These days, 'office dress' has become remarkably ambiguous. Techy hipsters in Silicon Valley have promoted the idea that sandals and Bermuda shorts are not necessarily inappropriate wear for the office. The message has been well received since companies like Google and Facebook have backed up their approach to relaxed office-dress with world-storming success. The idea put forward by this new generation of companies is that of employees are happy and comfortable they will be able to work to a better standard. There is undoubtedly truth to the claim that, when we are wearing clothes that we believe make us look our best, we are in a better mood, more receptive to others, and they in turn are more receptive to us. Perfect for an office environment, no?
As with everything in life, things must be taken in moderation and office workers must balance out feeling comfortable in their clothes with ensuring that they project a committed business-like appearance. Here are some tips to help you pick out the outfits for work that both make you feel good and are appropriate for the office.
How Are The Others Dressing?
The first tip is very simple: look around you. Take note of what your colleagues are wearing and try to fall in line. You don't want to stand out as the 'scruffy one' as this will instantly effect your colleague's impression of you: sloppy in dress, sloppy in work. Similarly, if the office norm is to dress a little more casual than you are used to, you shouldn't worry about following suit. Observing how your bosses dress is also a fairly safe way to gauge the office policy.
If you are dressing for an interview, you are of course unable to prepare in this way. Therefore, it is always better to dress formally since you will never get the chance to make a second first impression. In that first impression, both consciously and unconsciously, your interviewers will be assessing you and making quick judgments. Even if you end up being smarter than those interviewing you are, you will have nonetheless shown them that you are a serious and keen candidate. For more interview dress do's and don'ts, have a look here.
The Bread And Butter
Buying a suit should be viewed as an investment. As you take care of it, a good suit can last for years and see you through countless meetings, presentations, and run-of-the-mill days at the office. It is important to make it count. You can accessorize your suit to brighten it up, enliven it, and ensure that you don't look the same each day.
Color is the next hurdle. Black always works, even in the summer when you should just ensure that the material is a little lighter. For ladies, a nice black shift dress is always useful, allowing you to dress it up or down, depending on the occasion. Red and pink are known to be mood-enhancers. They must be used in moderation but if you feel comfortable in them you should take the chance to brighten up the office.
Seasonal Dress
Summer is always a time when office formalities in general are left to slide a little. Knowing what liberties you can take with your dress when it is hot can be difficult. Can the men wear short sleeve shirts? Does that therefore mean a tie isn't necessary? How loose can my skirt be? Is it too thin? What about sandals? Flip-flops for men? Is it time to get the Bermuda shorts out? Each office will have their own approach to summer wear, but as a rule of thumb, men should avoid sandals, and women should be sure not to show excessive cleavage or mid-drift. Light dresses are usually fine but ensure that no lingerie can be seen through the material.
Dressing for work can be tricky, but it requires is just a little sense. So, enjoy casual Fridays, but make sure they don't take over the rest of the week.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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