First & Lasting Impressions
We all know the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to human interactions, most of us do exactly that. In fact, a 2006 Princeton University study found that it takes about 1/10th of a second to make a judgment about a person based on their facial appearance. Snap judgments study participants made on characteristics like attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence and aggressiveness did not differ significantly from conclusions made without time constraints.
That’s an important data point for summer associates, interns and new hires. You have an instant—literally a nanosecond—to communicate to a potential or current employer that you are competent and capable of handling assignments. Your appearance makes a huge difference in creating that first impression. And whatever impression you succeed in initially creating may last forever.
Most summer hires know to put their best foot forward and arrive at work on Day #1 in conservative, ultra-professional attire. Unfortunately, as the summer continues, and high temperatures and humidity become the norm, many interns and summer associates forget that they continue to make critically important impressions.
Ensure you make positive first and lasting impressions by keeping the following principles in mind.
Fit into the culture
Every organization has a culture, and one of the ways members of the organization express the culture is through their attire. As a junior employee, every summer associate and intern should observe the culture and attire habits of successful senior employees and then seek to fit in by dressing in a like manner.
So, if you’ve landed a summer internship with a PR firm that represents several high-fashion designers, you need to quickly build a fashion-forward wardrobe. Alternatively, if you’ve landed a summer internship on Capitol Hill, be prepared to dress in conservative suits. If you’re about to start work with an Internet startup, you may get away with wearing jeans and T-shirts every day . . . but don’t bank on it. Look at the leaders of high tech businesses like Facebook, Google or Yahoo, and you very likely will see key players wearing suits or business casual attire.
Whenever someone within an organization offers to educate you regarding appropriate attire, for heaven’s sake, listen. A summer associate in Toronto recently reported that he had been told, “You need to earn your stripes in this firm.” He took the comment to mean he was to opt for solid suits over pinstripes at this stage in his career, and I recommended he follow that advice.
Dress with respect
When you enter the world of work, the attire you wear to the office creates an impression that extends to your boss and other supervisors. Always dress in a manner that reflects well upon both of you. Your attire should also demonstrate respect for any clients with whom you’ll interact.
In 2010, international banking giant UBS issued a 40-page plus dress code, providing detailed instructions as to what that entity viewed as appropriate attire for members of its staff who interacted with the public. The code made headlines everywhere—for a short while it was ranked among the most downloaded documents from the Internet. About a year later it was replaced by a much briefer explanation of attire do’s and don’ts.
Though many complained about what they perceived to be management’s effort to micro-manage their employees, the Swiss bank’s intent was spot on: they understood that they could impress customers by presenting a staff that possessed a polished presence and a sense of Swiss precision and decorum.
Some absolute “fashion don’ts”
In most of my programs, summer associates, interns and new hires can readily identify some of the items they should not wear into work. These outfits generally include: skin-revealing sundresses; shirts that reveal loads of chest hair; crop tops, no matter how fashionable they may be; T-shirts; shorts; and flip flops.
At a very minimum, every summer associate and intern should avoid the following:
- dirty, stained, torn or frayed clothing;
- clothing bearing words or images that others might find offensive;
- clothing that reveals cleavage, excessive chest hair, whale tails and plumbers cracks.
Make sure you always wear business-appropriate shoes to work. If your commute involves a long walk or bike ride, feel free to wear more comfortable shoes while you’re in transit. Before you enter your workplace, change shoes. And unless they’ve landed a job working near the seashore, gentlemen should pull on a pair of socks before they slip on their shoes.
What You Need To Know
You have less that a second to make a first impression and part of that impression will be based on your physical appearance. Dress in a manner that communicates: I’m a serious professional.
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