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In most jobs, it's
unlikely your employer will ever send you home to change if you break one of the
written or unwritten rules of the corporate dress code. But every day, you get a
chance to make a statement about your value to the company through your choice
of clothes. Moreover, salary negotiations can happen at any time. So don't get
caught off guard in your old lucky sweatshirt from your college exams on the day
the company decides to offer spot bonuses. Here's a list of ways to say "pay me
more" - or at least avoid saying "pay me less" - with your wardrobe.
Would you ask
for a raise wearing...
Loud colors
Bold patterns
Oversized
buttons
Tank tops
Tee shirts
Athletic shorts
Athletic
sandals
Scuffed shoes
Shiny or see-through fabrics
Tight/revealing
clothing
Ripped jeans
Showy belt buckles
Anything dirty, stained, or
torn
Shirts with offensive words or pictures
Tattooes/piercings
Ladies, could
you keep a straight face asking for a bonus wearing...
Fishnet
stockings
Visible lingerie (bra straps, garter belts, etc.)
Glitter/club
makeup
Gentlemen, how
will it affect your total cash compensation if you sport...
Messy facial
hair
Baseball cap
Bawdy tie
Would you pay
more for a dirty car?
Think of yourself, for the sake of illustration, in
terms of a product you sell your company every year. If you want to resell the
product at a higher price next year, you'll do your best to present it in good,
clean working order. That includes the following.
- Cleanliness
- Practices vary from culture to culture, but in U.S. business it's
customary to arrive at work having showered and shampooed within the previous 24
hours.
- Groomed
nails - Fingernails should be kept clean, short or moderate in length - and
out of your mouth.
- Cheerful
breath - Food-related bad breath can be managed by keeping a toothbrush at
work for those after-lunch meetings. Chronic bad breath is a treatable medical
condition; consult your doctor if you think it's you.
- Understated
scent - Light, discreet perfumes and colognes are a form of personal
expression and pride; but overpowering scents can detract from your more
important messages about the work itself.
- Regina M. Robo, News Editor
Resources and
related reading
Letitia Baldridge - Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette
Clinton T.
Greenleaf III - Attention to Detail: A Gentleman's Guide to Professional
Appearance and Conduct
Judith Martin - Miss Manners Guide for the Turn of the Millennium
Peggy
Post - Emily Post's Etiquette
Peggy Post and Peter Post -
The Etiquette Advantage in Business
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