Looking The Part

As I continue my internship, the importance of dressing professionally becomes more evident. Whether your meeting clients, the media, other colleagues or holding an event looking the part is half the battle. If you want to be taken seriously you need to dress appropriately.  The way you dress and present yourself will determine how others perceive you and will certainly influence ones first impression. Dressing appropriately for the organisation also instills confidence in the client and illustrates that you take pride in your job position and the organisation in which you work for. There is nothing worse than meeting someone who is dressed inappropriately, has poor hygiene and personal grooming. It doesn’t look good particularly for someone representing a brand or an organisation.

Through my experience I have noticed that Curtin University’s employees, take pride in how they present themselves. In particular their attire is noticeably different when they conduct an event or client briefings. Black or white corporate attire is considered appropriate in the events and media department at Curtin. As a representative of the Curtin brand I was also expected to follow this dress code, and I did! Dressing professionally was not just a requirement, it helped me feel more confident and competent in my role as I attained more respect from employees and clients. It also helped me to feel like I was apart of the team and not just the ‘intern’.

Over the course of my placement I became more accustom to what is and isn’t appropriate dress wear within the workplace. As a swimming teacher currently, I now feel more comfortable in dressing for the workplace or for a future job interview. Although each organisation polices different dress standards, I have learnt its better to dress up than down and to avoid the following;

• Thongs, spaghetti straps, boardies, hats
• See through clothing showing undergarments
• Clothing that is too short or revealing
• Ill fitting clothes that is to small or too big

Has anyone had a different experience with workplace dress codes? What is your take on appropriate work attire? Share your thoughts?