Do You Work How You Dress?

Last week, I talked about Facebook profiles and what they say about potential team members you may be hiring (or about you, to potential supervisors).  But what about a low tech work influencer like your clothes?

We’ve all been given some form of advice about “dressing for success,” such as dressing “one step up” from your current position so that senior executives or administrators can more easily see you as one of them.  Most workplaces have a dress code and most of the time that code is about communicating what your clothes say about your organization.  “Business casual” clothes can send the message that you are a laid-back or fun organization while more formal attire or a uniform (such as a doctor’s coat) can send messages about authority and expertise.  Did you know, however, that how you dress at work can affect not only how others see you but how you actually perform?

New research shows that people do better on certain cognitive tasks when they are dressed in clothing that they associate with positive qualities like attentiveness or professionalism.  I have used this advice in the past when I had a phone interview I did from home.  It’s tempting to put on something casual for comfort, but I’ve found that wearing interview attire even when the interviewers can’t see me helps me get in the right frame of mind for the conversation. 

There’s a catch to all this, of course.  (Isn’t there always?)  To have such a positive influence, you have to be wearing clothes that you associate with professional qualities and that varies somewhat across individuals.  Wearing a suit, in other words, does not mean the same thing to everyone.  Read here to find out the full story and to start your thinking about the workplace attire of you and your team.