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Did you know that it takes only 7 seconds to make a good first impression? You may think that it is what you say that leaves a memorable first impression, but in fact statistics prove that only 7% of what you say stays with someone you meet for the first time as opposed to 93% of how you look.
With this in mind, it is vital to make your first impressions count, especially at work or going to an interview, where you want to be chosen above the rest. Remember – you are the message!
If you work in an office with other people, what you wear affects others both positively and negatively. Many companies these days have a dress code for employees, but if your business doesn’t have a dress code, then what standards should you set as acceptable for people to wear? As an employer, a few guidelines about what’s acceptable in your company would be useful to point people in the right direction, but only if you enforce the standard, and conform to the standard yourself!
Sadly, it is often the women in the workplace whose dress sense is inappropriate. In summer especially, women seem to think it’s okay to have bare arms, short skirts and plunging necklines! Employers rarely accept men wearing shorts, particularly in an office environment, so why do women think skimpy outfits are acceptable?
Of course, women shouldn’t dress as if it’s 1900, but they should be aware of showing too much flesh, which is distracting to co-workers (particularly men!) and can appear unprofessional. In more informal business environments, clothing that emblazons a slogan or emblem could be seen as acceptable to some people and unacceptable to others.
You need to draw the line somewhere so that offence cannot be given or taken. Your internal culture is valuable so get your staff to buy in to the guidelines – don’t simply impose them.
Colours
The colours that you wear near your face are an important part of your image. They matter because if you wear colours that are wrong, you can look tired, drained and old – not what you are trying to achieve when you want to impress! However, when you wear the right colours you will look healthy, attractive and youthful, and doesn’t everyone want that? You should still wear the right colours for you even if you are not going for interviews or meeting customers. It’s well worth getting professional advice to discover the colours that enhance your natural skin tones, hair and eye colour.
You may work in a place where you have to wear a uniform in a colour that may not suit you. I’m sure certain colours will spring to mind when you think of Virgin, B & Q, Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s etc. Colours represent a brand and a brand suggests an image. However, if the employees hate the chosen dress code colours, it adversely affects staff and customer experiences.
Interestingly there are certain universal colours, such as Teal blue, medium purple, medium charcoal (and others) that suit everyone, and employers would do well to base their dress codes around those ‘suit-all’ colours.
Fit of clothes
Make sure your clothes fit you properly too – neither too big nor too tight. Ladies, don’t be concerned about the size on the label (you can always cut it out!). It’s important that what you buy fits you, so if a size16 is better than a 14 then get the 16. For men and women, jackets should fit well on the shoulders and the sleeves shouldn’t be too short. Get clothes professionally altered to fit if necessary. Men, don’t wear trousers that are baggy on the seat. The cut of your trousers is vital so cheap ones are probably not going to fit properly.
Grooming
Grooming is another area to get right too. You may think that grooming is just for horses but people notice whether your nails are dirty and snagged, your teeth are yellow and whether you used a deodorant in the morning or have bad breath!
All these affect the people around you, and therefore add or detract from a positive internal atmosphere. For men, there is no excuse to be untidy and ill-groomed as there are so many products on the market today to help you.
For women too, wearing make-up is an essential part of being well-presented and women who wear make-up are more likely to be promoted than those who don’t.
Apart from business
We all have to get dressed in something every day, so instead of just flinging on the first item of clothing that comes to hand such as a baggy jumper or old tracksuit why not spend an afternoon sorting out all your clothes? This is particularly helpful for women: make three piles – one for clothes you haven’t worn for a year or more or that don’t fit you now, one for items of clothes that need mending, and one for the clothes you love and that look good on you. Out of the third pile, see what new combinations you can come up with and make a list of what you need to fill in any gaps, e.g. accessories to go with the outfits.
Don’t forget – when you look good, you feel good and you’ll maximise that vital first impression. Whether it’s with work colleagues, meeting customers, potential employers, or simply a special occasion - ensure the colours you wear really work for you.
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