Dress for Success

Several years ago, I was having a discussion with one of my staff. The conversation went all over the place, but he finally blurted out “You know, I just can’t figure out why I don’t get promoted. I am as good as anyone around here. I know more than a lot of them. How did you get to the top??”

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!!

His question surprised me a little bit. This employee, by his appearance alone never gave me, and I’m sure anyone else the impression that he wanted to be part of management. What I mean is that this gentleman was in his later 30′s, but looked like a throw back to 1965. He was bald on top, and what was left was long, un-styled hair that he pulled back into a pony tail. He had a very bushy mustache that never looked trimmed. He only shaved every two or three days, and had a perpetual five o’clock shadow. And lastly, he wore “ironic” tee shirts, faded jeans, and sneakers, canvas boat shoes actually everyday, that were well “broken in”.

The irony was that this man was very smart and very talented at his profession. The problem was that his outward appearance shouted “I don’t care. Down with the man! I am a non-conformist.” I know, I know….good for him! Stick it to the man!! We need more non-conformists!!! Well, maybe. But, the conformists still run everything.

Back to my friend. I thought about his question for a minute, while trying to temper my surprise. I decided I would try to break the news to him gently. I told him a story about me.

Garanimals

I told him that when I was younger, I loved to wear jeans and tennis shoes to work. I loved the comfort of wearing those old jeans. Those sneakers felt so good and put a spring in my step. I never worried about my appearance or the message I was sending to others with my appearance until a big boss said “Hey, Mike, no offense, but we are having a meeting with a customer tomorrow, can you break out some dress pants.” Wow! No one had ever said anything like that to me. I was the only one he said that to out of 5 of us that were meeting with the customer. I was a little embarrassed, but I got the message.

From that point on, I started wearing business casual clothes. I wore dockers and a nice shirt, with some casual leather, but comfortable shoes. I wore matching belts, and made sure the colors all worked. I no longer wanted to be a non-conformist, but instead wanted to succeed and get promoted, so I dressed like the people who had the jobs I wanted. I explained that it took me a little while to buy all the clothes I needed, but after a few months, I had 5 or 6 nice shirts and 3 pair of pants that I could mix and match.

My friend looked at me and said much to my amazement “Wow, that is way too much work. I guess I will just stay technical.” He left my office and went whistling back to work. I just smiled.

I want to succeed, not just survive!!

The point is obvious. If you choose to dress down or differently from your co-workers or the people who have the jobs you want, then you will be “classified” as a non-conformist. Admittedly, the quality of your work is way more important than your appearance, but your “presentation” plays a big role in what people think of you. You need to dress for the position you want, and the sooner you do, the sooner you will be noticed.

Hope this helps!

Leave me a comment or email me at mike.anderson@directyourcareer.com