Apr 14 2009
Dressing Up on the Job
I read an article this morning from the Orlando Sentinel that states that the days of wine, roses and casual Fridays are gone. They suggest that women need to be sure to dress up on the job and state the old cliche that you need to dress for the job you want to be in and not the one you are in now.
I agree with this advice. I have always adviced people who face discrimination (i.e. overweight applicants) to overdress for the job interview. When the job market tightens up so severely, with very high unemployment rates, you need to stand out from the crowd in a positive way to get noticed and to get that job offer.
They go even one step further in stating that it is not a good idea to dress down on Fridays or casual days. This is valid advice in that some people don’t really understand what dress down means and they dress way too down. Never wear sneakers, sweat clothes or even jeans in the workplace if you work in an office setting, unless you are having a “clean up the office” day or something similar. Let’s face the fact - people take you more seriously when you dress that way.
