People Treat You How You Dress
If you want people pay attention to you and respect you on a professional level then you must dress the part and wear career minded clothing.
Hi Penelope,
Too much cannot be said about this. By dressing and acting like a professional are reflecting the standards of your career field. You may be the first person that the students have met that represents the field they are training to enter. As you know you do make a lasting impression.
Gary
Prexactly, how will I convince students that I have valid information to teach them about fashion if I don't dress the part?
I couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait I did!!!:)
I think this is one of these interesting true things that we can't make explicit to students without misleading them: because professional dress is in fact a form of 'uniform' -- a way of telling everyone else in sight that you are on the case and ready to rock. The issue here is that in modern society we have to interact with a large number of people without the slightest clue of what their actual capabilities are -- so we employ proxies like dress, speech, and so on, allowing us to make an educated guess.
There is a real shamanistic quality to this -- if we went to the doctor, and he was dressed in a scruffy sweater and blue jeans, part of the cure would be missing. In other words, we are often led to good judgements on the basis of intangible cues which are themselves irrational.
I am firmly convinced that correct professional dress is one of the major components contributing to my making a successful classroom appearance. I shudder to think what would happen if I turned up with my pants drooping down halfway to my knees, in the same way as a number of my students model something else than professional success.
Hi John-Howard,
Excellent point that is missed by many instructor and students. Dress is not everything but it sure sets the stage for what is to come next and that is expectation. By being professionally dressed in relation to the career field an instructor shows the students that care has been taken on the part of that instructor to get ready for the class. Important and powerful message that sets the stage for future successes.
Gary
I agree. If you don't respect yourself in the way that you dress then why should anyone else.
The students are very aware at how professional the teacher looks. First impressions are remembered. Fashion is so important to our students, so be a role model!
Hi Elizabeth,
Well said. It is so much easier to start off with a good impression rather than spend the rest of the course trying to correct a bad one.
Gary
I find this to be especially true for me, as I look rather young, and sometimes I am teaching students who are much older than I am. By dressing professionally and acting in a professional manner, I am seen as someone who knows her subject matter, cares about the outcomes my students have in my class, and the level of mutual respect in the classroom goes up from the very start of each term.
Hi Beth,
You make an excellent point that needs to be followed by other instructors. By dressing and acting the part of a professional you are letting your students know you are serious about the content of the course and their success. This sets the tone from the very beginning.
Gary
Professional dress indeed sets the tone in the teacher/student interaction. This initial impression is very important especially as the student may see unprofessional dress modeled by others in the profession. The overall professional look and the care that is put into the dress is also key.
I always make it a point to tell my students a true story that happened to me many years ago when I had my own business. This is it in a nutshell. I went to New York on a buying trip and on entering one of the buildings where the fabric showrooms were housed the doorman stopped me as I was entiereing the elevator. He asked me if I had an appointment to see the company which I did not. I left the building in a quandry then looked down at my sneakers, jeans and muscle t-shirt and only then saw what he saw. I assumed he saw a small start up company who clearly did not have the money to make a major purchase. I went to Saks 5th Ave in Manhatten, purchased a $700 dollar suit at 1/2 price, whipped my hair in a bun, put on pantyhose, expensive loafers and make up. I went back to the building and walked right past the same door man who not only did not recognize me but he also did not stop me form getting in the elevator. I went upstairs to the fabric supplier and made my purchase. That doorman assumed that because I was dressed casually I did not have buying power, and he was wrong to assume that, however, he did treat me how I was dressed; and on both occasions.
Hi Penelope,
I love this story. Yes, he was wrong to make the assumption that he did but in real life this is what happens. So why not make a positive first impression? It is so much easier to go forward with the image of success. I know your students really relate to this story.
I commend you on your problem solving skills as well. You encountered a situation, analyzed it, and then developed a plan for solving the problem which turned out to be the right solution and as they say the rest is history. It would have been easy for you just to give up and return home without your fabric.
Gary
Why, thank you. I come from a long line of entrepenuers and failure is not an option. My most recent moto is "The race is not for the swift it is for those who endure." Oh and "Whatever you believe you will achieve."
If I had given up on that fabric buying trip 20 years ago my family would not have financed my business. If I did not have the drive to succeed for one buying trip then that would be proof that I did not have what it takes to be sucessful in business. I was not about to let that happen.
Hi Penelope,
I hear you 100 percent. So many want the results but don't want to make the investment it takes to be successful. I have started a number of businesses like you and have enjoyed getting them going. You must be observant and flexible if you are going to be successful. It sounds like you are both and thus you have had many great opportunities to expand your career options. Your experiences are so valuable to your students and I hope they realize that when they are taking your class.
Gary
I find that because I am quite short and female, dressing in a suit (at least on the first few days) is a must. When I first starting teaching, I had a series of experiences where tall male students would (intentionally or subconsciously -- doesn't matter) tower over me when asking for things. Now, I always keep a suit coat handy, just in case I need the extra psychic armor.
Hi Althea,
This is a great example of how to manage a class. Isn't it amazing how something as simple as a suit coat can give you authority in a setting like this. Thank you for sharing this experience with us.
Gary
Professional dress can also mean different things in different professions. What is considered “expected” by one profession might actually put you into an ostracized position in another. For example Animation vs. Fashion If one is working for an animation company it most likely will have a very open dress code even for management. The same can also be said of the advertising field where an employees’ mark is measured by their portfolio, and skill level, not appearance. But if the employee is placed into the position of meeting the public or client then the rule reverses itself. Best foot forward.
Hi Patrick,
Right you are about professional dress. This is why it is so important for the instructor to reflect the proper dress in different settings. This way the students will have knowledge on how to "read" the different settings and present themselves properly in those settings.
Gary
