new thread
From the MSN Career page...How many of these rules do you violate? I guess no. 4 at least.
10 Crimes of Work Fashion
By Laura Morsch, CareerBuilder.com writer
Fair or not, appearance matters in the workplace. Just ask Desiree Goodwin. The Harvard assistant librarian sued the university in 2005, claiming she was rejected for jobs or passed over for promotions 16 times because her supervisors viewed her as just as "pretty girl" who "wore sexy outfits," according to media reports.
When it comes to professional perception, clothes make a difference. According to a survey by Office Team, an administrative staffing firm, 80 percent of workers say a person's work wardrobe affects his or her professional image.
This means that dressing appropriately is a must if you want to be taken seriously at work. But knowing what's acceptable attire isn't easy in today's workplace. Business-casual dress codes vary widely between companies, and even between departments. The following items, however, are almost never acceptable to wear to work:
1. The Crime: Poor-fitting clothing.
Too-tight clothing is never flattering and usually too revealing, but too-baggy clothes make you look sloppy and unprofessional. Pant length also matters -- if you're showing too much sock or leg, expect to be teased all day about an upcoming flood.
Redemption: Find a good tailor. It's a rare person who actually looks good in clothes directly off the rack. Buy an item to fit the fullest parts of your body, and the tailor can nip in the rest.
2. The Crime: Too much perfume or cologne.
You never want your co-workers or clients to smell you before they see you, and a colleague could be severely allergic to your favorite scent.
Redemption: Apply perfume or cologne with an extremely light hand. If you spritz too much, put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and dab off the excess.
3. The Crime: Shorts or too-short skirts.
Showing too much leg is never a good professional move -- for women or men. Revealing a little leg makes men appear overly casual or sloppy, and makes women look more sexy than serious.
Redemption: Men should stick with long pants, and women should wear shorts or skirts that hit within an inch-and-a-half of the knee.
4. The Crime: Out-of-control hair.
Whether it's frizzy coifs or bushy beards, wild hair just doesn't look professional.
Redemption: Women should invest in a good haircut and some styling products that can reduce poufiness and make hair easier to manage. Men should keep their facial hair well-trimmed, or better yet, go clean-shaven.
5. The Crime: Dirty, ripped or torn jeans.
Even on casual Fridays, ripped jeans look too dirty and messy for the workplace.
Redemption: When you do choose to wear jeans to work, make sure they are well-fitting and in extremely good condition.
6. The Crime: Cleavage.
There are very few legitimate jobs where showing off your chest is a good career move.
Redemption: Cover up. Whenever possible, avoid wearing anything low-cut to the office. If you can't part with your V-neck shirts, simply buy a few camisole shirts to wear underneath them.
7. The Crime: Tank tops.
Showing too much skin in the office is never a good idea in the office, and tank tops are especially inappropriate for men.
Redemption: If it's hot outside and you're going out with friends after work, simply keep a cardigan at your desk to cover up. That way, you'll stay comfortable in frigid air conditioning and look professional when your boss stops by.
8. The Crime: Noisy jewelry.
An armload of bangles or long, dangling earrings are perfect choices for a bar, but downright distracting in the office.
Redemption: Keep your office jewelry simple. A small pendant, stud earrings and a delicate bracelet look much more professional than trendy pieces. Save your flashier jewelry for happy hour.
9. The Crime: Gym attire.
Even in the most casual workplaces, yoga pants, shorts, T-shirts and running shoes make you look sloppy and apathetic.
Redemption: At the very least, wear nice jeans and professional-looking shoes. If you're going to the gym or catching a flight after work, change into your comfortable clothes in the bathroom on the way out.
10. The Crime: Extremely high heels.
Extremely high heels are too sexy for the workplace -- not to mention impractical. Few things would be more embarrassing than wobbling or tripping over your extreme footwear in front of the boss.
Redemption: The highest heels you should wear to the office are 2 to 3 inches. That way, you'll actually be able to walk in them, and they'll be comfortable enough to wear all day. You might feel shorter, but you'll no longer fear grates or sidewalk cracks.
Laura Morsch is a writer for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
I have engineering degree in EEE & I work for a corporate IT firm & handle marketing & sales ... I have so far had no much of a problem with my hair ..My dress attire is usally black Tees & tight jeans ..with a thick french beard .....But as days lapse I am worried as I intend to grow my hair longer , with a wild look on my face , I am concernd abt my professional environment ...i see the antisocial feel on many people face when in office ... but so far have had no problems ... I was once warned by my HR to cut it ...since I was able to meet up with my targets/quota .. i could able to give her a straight forward reply telling I could only leave the job but not cut my hair.. However I am looking for alternate carrier aspects ... I Have a farm house intend to do some farming I also feel theirs a better life out their ...I can make a better living with that instead being a greedy captlistic slave serving guys around me... hehehe... its pissing of you know living a life just for someone all the way up ... I just wanna look the way I want to & no comporomise on it ...
Don't back down. Free men can always find another way. The conformist need us more than we need them. We have turned a corner. I see long hair everywhere except on women, who are now free to be themselves as well.
Caledonian
Caledonian - it feels great having associated with this cummunity !!!
I have no problems with being neat. But I get very upset when people I hear of people and places have issues with long hair, even when worn neat. To me this is discrimination and something really does need to be done. What is so wrong with long hair on men? Women can have it and wear it in any style, yet men can't. Someone really needs pass a law to fight this kind of discrimination.
Yup u r rit if women can wear pants & sport Tshirts Y cant men grow long ......
It's interesting that it doesn't mention long hair as such, just "frizzy coifs or bushy beards".
Frizziness seems to be more of an innate quality, so not really a fair thing to pick on. I suppose hair spray might help for an interview for those with this problem?
As for bushy beards, mine is quite bushy now, but I would trim it short if I had a job interview, which is something I would never do with the hair on my head. As with head hair, though, there comes a point where the time taken to regrow it would be enough to rule that out. Although my hair is that long, my beard isn't. Someone like Victor, OTOH, could never abide by such a rule.
I didn't copy above the part about jeans, but it is casual Friday today and my jeans really don't come up to their standards. OTOH, if I was attending a job interview on casual Friday I would wear a suit. It feels odd when you are wearing a suit and being interviewed by people in jeans, but that is something I have done a couple of times (maybe if I had worn jeans I would have got a job offer - not!).
Here in Washington, the DC Human Rights Act prohibits hair style discrimination. Maybe if they had advised people to get short hair for interviews on their web site the DC government would have objected because the web site was doing business in Washington DC? I'm not usually in favour of a local law affecting the whole of cyberspace, but in this case it could do us some good.