10 Business Casual Clothing Tips for Women
These business casual clothing and makeup tips for women are from successful career woman and author Lois Frankel. A professional woman’s appearance affects possible job promotions, raises, and relationships at work – so work attire needs to be chosen carefully!
Before the tips, a quip:
“Research shows that about 55% of your credibility comes from how you look,” writes Frankel in Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers. “How you sound accounts for an additional 38%. Only 7% of your credibility is based on what you say.”
A businesswoman’s appearance matters. For more info about working women and career goals, click on Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Frankel. And, read on for ten business casual clothing and makeup tips for women….
10 Business Casual Clothing Tips for Women
1. Wear the appropriate amount of makeup at work – not too little, not too much. “I once asked the boss of a woman scientist for feedback about what she could do to overcome existing barriers to promotion,” writes Frankel in Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. “He explained for her staff.” When Frankel pressed him – he looked like he had something else to say – he sheepishly said, “Maybe she could start wearing makeup.” Finding the balance between beauty queen and working stiff can affect how quickly you get job promotions and raises!
2. Get a free consultation or makeover. This makeup tip for career women includes being aware of what looks good on your face, knowing how to apply makeup skillfully, and learning when to kick it up a notch for those after work drinks…and when to keep it simple and clean.
3. Match your clothing style to your workplace. A business casual clothing tip for women is to tune in to the vibes at work. Is your office understated, or your trendy store upper-class? Don’t neglect your fashion sense altogether, but remember that you’re not only representing your company, you’re representing yourself.
4. Remember that short hair looks more professional. Knowing what to wear to work includes choosing a hairstyle that complements your image. “Typically, your hair should get increasingly shorter as you get older and go higher on the corporate ladder,” writes Frankel. “Not only is shorter hair more professional, but longer hair tends to emphasize facial features of which we may be less proud as we age.” The higher your position, the more professional you need to look.
5. Consider what your role models are wearing. An easy, effective clothing tip for career women is to look at the women in senior positions in the office. That’s how you should dress. This clothing is especially helpful for career women who don’t have time to follow fashion trends.
6. View clothes as an investment in your future. Frankel advises career women to buy several really good business casual outfits a year. Budget for good-quality clothes, haircuts, and occasional makeovers.
7. Don’t groom in public. This business tip for career women is less about clothes, and more about behavior: don’t touch your hair unnecessarily, fix your makeup in a meeting or at a business lunch, or spend long amounts of time in the ladies’ room during business meetings.
8. Leave the long, dangly earrings at home. This business casual clothing tip is about not overdoing your jewelry and other accessorizes. “Carefully chosen, accessories add style and personality to otherwise conservative corporate attire,” writes Frankel in Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. “But when inappropriate or overdone, they detract from your credibility.”
9. Match what you’re wearing to your activities that day. If you’re giving a presentation to a large group of people, feel free to choose bolder accessories. Be aware of the impression you want to make on your colleagues and clients, and use your clothes and accessories to achieve the effect you want!
10. Wear glasses to look more mature. “Glasses can be used as a prop to make you appear more mature, if you have difficulty with being taken seriously because you look too young,” says Frankel. This business clothing tip is both functional and effective.
To learn more about job promotions and raises, read 10 Success Tips for Businesswomen.
If you have any questions or thoughts on these business casual clothing tips for women, please comment below! For some women, appearance doesn’t matter one whit! For instance, Whoopi Goldberg caused a great stir when she tore a strip off a woman who criticized what what she wore to work.
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