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Business Attire

Business Attire 101
Is Your Professional Attire Hurting Your Career?
The Basics of Business Etiquette
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Business Attire 101

What, exactly, is "appropriate" business attire? That's sort of like asking, "How long is a piece of string?" It's not a "one size fits all" proposition. It depends on your line of work, your corporate culture, and your audience.

If you have strong skills and you get the business attire right, the "sky's the limit" in your field. But if you fumble on the dress code-even if you're technically competent-your climb will slow considerably, if not stall completely. How you look will open (or close) the door to opportunity; what you know will keep you in the room.

Here are the basic things you need to consider when putting together the best business attire for you:

Your Line of Work

Traditional businesses like law, banking, finance, accounting, high-level corporate, etc., require traditional business attire. The message: authoritative, conservative, and competent.

If you're interviewing with a company and don't know the dress code, you can't go wrong with traditional business attire.

People businesses like teaching, real estate, sales, medicine, social work, etc., call for business attire that both conveys expertise but is non-threatening. The message: trustworthy, approachable, and knowledgeable.

Artistic businesses like advertising, art, fashion, writing, entertainment, decorating, etc., call for-or dare I say it?-expect a more expressive mode of business attire. The message: creative, unique, and contemporary.

Your Corporate Culture

The next thing you have to look at is your corporate culture.

While one company may have a very strict business attire code, another company in the same field may be much more relaxed. If you adapt your wardrobe to "fit in" with your company, you'll succeed much faster (in terms of promotions and/or getting staff compliance) than if you simply resign yourself to the notion that everyone is either over- or underdressed, in your opinion, and you're going to march to your own drum.

Your Audience

Who is your audience? The people who most influence your paycheck: your clients, potential clients, management, colleagues, staff, students, etc. You're dressing to:

1. Be relatable to them.

2. Fit their perceived image of someone in your role.

If you intimidate your clients, embarrass your manager, or have people look you over from head to toe in disbelief, you probably haven't dressed for your audience. You also aren't going to get very far. You need to dress how they'll feel most comfortable doing business with you.

Continued...

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Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and author of "Wardrobe Magic," an ebook that shows women how to transform their unruly closets into workable, wearable wardrobes. Visit her online at www.fashionforrealwomen.com

All articles are copyrighted by Diana Pemberton-Sikes.