Workplace Attires in the Corporate World

Question

A lot of MBA applicants are trying to get some leadership positions in their current job. The first thing you can do is to change your wardrobe. I wrote a guide to dress like a winner.

Here is an excerpt:

"Looking crisp and fresh is the #1 reason I’m going to bschool. I remember when I was 24 and a software developer in a mid-size company in Ohio. One day, I was asked to fill in for my boss at a senior level meeting. I saw two presenters, who were around my age, presenting chart after chart of PowerPoint to the senior level management teams. Sitting through the presentation, I didn’t understand a single thing they said, or how their “strategy” could actually be applied in our company. Instead, I was mesmerized by their pin-striped suits and shiny leather shoes. Every time the presenters said the words “Spearhead, Synergy, or Leverage” our CTO would nod in agreement, setting off a wave of head nods across the room. After the meeting, I went up to talk to one of the young presenters."  read more

jko · Answer

Thanks for the post.

One thing that I'd mention is that many people agree that button down collars are the best choice if you're not wearing a tie.

One might argue that's irrelevant because you SHOULD be wearing a tie, but that's not always the case. If no one ever wears a tie in your office, it's still important to dress well.

extrastarch · Answer

Hi jko,

Thank you for reading the post. I personally do not like buttoned down collars for a couple of reasons.

1. Buttoned collars are soft. I like my collars free, stiff, and pointy.
2. Buttoned collars looks ugly with a tie.

It's a personal taste really. My friend once said, "I like my wardrobe like I like my women: lean and flexible." He has a point.

eskimoroll · Answer

Seriously? That's the #1 reason?

At my work (major CPG), if you're wearing a tie to work and you don't have a customer meeting or you're not an executive, you're a jackass. Even our directors and VPs rarely wear ties. It's strictly a business casual environment. Don't get me wrong, I make sure I look good under those guidelines but really it's dependent on the company.

I'm trying to switch to tech or startups and part of the appeal is the lack of a dress code.

extrastarch · Answer

Thanks for reading.

eskimoroll · Answer

lol, sorry i missed that. most of your other posts are pretty straightforward so that's how i read this particular entry. i just thought you really liked clothes. :lol:

extrastarch · Answer

In my company, we're business casual too. But all the VP wear suits. Since I'm going to be VP someday, I'll need to dress the part.

eskimoroll · Answer

Sounds good. I'll be following your blog/twitter and I look forward to reading about your experiences at Booth over these next couple of years.

extrastarch · Answer

RHB and eskimoroll,

Thanks for reading my blog.

RHB · Answer

Sounds good, what I'm really interested to hear about are those day to day details of your experience. I think that your MBA application education idea is a good one, but bear in mind that there are hundreds of similar guides all over the web. What would differentiate yours would be more detail about your own experience, so sure the star method sounds great but what happened when you used it? Did you take any wrong turns? was it easy or frustrating? what was the real difference between the resume that you had before and what you created using the star method?

It's just my personal preference but that is what I like to read about in a blog.

It's just my personal preference but that is what I like to read about in a blog.

Jerz · Answer

I'd be careful about taking this too far. If you enter into a company at whatever non-VP level said company starts MBA hires, and try to dress and act like the VPs, you will quickly get a reputation that is less than positive. The best thing you can do is to try and fit in with how others in your group/team dress. Of course, you can dress well and should always dress neatly, but I'd avoid the french cuffed shirts with contrasting collars, suspenders and Ferragamo loafers if the rest of your team is dressed casually.

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