Category Archives: professional image
What Not to Wear as an Intern This Summer
Here’s a guest post I wrote for My Colleges and Careers.
If you are among the ranks of college students doing an internship this summer, chances you are on your best behavior and doing everything you can to make a lasting impression. Since most colleges and universities don’t teach much about professional dress, here are suggestions of what not to wear as an intern this summer from an image consultant.
- Rubber flip flops. Recently voted the #1 “don’t” for what to not wear to the office, rubber flip flops are a no go (unless you work poolside). As a general rule of thumb, if you can wear it to the beach, don’t wear it to the office. Should you be tempted, just imagine the sound of your flip flops echoing down the hall.
- Too-Revealing clothes. Wearing revealing clothes that showcase your best features are distracting in the workplace. Too-tight clothing falls under this category as well. Make sure you have adequate ease in your clothing and save your high hemlines and low necklines for after hours.
- Torn jeans. I know you spent $100 on your pre-worn jeans, but to maintain your professional image, torn jeans are best to avoid. If you want to go for a more relaxed look, go for dressy denim trousers or khaki pants that are comfortable yet professional.
- Graphic tees. As fun as graphic tees may be, the graphics on the front of your shirt are going to become the center of attention, detracting from you.
- Too big clothes. If the sleeves on your dress shirt or blazer go halfway down your hand, it’s going to look like you’re wearing your dad’s clothes. Invest the time and money to get your sleeves and pants are hemmed by a tailor so they fit you well.
- White socks with black shoes. Attention goes to contrast, my friend, so wearing light socks with dark shoes will attract attention to all the wrong places. For continuity’s sake, wear dark socks with dark pants and black shoes.
- Unpolished shoes. When you show a lack of attention to detail to your appearance, people subconsciously wonder what else you’re not paying attention to in business. A little spit and polish can go a long way to making your worn shoes look young again.
- Perfume. Scents are subjective, many have allergic to them, and there are some people who go overboard. Since you never know whether your favorite perfume is the same one your boss’s ex-wife wore, it’s smart to skip on scents.
Posted in career, life, professional image
Tagged career, intern, professional image, what not to wear
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Facebook’s Zuckerberg Relates to Students at BYU
Mark Zuckerberg speaks to BYU. Photo: Jaren Wilkey | Ryan Faulkner
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook and Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, spoke to 10,000 people yesterday at BYU for a Technology Forum with Senator Orrin Hatch. As the world’s youngest billionaire and arguably the most influential person of our generation, you can imagine that lots of people were keen to hear what he had to say.
Now love him or hate him, you’ve gotta admit that Mark Zuckerberg is a visionary. Here were some of my biggest highlights from what he had to say:
- “You really have to believe in and love what you’re doing. That’s the most important thing.
- “Most people have something that they’re super passionate about, and I’d encourage you guys to find that thing.
- “People don’t get put into roles, they create them on their own.
- “[At Facebook] We just look for people that are passionate about something. What we really look for when we’re interviewing people is what they’ve shown an initiative to do on their own.”
- The internet just gives everyone a voice. People have the ability to put it out there and be heard.
- “[Facebook is] giving people a way to connect that they didn’t have before.
- “If people are more connected, the world will be a better place.”
- One person sharing info online “can be really disruptive in a really positive way.
- “It’s important if you take on any big challenge that you just love and have faith in what you’re doing.”
Mark Zuckerberg wearing jeans and a hoodie at BYU. Photo: Jaren Wilkey | Ryan Faulkner
As an image consultant, it was interesting (though not surprising) for me to see Zuckerberg wearing his standard hoodie and jeans at BYU yesterday. By dressing in a way that most college kids do, he played to his audience and made himself relatable to them.
As a Gen Y innovator who has changed the world, he pretty much has license to do and wear whatever the freak he wants. That said, keep in mind there is a downside to making jeans and a hoodie your standard wardrobe everyday.
