Does your attire matter in the PR business?
Just because Joan Rivers and Ryan Seacrest aren’t asking which designer you’re wearing, it doesn’t mean you’re not being judged. But should it matter?
• Conservative accounting and consulting firm
• Conservative health care system.
• Small, boutique PR firm
• Mid-size media company
• Small not-for-profit
• Small, private, family-owned business
Each environment had a distinct dress code.
For instance, I frequently wore jeans with holes on non-client-facing days at the PR firm. At the accounting firm, a dress shirt and tie were standard fare. Meanwhile, khakis and a sweater were par for the course at the health care system.
As a solo consultant, my dress code depends on the day’s agenda.
On days when I’m meeting with clients, it’s usually a jacket and jeans or dress pants (or a suit on some occasions). On those days when I don’t meet with clients, it can be as casual as shorts and my Homer Simpson slippers. (Oh, you think I’m kidding?)
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