How Your Professional Appearance Affects Your Productivity
How you dress at work can have a big impact on how you are perceived and also your productivity. Not convinced? Then let Tara Edwards explain what you wear at work is just as important as what you say and do.
Even though in the 21st century more companies are adopting a more casual approach to how their employees are dressed and groomed, there are still many organizations which require a professional dress code and have expectations of how employees show up to work and meet partners, clients and other interested parties.
So, even though we are a more modern society, dressing for success is actually still a thing for the majority of us.
What you wear and the way you look affects:
- The way others act or respond when interacting with you
- The way you feel
- The way you think
- The way you act
The truth is that starting from the job interview and throughout your professional career, you will most likely find that your personal appearance and attire will have an impact on your professional presence and your success.
How To Appear Professional
The key to appearing and being accepted as professional by your superiors, colleagues and by others is to dress in accordance with your specific job, your position, and to the expected dress code for that specific position.
There is a danger not only of looking underdressed and unprofessional, but also to be overdressed for your particular job, which is why you should try to find the perfect balance so that your appearance corresponds to the expectations of all people you work with on a daily basis.
The Importance Of Perception
Remember that how you are dressed and groomed has a major impact on how others – superiors, subordinates, colleagues and clients perceive you.
So, no matter how well educated and experienced you are to perform a certain job – the way you present yourself can actually affect your overall work performance, due to the fact that it has a strong impact on how others perceive you, as well as on your overall reputation at your job.
Humans are naturally visually driven, which is why we mostly prefer to work with people who look appropriately professional for the jobs they have.
Wearing clean, professional, pressed and tidy clothes show that you are serious about your appearance and that you have put a sufficient amount of effort into presenting yourself in the best way possible. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you need to wear expensive designer clothes, shoes and accessories in order to affirm your professionalism. You can wear inexpensive and yet suitable ones, which correspond to your job position and the industry you, are in.
Also, being dressed appropriately will definitely make you feel better and more confident at your everyday job.
Consistency Breeds Respect
In many cases, being consistent in presenting yourself in the appropriate way on your job can actually boost your career, because your superiors, clients and partners are very likely to notice your effort and acknowledge it as showing respect for the job and for others involved.
You will be taken more seriously if you are wearing cleaned and pressed clothes rather than looking like you have been sleeping in your clothing for the last few days!
It may be difficult to accept that you are being judged by the cover rather than for your actual merits and achievements but, unfortunately, this is the way it has been for age and will most likely be for some time to come.
It’s Not All About The Clothes
Wearing inappropriate clothing and going to work ungroomed will most likely make you feel like an outcast and quite uncomfortable and self-conscious at your job which is very likely to affect your overall performance and your self-confidence.
This is why you should always try to adhere to the dress code for your particular company, job title and the line of work you are in. This is quite easily done. if your company has a dress code requirement, you can easily look it up and make the effort to adhere to it.
If there is no specific written rule for the way in which you are expected to be dressed, you can simply make a reference to the way your colleagues and people from the same industry or profession go to work, meetings, conferences and otherwise perform their professional duties.
Also, the way you are groomed has an impact on the way you will be perceived by others, so make sure that you are always clean, with a suitable hair and properly trimmed unwanted facial hair. This is easily achieved with a good trimmer which you should use on a regular basis to keep your face and body clean from unwanted and unsightly hair. Even if you choose to wear a beard or a moustache – it really does show whether you are taking regular care of your prided facial hair. So make sure you invest in a trimmer, brush and even beard oils to maintain well-groomed facial hair if you want to further succeed in your career, and be more successful at what you do!
Your shoes too are very important, because it is what many people notice first in a person or a business partner. They need to be suitable for what you do, but more importantly – clean and shiny.
Remember: It’s Not About Quantity
You don’t need to have a whole closet of work clothes and shoes. You can have just two pairs of shoes and a couple of suits or other appropriate pants and jackets with several shirts which you can interchange in order to stay clean and look professional enough at your job.
One important final thing to remember though is that it’s important to maintain your own sense of personal style, and you can still achieve this even when wearing a uniform! Whether it’s a funky watch* or pair of Superhero socks*, there are many ways to express your personality whilst still respecting your work’s wardrobe.
*This post contains affiliate links. You will not be charged any extra for purchases made through these links but we will receive a small commission if you do decide to buy something.
Great article, with a lot of good points. I wrote an article recently about what you should wear and how it represents you, I think it’s a great companion article to this one! https://www.restructuringyou.com/home/personal-style
Thanks for the helpful advice on personal presentation!