Professional Dress at Work
ByI have always been a huge believer in dressing professionally at work. Even with the widely accepted dress code of “business casual” in most offices, I’ve never been completely comfortable with the casual side of business casual.
Inevitably, on the one day of the year that I would allow myself to creep into business casual, the newspaper reporter showed up or the chamber of commerce ambassadors dropped in or our banker popped in for a visit.
You only get one chance to make a GREAT first impression. As administrative professionals, we represent the company… many times as the first point of contact. Use this as your guiding principal when determining what to wear to the office: If I were a brand new customer/client walking through the front door of my office today, what would my first impression of me and my company be based on what I’m wearing today?
We NEVER know who is going to walk through the front door. I hear people say, “Oh, if I had known Mr. X was coming today, I’d have dressed up more.” If you find yourself apologizing to anyone for what you’re wearing, you probably didn’t pick the right outfit for the office.
An assortment of blazers to add to pants or skirts will do wonders for your professional attire and your professional image! Give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much nicer you get treated when you look more professional, too!
Julie Perrine
Certified Professional Secretary
Certified Administrative Professional
Qualified MBTI Administrator
