How to Look Professional at work

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or just work in an office, it’s important to look the part. Did you know that people form an opinion about you and your characteristics in a fraction of a second? The way you look, influences that a lot. If you first meet someone who’s in a great, form-fitting suit, your first impression might be entirely different than if you meet that same person in a tracksuit. For that reason, we give our male readers a few tips on how to look professional at work!

At least one great suit

Most jobs don’t require you to dress up in a suit, but every man should have a suit. You never know someone in your circle might get married so you need to suit up. Even at work sometimes you have to wear a suit, think of a major work event that requires you to dress formally. Don’t try to be cheap with your suit, people will notice that. We recommend going to a taylor, so your suit fits just right. A suit that’s too tight around the shoulders, for instance, is a good tell of a cheaper, hastily-bought suit.

Dress shirts of great quality

Tons of stores sell dress shirts. Often, you can score a nice dress shirt for a great price! Just make sure you check the material. Some material blends look cheap and plastic-y and will scratch a bit when you wear them a lot. Others are prone to sweat-stains. A nice cotton-blend is often a good call. While you’re shopping for dress shirts, check out if you find any nice sweaters to combine them with. You can of course wear a suit jacket over a shirt, but if you want to dress a bit more low-key, the combination of for instance a soft woollen sweater with a dress shirt is great. This way you look professional, but you also wear comfortable clothes.

Accessories that show off your style

It can be a bit harder to show off your personal style if you have to look formal every day. That’s why you can show off your style through your accessories. Wear a nice watch and make sure your shoes are always shiny. Fun fact: shoes are one of the first things people look at when they meet someone new. That’s why it’s important to make sure you never wear old, run-down shoes!

Comfy clothes to work from home

If you don’t like wearing formal clothes all day, you might be lucky nowadays! Due to the pandemic, many people can work from home. If this is the case for you, you might get away with a 50/50: wearing a nice shirt, but combining it with soft sweatpants (Dutch: sweatpants heren). That way, you’re way more comfortable - and as long as you keep sitting down, no one noticed you’re wearing sweatpants during your ZOOM/Hangouts meetings. Oh, and don’t forget to wear super soft socks. We recommend socks of merino wool (Dutch: merino wol sokken), the softest ones you can find!

Have fun shopping!

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes