— Coco Chanel
Think about it. The way someone dresses often influences the way you think of them.
That girl in your office who dresses too casual, the assistant that dresses too sexy, the nice lady who seems to always be unkempt, the middle-aged coworker that is borrowing outfits from her teenager. I bet someone from your office instantly sprang to mind for each of these examples. And your perception of these people popped in right along with them.
One of the quickest way a woman can lose credibility at the office is dressing inappropriately. Yet everyday, women everywhere are making this one crucial career mistake.
I was very fortunate to be paired with a mentor early in my career. This woman was a wealth of knowledge, but one of the most important things she taught me was how important it was to dress appropriately for the office. When I started paying attention to my office attire, others took me more seriously, and I began to climb the corporate ladder. It saddens me that others can't see that corelation and continue to sabbotage themselves by dressing inappropriately.
Today, two women in my office were dressed so innappropriately, I was surprised that no one said anything too them.
One was dressed in a tee shirt, cargo capris, and sandals. This person,(let's call her Betty) works in our Information Services department. Granted, Betty spends most of her time out of sight, however, part of her position is trouble-shooting computer issues around the facility. That brings her out of the I/S area, where she interacts with others in the company. When Betty walked into my office this morning to trouble-shoot an issue I was having, I thought they had called her in from the beach!
A little more background on Betty: Mid-30's,extremely well-educated and well spoken. Well, to be blunt, she is super smart! There is nothing that a computer can do that she can't fix. But if you saw her, uber-casual, and at times, a little too carefree (read:sloppy,wrinkled, stained, etc...), you would think that she doesn't take her job seriously. And while it might be that she's too concerned with other things to put serious thought into her appearance, she comes across looking like a lazy slug. I have been in meetings with outsiders that Betty has had to come clear up some technical issue. Her appearance has raised quite a few eyebrows.
The other is a young inventory analyst. Let's call her Susie. She is a team leader in her department, but despite being the most qualified, an opening for supervising analyst remains unfulfilled for over a year. It is no secret that Susie wants this position and has spoken with the department heads about it. The word on the grapevine is that Susie's inappropriate dress is one of the main reasons she's not being considered for that promotion. It is also rumored that she was told something about that fact, but she has chosen to ignore it.
A little more background on Susie. Also in her 30's and obese for most of her life, Susie has undergone a remarkable physical transformation. Without any surgical intervention, Susie lost 75 pounds "the old fashioned way" and literally worked her ass off! She has also maintained her goal weight for two years. With so many taking the easy way out these days,this is a phenomenal accomplishment! This transformation not only did wonders for her self-esteem, she also shed the perception that she was lazy and undisciplined. Sadly, that is how most obese people are percieved by others, but that is a post for another day. She was understandably excited about shopping for fashionable clothes for the first time in her life, and several of us had accompanied her on her first shopping trips. Unfortunately, in her zeal to dress her new body, Susie went to the extreme, and is dressing too provacatively!
Here is where it gets worse. After it was suggested that she might want to tone down her sexy outfits, and wear more office-appropriate attire, she lashed out with the standard responses: "these old biddies are just JEALOUS of my body" and "they are just JEALOUS that they can't dress this way."
No one is JEALOUS, they are just trying to keep her from being identified as "Susie the Slut." If something good happens to "Susie the Slut," everyone assumes she slept with someone to get it. No one takes "Susie the Slut" seriously, because she is too busy flirting and trying to sleep her way to the top.
Today, Sussie was wearing a spaghetti strap top, and a short, tight white skirt with what can only be described as "hooker heels." She looked like she was going to a bar, rather than to work. I was really surprised she was allowed to stay at the office that way.
I can't believe that there are women out there who think that a professional appearance is not as equally important as their skill set.
There are some great resources to aid in dressing for success in the office.
