When it comes to being a professional, you are the brand and the product. And with any brand/product the packaging matters. What does your packaging say about you?

Clothes can speak volumes without saying a word. It’s that subconscious message they send to your audience that can make or break the 30 seconds it takes for someone to form an opinion of you. It’s important to dress and look the part as a professional. Would you be upset if your new iPhone 6 came in a plastic bag instead of the fancy detailed Apple box? Of course you would, there is a certain expectation you have from Apple, and their packaging speaks volumes about their brand and their products!

uniform

Dressing the part is a major component in becoming a professional in any field. Uniforms, however stereotypical are not limited to just police officers, doctors, construction workers or chefs. The uniform or clothes you wear become a part of your professional identity.  It’s about trust and credibility. The reptilian part of our brain tells us to trust what we see more than any other sense. How would you feel if your Heart Surgeon came in the day of your open heart surgery wearing Juicy Couture sweat pants? Your senses would tell you to doubt his capability and credibility to perform surgery!

Take a look at Television; TV is one of the most influential visual outlets. TV shows hire tons of costume designers and stylists to help communicate characters through clothes. The right clothes help to translate an actor into their character. If you turned off the sound on your TV, you would still know what the character does for living, what time period it is, and what part of the world they live in. All of those details you could determine just from the clothes they are wearing.

Clothing speaks volumes about you as a professional. What do your clothes say about you? Are you dressing the part every day?