[A052] Hoodies and Ink: Dress for the Situation and Look the Part

Fun fact: no matter what anyone tells you about looking on the inside, you’re being judged by how you look on the outside.

Even if you think it’s unfair, your career can be impacted by the way you dress, the tattoos you have, and your piercings. If you don’t dress for the situation, you could find yourself passed over for work.

In fact, there have been studies that indicate how you dress for the situation can impact the way you perform tasks. Take a lab coat. Hand it to someone and tell them it’s a doctor’s coat, and they do better at various tasks. Give them the same coat and tell them it’s a painter’s coat and the performance level drops.

But it’s not just about the way your outfit impacts your productivity. You people are making judgments about you based on the way you dress. If your clothing and overall appearance (hair, makeup, tattoos, and more) don’t fit the environment, you could be passed over for a job.

Concepts

• What you where can impact how well you do your job.
• How your preparation and appearance affects your frame of mind.
• The problem with having visible tattoos, especially in a retail environment.
• Dress for the situation depends on the workplace.
• Different workplaces have different expectations and dress codes.
• How changing societal norms have influenced what it means to dress for the situation at work.
• Tips for figuring out what to wear to work.
• How to put together a closet that allows you to quickly get ready for work each day.

Use our "Do Nows" to review your clothing choices and prepare your closet for the work day. We also look at how you can pay attention to the way your clothes make you feel so you can figure out which outfits to wear for different occasions. And, finally, a listener questions allows us to finally get to the bottom of what it means to be "business casual."

Resources