By Matt Casadona
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
When you get hired for a new job, it's important to make a good first impression on your coworkers, new bosses, and the business's customers and clients. One significant thing that factors into a good first impression is how you look. While we all wish that we could wear our favorite sweatpants to work, how we appear reflects the business. Luckily, you don't need to be a fashionista to look good at your new job.
Unfortunately, the way we dress says a lot about our personalities, or so the people judging us think. Many people would rather purchase insurance from a man in a suit than a man in a hoodie. The reason for this is that the man in the suit looks successful. Even if the man in the hoodie is better at his job, the man in the suit will create a good impression and be able to make more sales, especially if he's just as skilled as the other man.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
Looking the Part at Work
When you came in for your interview, the person in charge of hiring likely used some version of a candidate scorecard. According to ShareAble for Hire, "Interview scorecards are, in sum, a simple and effective way to evaluate job candidates in the interview stage of a hiring process."
While you may not know what was on that scorecard, it's likely that the way you present yourself appeared some way or another. This could be anything from how you dressed to your posture. Unless you applied for a job in fashion, the good news is that your fashion sense likely didn't make an impact, but the clothes you wore did. What we mean by this is that if you went for an interview for a position in an office, you should have dressed business casual or business professional, depending on the type of office.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
If you're not sure how to look the part at your new job, here are a few tips to help you.
Focus on your Face and Hair
You can wear the nicest clothing, but one thing that people will pay attention to is your face and hair. Make sure that you get enough sleep so that you wake up looking refreshed, and brush your hair before you leave the house. If you're a woman, you don't need to layer on make-up to look the part at work; instead, use your first few days to get a feel of how other women do their make-up so that you can blend in. The odds are that if everyone goes for the natural look, you should, too.
Ask What You Should Wear
Before your initial interview, you may have been too nervous to ask what would be appropriate to wear. Hiring managers will always give you advice because they want you to succeed, especially if they asked you to come in for a first or second interview.
Find out if your new work environment will be business casual, business professional, or anything else so that you look the part at your new job, especially if you have a client or customer-facing position. If there is a strict dress code, it will be laid out for you once you've accepted the job so that you know what's expected of you.
Some workplaces offer a more casual atmosphere, which means you won't have to wear dress pants every day. If this is the case, ask the hiring manager what types of clothing are appropriate and what isn't. For example, you may be allowed to wear jeans but not leggings.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
Choose the Right Shoes
While your shoes shouldn't be scuffed up and stained, depending on your job, you may not have to wear dress shoes or high heels. Yes, everyone wants to look good at their new job. However, you should consider the position and be reasonable.
If you expect to spend most of the day sitting at a desk in a nice office and facing clients all day, then you might opt for fashionable yet uncomfortable shoes. However, if you're expected to be more active and/or stand for long periods of time, you might just need a nice pair of white or black tennis shoes.
Dress for the Job You Want
The best advice we've ever heard is to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Many people take entry-level positions within companies where they can grow. For example, one might take a job as a marketing assistant in the hopes of one day becoming a marketing manager. Remember, people at different job levels may dress differently. A marketing assistant may be allowed to dress casually while the marketing manager feels more inclined to dress business professionally because he or she deals with clients on a daily basis.
If you find yourself in a position where you want to grow and move up within the company, start dressing like your superiors. Your managers and bosses will notice that you're someone who takes the initiative and can be in front of business partners and clients. Not to mention, it will show that you go the extra mile for your employer, which is never a bad thing.
If you look presentable or even better than presentable and you have the skills to succeed, your employers will start putting you in positions to grow. That marketing assistant we told you about earlier could be meeting with clients in no time because he or she started acting as if she already had the job he or she wanted.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
Final Thoughts
Looking at the part of your new job isn't difficult or expensive. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars because you got a new job. Take a look to see what's in your closet and what items you can pair together. Spend the day before you start your new job putting together outfits for the week so that you know what you still need to buy and what you can already start wearing. If you're lucky, you may not have to go shopping for new clothes at all.
Matt Casadona has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology.
He is currently a contributing editor for 365 Business Tips. Matt is passionate about marketing and business strategy and enjoys the San Diego life, traveling and music.
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