I spent my professional childhood as an employee of IBM. I started at IBM in the days when employees wore business clothes (not business casual) to work and sales made calls in blue striped suits, white shirts (no colors, no stripes) and ties. My time at IBM instilled in me a variety of professional values that I carry with me today.
I have always believed that first impressions are extremely important. I have never done an interview or a sales call in anything other than a business suit. I never will. If I have an important meeting or any type of presentation, I will be wearing a suit or its closest equivalent. I have find that the business suit is an invaluable business tool.
In the 1990s, I left IBM and went to work for Sun Microsystems. I must say that compared to the loosened dress code at IBM, the dress code at Sun was liberal. While at Sun, I had the opportunity to call on customers and prospects. In many cases these customers were in the development organizations of major companies. I was told that developers weren’t impressed by suits. I was told that they would have a difficult time relating to a person in a suit. I always wore a suit and didn’t have a problem.
The impact of professional dress and personal, visual presentation is just as important today as it was at IBM in the 1980s.
In the business world, people appreciate those who make the effort to look clean, well-groomed, and well-dressed. In my experience, a well-tailored person always seems to garner more respect and attention than those who aren’t. I found this particularly true as a woman walking into male-dominated meetings.
When I dress professionally, I am treated with respect.
I’ve seen the erosion of professional dress over the last 20 years. Sure, people are more comfortable when they don’t have to dress up in business attire. But when people are more comfortable in their dress and appearance, they also tend to be looser in their professionalism. This is not to say that suited professionals can’t have appalling attitudes. It is only to suggest that what is considered acceptable in today’s business environment seems to have degenerated along with the professional dress code.
A recent experience brought home the reminder of the importance of dress in the first impression. I had the opportunity to meet with individuals from different companies to discuss a joint business opportunity. I had never any of these individuals before. One was dressed professionally (not quite the suit and tie, though). The other was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. All things being equal, which one do you think made the better impression on me? O.k. The answer to that question is an easy one. It was the one who dressed professionally.
What was even more interesting was that I ended up having a much longer, more interesting, better-connecting conversation with the person who was dressed professionally, too. Casual dress didn’t make for a more comfortable connection.
In life, all things are seldom equal. So, I challenge you. If the impression you created had to make the difference in whether you got the job, the guy (or girl), the money, the accolades, would you dress for the opportunity? Are you dressed for that opportunity to find you today?
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