If you are in a leadership position, people are less likely to take you seriously if you wear uber casual clothes. A guy I know used to work for a thriving start-up that was run by a 20-something guy who regularly wore deconstructed jeans and graphic tees to the office. In an effort to dress for the job he wanted, my friend would dress in collared shirts, vests, and sweaters and as a result, would often be mistaken for the decision maker over the CEO because of what he wore.
Now there’s nothing wrong with jeans, t-shirt, and a hoodie, but if you’re going to a career fair, job or internship interview, do your career a favor and make an effort to dress up. It will have an impact on your confidence and perceived capability.
Today’s image lesson? Know your audience and dress accordingly.
(In case you missed it, check out BYU’s site for video footage of Mark Zuckerberg. You can also hear a podcast of it over at Nomadic Warrior.)
Copyright 2011 Cable Car Couture. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in celebrity style, events, professional image
Tagged facebook, image, mark zuckerberg at byu, professional attire
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Infusing Personal Style To Professional Attire in 2011
Recently I had the pleasure of writing an article for Startup Princess, an online resource for women entrepreneurs, about professional attire and personal style. I’ve gotten permission to republish the article for my readers — enjoy!
With a little personal style, even a traditional black blazer can be your own! Copyright Cable Car Couture
When you think of professional attire, is a traditional navy blue pantsuit with a predictable white collared dress shirt the first thing that comes to mind? It very well may be! As an image consultant, I’m happy to tell you that dressing professionally doesn’t need to be boring or predictable. For 2011, let’s infuse personal style into your business attire.
There are several things you can do to bring personal style into your professional attire. In the photo sequence below, we’ve shown you five different ways to style a versatile black blazer, infusing personal style into each. From left to right:
- A traditional black suit gets an infusion of personality with a red top and matching obi belt, providing drama and pizzazz with the color contrast and unique styling.
- A black skirt suit can be easily paired with a vibrant teal turtleneck. When you take the jacket off, you have an attractive hourglass silhouette.
- A satin empire waist blouse with abstract shapes blends beautifully with the black blazer and the brown pulls out the color of her eyes. As an unmatched suit with white pants, the look is professional, yet accessible. (My black kitten, in the bottom left corner of the image, matches perfectly!)
- Rolling up the sleeves on the black blazer gives this traditional staple a trendy, relaxed look. Combine that with dangly earrings and a billowy silk blouse in a floral floral print and the look becomes more informal.
- With the rolled up sleeves, the jacket is right on trend with on the boyfriend blazer look and is a fun combination with the vintage tunic and dark wash skinny jeans. The look is youthful and decidedly creative.
As you can see, it’s not just what you wear, it’s how you wear it.
Here are some ways that you can add personal style into your professional attire in 2011:
- If you’re required to wear a suit jacket but you feel overwhelmed wearing the traditional style jacket, look for one with a curved collar instead of the standard angular lapel. The rounder shapes will soften the look for you.
- To spice up your suit jacket, try accessorizing. A brooch, matching belt, or colorful scarf will go a long way in adding some flair.
- To soften the professional look, trade in your collared shirts for blouses in colors that complement your personal coloring. For example, if you have brown hair, blues will look great on you.
- Wear a vest. The vest has made a major comeback recently. Buttoned up, a vest can emphasize a great waistline, or be left unbuttoned for a more relaxed look. Vests even look terrific over Tees.
- Try a cardigan. The softer version of the suit jacket, a cardigan will provide you an extra layer to help you look more capable, but can also give you added warmth and coverage to hide any figure variations like a full bust or leftover baby weight.
Do you still feel clueless about personal style? If you’re dying to discover your personal style, I have an easy exercise for you.
One thing I recommend for my clients to do is go through fashion magazines, pulling out pictures of clothes, accessories, and looks they love, then start a Personal Style file. This simply exercise is a great way to help you recognize what your unique personal style embodies. Starting a Personal Style file will allow you to identify your personal style preferences and give you ideas for items you can add into your wardrobe this year.
Nobody said business attire has to be boring. Add some personal style to your work wardrobe and create a look that’s that uniquely yours!
