Hack Your Closet to Get the Right Job
In 1930 J. C. Fluegel wrote a work entitled “The Psychology of Clothes.”
One of his major precepts stated that nonconformity in choice of clothing was an outward expression of nonconformity in the thought and political outlook of the individual.
So, what?
Summer is here and a whole new mass of job seekers are entering the market. People are made and broken by their appearances. You have just about 20 seconds to make an impression. And, if you know this you can turn it to your advantage.
Make sure your clothes are ALWAYS neat and clean. Keep your shoes well maintained. There is a reason for the expression, “down at the heels.” Keep you hair neat and keep it trim. Ladies, if you choose to wear make-up, keep it subtle and understated. Keep you nails well manicured. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. If you desire a management position dress as if you already have one.
If you wish to portray yourself as self-confident and well composed, you should dress in a moderate and traditional fashion. Competent people do not feel the need to display themselves with extravagance and flamboyant attire.
Leave the daring edge of fashion to those who are striking out on their own business ventures.
If you wish to be perceived as competitive and aggressive, attire yourself in the sport fashion. Sport jackets and khaki slacks communicate a subliminal message of activity and aggression. Too aggressive can be seen as threatening.
Dress aggressively if you need to stake your territory with other staff members.
If you wish to avoid being perceived as immature and conquerable, leave your jeans in the closet. This apparel sends the message that you would rather find a way to make do with comes rather than take a stand for what you want.
Save the jeans for the weekends.
Wearing loud, flamboyant clothing screams “look at me!” and “I need you to reassure me.” The exception being the Hawaiian, or camp, shirt. This merely screams, “these four wall are too small to contain me!”
If you dress in a flamboyant fashion, don’t expect to have your ideas taken seriously.
Military cut clothing communicates a desire for structure and conformity. This are good choices if you are a banker.
Expect to be perceived as rigid and inflexible in this type of attire.
Broad woven cottons and subdued earth colors communicate a desire for times gone by and can indicate you are trapped in the past. Remember, casual doesn’t mean sloppy. Sloppy doesn’t work in any business situation.
Dress like this and you can expect to be seen as “out of touch.”
Remember, you are marketing a product–You!
Reg Adkins writes on behavior and the human experience at Elemental Truths.
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Comments
David says on June 12th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Recent publications I’ve seen lead me to believe that you should do some serious inquiry as to the style around the office at the place you want to work. People hire who they’d like to work with. Dressing “sharp” in an office where only the boss and his pet wear ties might be the wrong choice.
It seems “can we attach the company to this person to make lots of money off them,” has become “can I work with this person to get my job done.”
I think many expected norms have changed in the last 15 years. But then I live in LA not NY.
Karsh says on June 12th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I wouldn’t say this is a “hack” more as it is just common sense if you want to get and keep a job. Although I will say that most jobs I’ve worked outside of college, which have been professional, well-paying positions, are very very casual in terms of dress (I’m at work typing this in jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers right now, actually). I usually switch it up and do the khakis/polo combo once a week though, and when I do have to do interviews, I’ve got my suits available.
Cat says on June 12th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
David:
Perhaps it is because you live in LA but as someone who hires and how talks to a lot of people who hire, I still feel wearing a suit and tie to the interview is important. And, as far as wearing what the “the boss and his pet wear”, as long as it doesn’t offend your morals, that is probably still the best way to dress to get ahead in your job – typically the boss is who decides on promotions and raises.
Cathy from Philadelphia
RegAdkins says on June 12th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
David,
You make a facinating point. Would you be interested in working together on a piece focused useful hacks for Anelenos?
Reg from Elemental Truths
Jon says on June 12th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Or, you can be happy that you work at a place where compentency and intelligence are valued over appearance, and take solace in the fact that you wouldn’t want to work somewhere where that’s not true. Like I do :)
Rick L says on June 12th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Good advice. After reading this, I decided to share my own opinions on buying men’s business attire here: Dressing Up for Interviews or a New Job.
To summarize my suggestions:
1) Get shirts and ideas from Brook Brothers.
2) Get suits (but nothing else) from Men’s Warehouse. Department stores are fine too.
3) Get Bostonian shoes.
4) Get ties from Andrew’s Ties, Benetton, or a department store.
RegAdkins says on June 13th, 2007 at 7:15 am
Jon,
I’m going to have to go with Cat on this one. Remember, we are talking about getting the job in the first place. Asserting your independance might be something you want to consider after you’ve established your value.
Reg of Elemental Truths
jos says on June 13th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
interesting and informative… def depends on the field and company but overall Sloppy doesn’t work in any business situation even if you are interviewing to work at a punk rock record label
Stuart Willis says on June 18th, 2007 at 1:22 am
It depends on where you are. I work in a high level post production company and our most senior managers mostly wear jeans (with flip-flops in summer). I’m considered a little odd because I actually wear pants and shoes and jackets.
I recommend anyone going for a job in a post-company to dress up slightly but not too much. A suit actually makes people suspicious of you in the world. But jeans and a nice collared shirt are the way to go.
Reginald Adkins says on June 18th, 2007 at 7:31 am
Stuart,
I’m going to guess you are in a unique situation. I don’t recall ever having a boss that wore flip-flops (actual shower shoes?).
Chatsubo says on June 18th, 2007 at 8:27 am
As a general rule, maybe, but as a programmer, people expect you to be casual. A recruiter has actually stated to me: “They told me that, if you go in anything more formal than jeans, they won’t hire you”. I’ve often worked with CTO’s who work in shorts and sandles. There must be many other occupations where formal attire is not a requirement.
Reginald Adkins says on June 18th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Chatsubo,
You may be on the “Four Hour Work Week” track here. By all means if you can pull off a Tim Harris and work under a palm tree with an umbrella drink, you should go for it. My article is more about human perception and behavior as it relates to how our attire projects our personalities. But, you are correct. You should definately find a niche where you can dress in a way that you feel comfortable. Remember though, some are only comfortable in formal environments, and that’s OK too.