Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Business Attire?

Learn How to Avoid the Common Business Dressing Pitfalls
that Can Stall Your Career, Lose You Clients,
and Slash Your Income Up to 9%

Warning:  Your Competition Does NOT Want You to Know This

“Nobody cares what you wear to work anymore,” a college professor told me recently.  “Anything goes.  Heck, we’re just happy if we can get people to show up to work!”

It was a fascinating conversation.

The woman in question is bright, articulate, and well-read.  But she’s also one of sloppiest dressers I’ve ever met.  With rumpled clothes and out-of-date hairstyle and glasses, she looks like she’s stuck in the mid-1980’s.

Not surprisingly, so is her career. 

She doesn’t collaborate very often, she’s never asked to speak, and many of her graduate students – taking their cues from her – dress poorly, report to work late, and are far behind in their projects.  Yet this woman doesn’t connect-the-dots between her poor appearance and her stalled career.  In her mind, one has nothing to do with the other.

It’s a common misconception.

In our increasingly casual world, many people make the mistake of thinking that “anything goes” when it comes to business attire.

Some of the most common traps people fall into include:

Study after study shows that people who take care with their clothing, grooming, and overall appearance are paid more, promoted faster, and receive more positive evaluations than those who don’t.

In fact, in his study called “Beauty and the Labor Market,” Daniel S. Hamermesh, an Economics Ph.D. at Yale, discovered that people with “above-average” looks receive a “pay premium” of as much as 5 percent, while those with “below-average” looks are penalized up to 9 percent in their salaries.  In another study where he followed a group of graduating law students, Dr. Hamermesh determined that five years into their careers, the better dressed lawyers were earning 10% more than their lesser-dressed classmates.

So…earn more by dressing better?  You bet!

Now I realize this contradicts much of what we learn growing up.  Looks aren’t supposed to matter, we’re not supposed to “judge a book by its cover,” and we’re supposed to treat everyone as equal regardless of how they look.  Vanity is bad, humility is good.

So why, then, doesn’t the research bear that out?

Why are attractive students given more attention in class?  Why are they more likely to excel in leadership positions like team captain and student body president?  As time goes by, why are the good-looking people the first ones asked out?  Why do television shows, movies, and magazine covers feature attractive, well-dressed people?

Because attractiveness SELLS.

And if you take the time to dress properly for business, you’ll sell well, too, earning much more over your career than your lesser-dressed counterparts.  You’ll also enjoy a higher profile, more opportunities, and a generally more satisfying work life.

Unfortunately, many, MANY people fail to realize just how important proper business attire is to their career.  My inbox is crowded with questions from teachers, employers, and entrepreneurs wondering how they can “get through” to their workers to get them to leave the flip flops, sloppy attire, and revealing clothes at home and report to work in professional attire.

It’s a tricky call.

Fortunately, I’m here to help.

Dress for Success?!  Why?

In my business ebook Business Wear Magic, I show you how to dress appropriately for your industry and level.  Those who have read and applied the material have reported excellent results, including boons like promotions, media interviews, and a higher social profile.  It’s a much-quoted “How To” manual that’s used in corporations and universities throughout the States.

But in recent months I’ve noticed an interesting change in the nature of the questions I’m getting from readers and clients regarding business attire.  Whereas “Dress for Success” was a common mantra a generation ago, those who have entered into the increasingly casual workforce in the last ten years – the last few years in particular -- aren’t so easily convinced.  Even though study after study continues to show that those who dress better do better in their careers, many new workers never got that memo.

So they’re not ready for the “How To” dress for business.  They’re still stuck on the “Why To” dress for business part of the equation.

It makes sense.  After all, the “Casual Friday” dress code that spawned the downturn in business wear as we knew it began in the early 1990’s.  Those born in the early 80’s and after have grown up surrounded by people reporting to work in increasingly casual attire.  Small wonder they don’t know how to “dress properly” as the 40+ crowd calls it. 

