Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Dishing About Casual Work Wear

Diane Danielson over at the Women's Dish Network, has, in her words, been "mouthing off" about the sad state of attire in the workplace today. Seems she told CareerBuilder that she didn't care for it (OK, it totally "pissed her off") when a job applicant showed up wearing a frayed denim skirt.

Danielson's reaction: she sent the girl packing, with nary a question asked.
Danielson said the girl had clearly "wasted my time" by showing up in something so inappropriate for a well-established, conservative employer, whose reputation should have been researched by the applicant.

I can certainly appreciate Danielson's straightforward look at an ongoing problem. One of her problems with casual dress: "You never know when a client - who may never have casual day - might want to meet wih you."

I agree. It's a constant complaint I hear from bosses and co-workers, who are mystified why something so easy as dressing neatly and professionally seems to elude many workers. Why -- when so many things at work can be out of our control -- would anyone pass up the opportunity to convey a professional, capable image simply by dressing correctly? And why would anyone dress well four days a week, then throw the whole image out the window and dress like a casual slob on the fifth day?

So, here's my final word of advice for the truly clueless: If you can wear it to go clubbing, mow the back 40 in it or is comfortable enough to sleep in...DON'T WEAR IT TO WORK!

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great advice. I have what I'd call an uber-professional dress code at work. Skirt suits every day, the whole shebang. And though that's a lot for new recruits to stomach, it never ceases to amaze me how well I am treated by peers in my market - it's so true that when you act and dress professionally, you get treated and respected as a professional. I don't really miss casual days at all.

Anita said...

Here's one of the smartest things I ever heard anyone advise: Black pants and a blue shirt. Looks good on both men and women and as long as it's ironed, can be casual or formal. And this advice came from a 20-year-old...much smarter than some of his older peers still wearing their 1982 pair of khaki pants with the stained t-shirt. Let's hear it for showing a little self-respect by dressing like grown-ups!!