Dressing For Success January 11, 2008
Posted by Chuck Musciano in Random Musings.Tags: Clothing, Shoes
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Obviously inspired by my recent posting on tying your tie, the Wall Street Journal has a good article on dressing correctly for job interviews and for work in general. Among the advice that they share, and with which I agree:
- Iron your shirts. Better yet, have then dry-cleaned and starched.
- Press your pants.
- Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
And my personal favorite:
- Wear good shoes.
Amen. For men, especially, who only need six or so pairs of dress shoes, invest in very good shoes (I like Johnston & Murphy) and maintain them. That means getting them shined regularly, and having them resoled as needed.
I like to get my shoes shined whenever I have a layover in an airport. Airport shine stands give better, longer-lasting shines than almost anywhere else. Plus, it is fun to sit in the big chair, high above the streaming masses, and watch the people go by. The best shine stand in the US is in the St Louis airport. Second best was a guy who was giving free shines at the Microsoft CIO Summit last May. Never miss an opportunity to shine your shoes, and tip well. You’ll look better and feel better.
Update: more than a year later, the Journal is still reporting on shoes, this time focusing on how the recession is helping cobblers. Buy good shoes and keep them shined!
The Effective CIO 
Ladies- don’t be discouraged by
“For men, especially, who only need six or so pairs of dress shoes . . .”
We need great shoes too!! Even if we need 25 pair instead of six pair.
BTW, If anyone has a lead on a pair of red faux-gator peek-a-boo pumps with a brass buckle, do post the details!!
Great Post. Yes Dressing well and taking care of your shoes is a must. Train stations also give very good shoe shines. I’ve heard about the stand in St. Louis Airport but there also is another great shine stand in Washington DC’s Union Station Amtrak train station. It’s a place called The Union Station Shoe Shine. They really pay attention to detail and analyze you shoe to give it the treatment that it needs.
Amen on this post. I work in IT at the Enterprise Architcture and Stategist level and am always in a suit without a tie (I always carry one with me though just in case) and a constantly shined pair of Black or Dark Burgundy Johnston & Murphys. I can’t stand to see high level IT guys in polo shirts and khakis. The quote of “dress for the job you want not the one you currently have” is key!!!