We haven’t seen this big a generation gap since the Hippie movement of late 1960’s and unfortunately, it’s costing everyone a lot of money.  From workers who aren’t getting paid what they should to employers not being able to profit from a smartly-dressed work force, this “Why should I dress for business?” question needs to get answered FAST.  Otherwise, everyone’s going to be out a lot of money.

My brand new seminar, Career-Building Style: How to Use Your Appearance to Advance Your Career can help bridge that gap.  I'll pull off the gloves and tell you frankly what works and what doesn't in today's business world so you can put aside the guesswork and get right to putting your career or business into overdrive.  No more guesswork, no more heresay.

In this fun, fast-paced seminar you’ll learn:

• The ten most common mistakes people make in their business attire that stalls their careers and decreases their income
• The three situations employers use to test your social savvy and determine if you’re ready for promotion
• Characteristics of powerful people – and the clothes they wear
• Characteristics of weak people – and the clothes they wear
• Why watching industry leaders is the key to your success
• How to determine what’s appropriate for your industry
• How to determine what’s appropriate for other industries you come into contact with
• How to move between industries like a chameleon
• What to remember as you travel
• What’s considered appropriate business casual
• The one key piece you should always have ready in your office or car
• The three elements you need to improve as you advance
• What can happen when you learn to “dress for success”
• How to prepare for these new opportunities
• A “game plan” for what to do next

These are the type of questions that hit my inbox on a regular basis from women all over the world.  They want to make the most of their education or training (or that of their employees) but aren’t sure how the old “dress for success” rules apply to the modern business world.  Fortunately, “the rules” are simple and easy to remember and you can learn them in Career-Building Style: How to Use Your Appearance to Advance Your Career.

Whether you’re starting in the work force, returning to the work force, instructing future workers or trying to get your workers to comply with your dress code, you’ll benefit from this tele-seminar.  It shows you point-blank where even smart people can go very wrong in their business attire, and it gives you a bigger picture of the business world that will benefit you for years to come.  If you’ve ever been passed over for a promotion or watched business go elsewhere for no apparent reason, Career-Building Style: How to Use Your Appearance to Advance Your Career may shed some light on the problem.

Learn at Your Leisure

This information was originally presented as a tele-seminar in August 2007.  Callers from all over the world jammed the lines to learn these career-bulding secrets, but some of the people who couldn't make the call begged me to make the recording and transcript available so they could learn them as well.  I've decided to do just that.

You'll get to listen in as I reveal the ten biggest mistakes people make with their business attire, the three most common places you'll be tested to see if you're ready for promotion, and you'll learn what you need to do to prepare for a high-profile career.  I'll even give you a glimpse at what's appropriate for various industries, and show you the easiest way to determine your business casual.   So if you’re ready to put the “business attire issue” to rest in your mind once and for all, download a copy of this seminar.  By the time you finish finish listening to the recording and reading the transcript, you’ll know exactly how to dress to achieve the results you want, whatever your industry.

This package includes the fill-in-the-blanks handout that was used during the tele-seminar, the recording that you can listen to at your leisure on your computer or Mp3 player, and the transcript of the call.     

So if you’re ready to look great whether you're just starting out, starting again, or ready for the next step of your business career, download a copy of the Career-Building Style: How to Use Your Appearance to Advance Your Career seminar right now, for just $19.

And remember, as with all of my products, you get my 100% money-back guarantee.  If you’re not satisfied with the materials, just say so and I’ll refund your purchase.

Here's How to Order

Yes!  I want access to the Career-Building Style Tele-Seminar!  I understand that this package includes the seminar handout, recording, and transcript and that I can download it all right now, once my order is approved. 

Order Online By Safe, Secure Server

(Only $19.00)

To Dressing Well Whatever Your Business Goals,

  

Diana Pemberton-Sikes
FashionForRealWomen.com

For currency conversion, click here.

©2007 by Diana Pemberton-Sikes
• Top Drawer Publications LLC •
256 S. College Ave. • Newark, DE 19711