TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday), the acronym people love to shout in happiness as the weekend sits right around the corner. It’s also the day people feel the need to dress down and enter a ‘casual’ mode of being. Not for me.
Looking good is important, here’s why:
1. When you look good, you feel good:
Even HR professionals recommend candidates wear a full suit for a phone interview – similar to the appearance you would display in a face-to-face interview. The reason is simple; when you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you preform better. I regard the suit (or any professional attire) as the modern day’s armour. When you dress a certain way, you feel more valuable, more confident, more powerful, more productive, more motivated, and more alive – ultimately, it has a positive psychological impact.
2. You never know who you’ll meet:
My grandma would say, “always dress as if though you’ll meet a CEO during the day.” Simply put, you should try to be presentable everywhere you go, because there’s a chance you may cross paths with someone of high importance – and your visual representation, especially during the first encounter, creates a lasting impression of how that person sees you.
3. You are how you dress:
Everyone has their own unique personal brand, and a part of maintaining that brand is ensuring all aspects of your life are consistent with what you try to communicate to others. For instance, if you are a savvy business person, there’s a certain way you have to dress – your outfit is a symbolic emblem of the person you embody. Just as a doctor wears the white coat, a soldier wears the uniform, and a superhero wears the cape, you should wear the outfit most consistent with the person you are.
For all you gentlemen out there, never forget the handkerchief.
George K.
