Tips on Looking Fashionable at Work

Professional grooming is an essential part of a successful career. (Doc. UMN)

TANGERANG – Who said you couldn’t be fashionable and look stylish at work? On the last series of the Webinar Career Series (13/07/22) conducted by the Career Development Center (CDC) and KAMI (The Association of UMN Alumni) of Multimedia Nusantara University (UMN), Arief Anandi, the Fashion Trainer from PT Kurnia Ciptamoda Gemilang (KCG) provides some tips on being fashionable and self-grooming. 

For the ones unfamiliar with KCG, you may know about their retail brands, Charles & Keith and Pedro. Both are popular brands that sell accessories for women (Charles & Keith) and men (Pedro). 

Previously, the Webinar Career Series touched on various work preparation tips like preparing an excellent CV to pass applicant selection. Now, assuming that you have been accepted to your target job, you have to know how to dress and style yourselves to provide a good first impression to your recruiter, boss, and co-workers! Let’s learn how we can look fashionable at work.

Arief opened up by sharing how grooming and a proper work OOTD (Outfit of The Day) are essential. “Professional grooming is no longer like the old days where it’s too complicated or clean. Nowadays, professional grooming is modernized, and most companies now implement a ‘smart casual’ dress code,” he said.

Smart casual is the dress-code most companies implement. (Doc. UMN)

So, if you have worries or difficulties dressing too formally, office workers no longer have to wear suits or dressy shirts daily. Of course, some companies like Banks may require their employees to wear proper formal outfits. But other industries like KCG implement smart-casual and dressy dress codes, allowing employees more freedom to express themselves through their clothes!

“Smart casual applies professional clothing that combines the latest trends so that the results look semi-formal, neat, and comfortable,” Arief said, explaining the meaning of smart casual. He continued sharing tips on professional grooming for both ladies and gents and why it’s essential.

Firstly, grooming applies to your entire body (head to toe). Ensure that you look presentable and groomed. You don’t want to look good only from your neck and below. Ladies can apply makeup and style their hair to look more awake and confident. In KCG alone, employees are advised to wear a “no makeup, makeup look,” where the makeup shouldn’t be too much, rather enhancing their natural features. The makeup products recommended by Arief are powder, eyebrow pencil, mascara, and lipstick. Arief also mentions how men may wear makeup to work, too! 

Like the saying, makeup is genderless. The stigma that men can’t wear makeup should be thrown away. For men, makeup can make them look fresh and clean. “Like in weddings, both the bride and groom wear makeup so that they can look good,” Arief said. Men can simply wear powder to work to look less oily as men tend to get oiler than women.

Arief Anandi shares why professional grooming is important for both women and men. (Doc. UMN)

Looking good when you enter a new company is important because first impressions matter. Arief shared that though inner beauty is the most important, your outer beauty matters too, especially during the first impression. 

“There is no second chance for first impressions. Judgment is usually made after 7 seconds (of looking at you). Studies found that confidence and professionalism contribute to 80-90% of good first impressions. Hence the importance of grooming,” Arief noted. If you look messy or unkempt, it could give the impression that you don’t take good care of yourself and is unprofessional. Makeup and outfit could give you an extra confidence boost at work!

Last but not least, “Walk the Talk!” now that you’ve perfected your appearance, how you bring yourself and your body language are also important. It could be useless to look good, but you don’t show your confidence. So, ensure you are groomed and look confident through your physical appearance and how you put out yourself.

Those are tips on looking fashionable at work dan how you can implement professional grooming! Good luck on finding your dream jobs UMN Friends!

*by Levina Chrestella Theodora | UMN News Service

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id