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Silicon Valley is filled with CEOs dressed in polos and shorts, and entrepreneurs are working from home in their pajamas. It’s 2021 and the world has been flipped on its head due to the pandemic. Everything we know about the traditional working world is changing. So it’s time to ask ourselves, do we still need to be dressing for the job we want?
The short answer? Not really.
But obviously it’s a little more nuanced than that. So let’s get a little deeper into it.
Benefits of Dressing for the Job You Want
In many professional settings today, the way you are dressed determines the way you are treated, and how well your opinions and ideas are received. With this in mind, it’s pretty obvious to understand why you’re more likely to achieve successful outcomes if you’re wearing a suit and tie instead of a hoodie and jeans.
While we’d love to get rid of this mindset and have the focus be on our work and the quality of our contributions instead, the truth is that human nature simply has other ideas. And until we’re in a position ourselves to change those ideas, we often need to go with the flow.
Beyond signaling your value to others, this practice is actually a signal to yourself. In fact, that was the original idea behind the phrase. It is meant to convince you that you can, in fact, become who you want to be. In this regard, dressing for the job you want is actually a powerful motivator for your professional goals.
The Problem With Dressing for the Job You Want
Unfortunately, the actual practice of dressing for the job you want comes with a few challenges – one of the biggest of which is affordability. There’s a reason CEOs of Fortune 500s can dress in custom-tailored suits every day. Their salaries allow them that luxury. Yours probably won’t. And while it’s nice to wear a different bespoke Armani suit to work every day of the week, it’s certainly not that nice to live on the street because you spent your rent to buy them.
Additionally, if senior staff at your workplace dress very differently from regular team members, you run the risk of looking quite ridiculous to both groups. Not only will you alienate your peers, who may feel offended or insulted that you feel their mode of dress is inferior, but you may also inadvertently send a message to your bosses that you’re simply out of touch with reality.
People can spot an imposter from a mile a way – so if you can walk the walk but lack in the talk department, you won’t be part of the in-crowd. You’ll just be another wannabe lurking outside the club because you can’t get in.
What You Should Be Doing Instead
Here’s some better advice on dressing for success that won’t break the bank.
Always be well put-together
Rather than dressing for the job you want, simply dress well for the job you have. Trade in jeans for casual work slacks, and hoodies for a nice Oxford shirt, but ditch the tie if no one else is wearing one. Make sure you keep well-groomed at all times and never show up at the office (or worse, in a meeting with your boss), like you just rolled out of bed.
Have an outfit for special occasions
If the day should come that you get invited to the cocktail party, the boss’ house for dinner or that big conference all the managers go to, that’s when you’ll need that killer suit. This is where you’re free to splurge on the custom tailoring, because when you’re rubbing shoulders with the folks making decisions about your career, that’s when you want to look the part.
Be true to your style
At the end of the day, none of this matters if you’re not being true to who you are. If suits make you itch and fashion makes you cringe, then aiming for a job that requires this every day might not be the best path for you. You’re better finding the tribe that’s cool with casual Friday every day of the week, and figuring how to get there. Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s what works for you.
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