The most important lesson women in business can learn is how to stand out NOT stick out! There is a big difference, particularly for women, who in many circumstances and industries are still in the minority. Standing out means being able to attract attention for all the right reasons. Sticking out means distracting those who can help you get ahead.
But before you jump to conclusions, let me state emphatically that dressing for success is just one part of the package. Standing out in business requires a combination of dressing the part, speaking the part and acting the part. In other words, just because you get good advice on how to look eventually you must be able to back that look up with the important abilities of speaking and taking appropriate action.
For example, I regularly work with clients on hiring. The first impression is always the resume. Now I know you are paying attention and have all experienced what I am about to say. If a potential candidate for a position, for almost any business, can't write a grammatically correct sentence no employer, in his or her right mind, is going to take the time to take the next step and schedule an interview. Therefore, having the perfect interview outfit gets you nowhere if you can't get in the door with your written word.
Heads up texters! Heads up twitter enthusiasts! The ability to write complete sentences is still very important in every business. Technology may have changed our world but correct usage of the English language continues to be important particularly if you want to get ahead.
If you have mastered the written word you will more than likely get an opportunity to make that first visible impression at the interview. Therefore it is time to get out that interview outfit that fits appropriately in all the right places. There are plenty of blogs, articles and books on how women should dress for business success. My advice is simple. First, always dress in something that makes you feel confident in all positions. Just because something looks good when you are standing up doesn't necessarily mean it looks good when you sit down. Take the test in front of a mirror. Stand, sit, bend over and squat to check how each position looks from someone else's perspective. I'm not kidding with this. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview a candidate for a senior position at a client's firm. The moment the female candidate sat down in front of me I was forced to look at cleavage for the next 60 minutes, If that wasn't bad enough just as she got up to leave she dropped her resume on the floor and bent over to retrieve it. I'm not sure how a male interviewer would have reacted, but I was very uncomfortable as the scene from the front and the back was completely inappropriate for the workplace I was representing. This candidate lost an opportunity to move to the next round because of her lack of attention to detail in her appearance.
Your question and comment might be: "Is it fair to judge a book by its cover?" My answer is absolutely yes! If this individual was incapable of noticing how uncomfortable her dress affected other people she would not be a suitable candidate for the position. A key talent required in almost every office or business environments is the ability to integrate with others - employees, management and customers. In this case, this woman didn't stand out she stuck out - as they say, like a sore thumb!
Finally, and I believe most important, women in business can stand out by their ability to speak. Whether you are interviewing for a job, managing others or leading a company as a woman entrepreneur the ability to communicate effectively is your key to business success. (Of course, I am assuming you are thriving at dressing and writing already).
Let me explain what I mean by speaking. As much as speaking in public will guarantee your ability to stand out (assuming you are good at it), I am not specifically talking about that. I am saying effective communication requires more than a "no problem" or "whatever" response. I could go on about using good grammar and complete sentences when talking, but these are functions that truly are just expected in business. To stand out a woman in business must take her communication skills a step further and learn how to initiate conversation and then follow up in every appropriate circumstance. As I have often said in this blog, every person in business is one way or another in sales and prosperous sales people are people who interact capably.
The end game in business is to be remembered, respected and admired. As you know, people like doing business with people they know, like, and respect and when you learn to stand out in the sea of people in the business world success will follow.
Remember, it is easy to stick out - you can tattoo your business name on your body, wear halter tops, miniskirts, and stilettos, and speak in tweets. But it takes hard work to stand out in business. The choice is yours. It really isn't a hard choice - or is it?
