Dress for success

No one has to wait for an interview to learn how to dress well. Dressing well and dressing appropriately will help project a successful image of yourself and elicit a more positive response from others. You’ll be surprised at how people respond to you if you dressed differently. If you don’t believe it, try it. Try to sell someone something dressed in a corporate gear and then go home, change and come back out dressed in your pajamas and try to sell someone different the very same thing.

Dressing for success means…
Picking the right attire for the right occasion says a lot about you, your lifestyle and your personality. This is particularly important when you’re meeting someone for the first time. As you know, first impressions are hard (if not impossible) to reverse. If you’re going for an interview, needless to say, you’ll need to ditch the slippers, sandals, jeans and spaghetti straps…unless you want to project a very unconventional image of yourself.

Neatness also plays an important role. It’s not about how much money the suits actually cost but choose an appropriate garb that is neat (not creased and crumpled) tells others that you have an eye for detail and is professional. In fact, DON’T overdress. Overdressing can also send out wrong messages about you – like, “I am desperate!”

Compliment your skin tone and body shape
Bring focus to your positive features and downplay the importance of your negative ones. For example, if you have a thick waist, don’t bare it. If you have short legs, don’t wear A-line skirts. If you have tanned skin, don’t wear blindingly bright red clothes. Go for something that will make others focus on your positive features and bring their attention away from your negative ones. Although this rule applies mainly to women since they naturally have a wider range of choices in terms of clothing, men should also take special care to do the same.

Accessorize yourself
Sure, there’s no problem if you’d rather just go there with no accessories but since we’re on the topic of dressing for success, we’ll make a point here that is hard to misinterpret. If you accessorize yourself, you’re sending this message…. “The way I look is important to me. I take good care of myself and will likely take good care of the people who love me, care about me or know me”

You don’t have to overload yourself with everything you can dig out from the drawers. An earring with matching necklace says a lot. And how about matching handbag and shoes? Or at least make sure the color coordination between your outfit and your accessories don’t clash.

Trend is not everything
The image that you project through your dressing is not determined by the cost of the outfit, nor does it have anything to do with the trend. You can look good in anything that is not completely out-of-date but you don’t have to indulge too much money following the fashion trend. Go simple, neat, professional, dressed appropriately and comfortable and you’re right there with the best of them.