Dress for success - reprise

As might be expected from the readers of a technically oriented magazine, our newsletter about dress generated some lively feedback.

A couple of people seem to be surprised that there is anything left to debate about dress codes and that an otherwise professionally written magazine would even put such obscene terms as "blue suit" and "white shirt" in print. They say that they get paid for what they do, not how they look. One reader comments very correctly that "most companies have abandoned the suit and tie standards, and business casual is now the accepted dress for almost all offices."

Our specific recommendation was to "understand the rules and standards [as related to dress] of your environment and dress a little on the conservative side." That seems to resonate with a lot of people; in fact, the majority of our readers who responded are solidly in favor of adopting a personal conservative dress standard. One reader pragmatically remarks, "I look at it like this - I work hard to be successful and to project an image of success. Looking right is the easy part."

Several people suggest that I should have at least touched on dressing for an interview. One of the reasons I chose to revisit the subject this week is that every comment we received from someone who is in the hiring loop for their company indicated that it is still extremely important to dress well for an interview. It may not be necessary to don "traditional" interview attire; however, it is necessary to dress professionally (for men this could mean dispensing with the standard blue suit, white shirt and burgundy tie and instead wearing a blazer, solid shirt and matching tie). Readers candidly remarked that they have seen cases where candidates were removed from the running for a job simply because they didn't dress professionally for the interview.

There is general agreement, as well, that the employer and the employee should simply use common sense in this area. Casual dress for many jobs is fine. One reader sums it up very well: "Image is important. I believe that we should take personal responsibility to at least make sure that our image doesn't detract from the rest of the professional package that we present to the world."

Amy Schurr is an editor for Network World's Management Strategies and Features sections. If you have any career topics you'd like her to cover or want to comment on this newsletter, you can reach her at aschurr@nww.com.

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