I was reading a new book (I’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks) and one of the parts that struck me was when the author talked about people dressing the part. Specifically he was talking about salespeople dressing well when visiting customers but his comments could really apply in many aspects of life.
His comments touched on how he found during his career as a trainer that the most successful (ie. highest paid) salespeople he has trained are always the best dressed ones. Clearly he said, they’ve invested in their wardrobe and how they look and thus in their future success.
In recruitment I’ve lost count of the times that someone has come into the office and you just know right away upon meeting them – based on their dress and their overall presentation skills – that they are going to be someone that you really want to help find a job.
Conversely you also run into a fair number of people who surprise you that they were able to find your office as they appear so disorganized and unkempt.
This is true in interviews, networking events and other situations related to your career too. Whether or not it’s right, people judge a book by its cover and that includes how you dress and how you present yourself.
