. Donations of suits, time, and financial support are all accepted!
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com.
