Personal Branding: Dress for Success

Part of your personal brand is the way you portray yourself in person and online. A strong personal brand can help take you as far as you want to go in your career, open new doors, and give you access to a larger professional network. If you fail to develop your personal brand, others may define it for you.

Dress for the job

“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure”- Zig Ziglar

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You can portray confidence and competence in an interview by dressing clean, appropriate and professional. Conversely, if you don’t make the effort to dress appropriately for the position or you look messy, you may accidentally portray a lack of respect for authority figures or lack of basic business etiquette.

Do you want to be a manager or c-level executive in the future? Dress like it! Dress for success!
Remember, even if a company has a casual startup culture, the company’s clientele may have a more reserved environment. You need to show management that you not only have the skills for the job (resume & portfolio), but also the professionalism needed to work with employees and clients- best portrayed by the way you dress.

Don’t distract the interviewer by wearing something loud. You want them to focus on you and what you bring to the table, not your neon green statement necklace.

Women:
– Have suits laundered and pressed
– Do not show any cleavage
– Skirts or dresses (if wearing one) should not be too short, they should be knee length or at least below fingertips.
– Make sure shoes are clean and polished (no scuffs or mud)
– Wear a simple hairstyle that is neat and away from face
– Skip the perfume, body splash and scented lotion on interview day
– Nails should be nicely manicured, and if wearing nail polish, it should be a neutral color (nothing too bright or trendy) and should not be chipped

Men:
– Have suits laundered and pressed
– Wear an undershirt under dress shirt
– Make sure shoes are clean and polished (no scuffs or mud)
– Make sure hair is brushed and away from face
– Facial hair should be clean shaven or neatly trimmed
– Skip the cologne and body spray on interview day

Whether you are going on interviews or are happy in your current position, your personal brand still matters! Always dress the part with some advice from our Brightwingers.