Copyright 2011 Cable Car Couture. All Rights Reserved.
Business Casual: Are Jeans Work Appropriate?
Jeans and Blazer by My Style Pill on Flickr
Over the last several decades, the business casual revolution has been brewing. In today’s relaxed work climate, business casual can be confusing without a properly defined dress code and often leads to questions like this:
Are Jeans Work Appropriate?
Determining whether jeans are work appropriate will depend on your work environment. If you work in a creative or technical field with a business casual atmosphere, you’ll be more likely to be able to wear jeans at the office than if you work in an executive law firm, for example.
That said, not all jeans are created equal. Consider the various styles of jeans on the marketplace that may not bode so well with HR due to their distracting nature…
Acid Wash Jeans
Acid Wash Jeans
Distressed Jeans
Distressed Jeans with Whiskers
Destroyed Jeans
Destroyed Denim
Recommendations for Jeans in the Workplace (more…)
Posted in dress code, professional image
Tagged are jeans work appropriate, business casual, wearing jeans to work
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Job Club Radio – Business Casual
This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Robert Merrill and Jennifer Armitstead on Job Club Radio on Monday. We had an engaging discussion about Image in the Workplace, what to wear to an interview, and dressing appropriately. In case you missed it, you can tune in here!
Since business casual can be confusing concept, here is a cluster of business casual clothes for the office. As you can see, because of a complimentary color scheme, these pieces are interchangeable. In order to dress it up, just add a cardigan or blazer. Paired with jeans, the center and right top can transition into weekend wear nicely.
Would you wear these pieces?
For more tips on what to wear to the office, check out Image in the Workplace Do’s and Don’ts.
Copyright 2010 Cable Car Couture. All Rights Reserved.
Image in the Workplace Do’s and Don’ts
Next week I have the privilege of being featured on Job Club Radio on the topic of Image in the Workplace.
Tune in Monday, April 19th at 11am PST | 12pm MST | 1pm CST | 2pm EST www.blogtalkradio.com/jobclubradio as we discuss image in the workplace. The blog below is a sample of what we’ll be discussing next week!
By Sarah Ward
and Judith Rasband
We cannot NOT communicate.
“Long before we are close enough to speak, we announce ourselves. We project or reflect important information about ourselves. By the time we meet and vocally converse, we have already communicated volumes in an older and more universal language” (Allison Laurie, Language of Clothes).
Since the language of dress, grooming, and body language is far more persuasive than any spoken language, taking thought to our image and appearance in the workplace is critical to our success.
Here are three easy tips that can be incorporated today that will help you send positive messages in the workplace.
- Wear clothing with a good fit and adequate ease. Don’t forget to pinch an inch! Trying to fit into smaller clothes makes us appear larger than we are. Adequate ease in clothing prevents the appearance of a tummy or bra bumps.
- Wear a collared shirt. A collar lifts attention and frames your face, communicating authority. The straight-point collar works like the V-neckline, communicating stability, strength and action. Compare this to collarless tops which bring more attention on the body and cause the wearer to appear more casual and less capable.
- When meeting with an important client or giving a presentation, wear a jacket, sweater or vest. This third layer garment helps lead attention up to your face and increase body image boundaries for more visual authority. You will get attention faster, hold it longer and remain more memorable. You can always remove a jacket to dress down and appear more approachable, but if you don’t have a jacket you can’t dress up and appear more reliable and credible.
Distracted, aren't you?
There are some things that are more appropriate for the weekend rather than the office on Monday morning. Three things to avoid in the workplace include:
- Cleavage. It’s just plain distracting! The more skin that women show in the workplace, the more of their visual authority they give away.
- Graphic tees. Graphic tees are going to draw attention away from the face, where we communicate.
- Wrinkled clothes. This lack of attention to detail in personal dress can send negative subliminal messages to your clients about an overall lack of attention to detail.
A good rule of thumb is this: if anything about your image and appearance is distracting, save it for after hours.
Copyright Sarah Ward & Judith Rasband 2010
