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Dress To Win! How Executive Job Search Clothes Can Make A HUGE Difference!At your level looking good is critical to your success. Executive job search clothes establish your image in a memorable way. Remember, an employer is not going to make a decision about you while you’re sitting in front of him/her. An employer has to depend on the memory of you. You want it to be outstanding. We’ve often said that running job campaign is like running a small business. You’re the product. The employer is the buyer. Your executive job search clothes are the packaging. It must be attractive and memorable. For example, according to Dorothy Waldt, a recruiter with CTPartners, women don’t realize how often a tight shirt or low neckline can come across as seductive. People who meet them are likely to assume the sexual innuendo is intentional. It’s harder for men to dress inappropriately. But they do. Being sloppy with untucked or wrinkled shirts can create negative impression. So can wearing a gaudy sports watch to a staid interview. Doing research on the company and on the hiring decision-maker is essential to your interviewing success. An employer wants to feel that wanting being part of the team means that you’ve taken the time to learn about corporate needs and future growth plans. But, your research should also include appropriate executive job search clothes. In other words, you have to uncover the company’s fashion ethos, so you can wear clothes that fit into the corporate culture. Remember, the more an employer perceives you as a member of the team, the better you chances of getting an offer. You may want to call the hiring manager’s assistant or ask a recruiter to determine what corporate expectations are. One easy way to get an idea of what appropriate executive job search clothes should look like is to observe how politicians dress. Most of them are pretty savvy about how to flash messages with clothing. After all, much of their appeal to their constituency depends on looking authoritative but personable. Ann Marie Sabath, a business etiquette consultant, advises investing in a good watch, wearing pants with creases. Men should have their shirts professionally laundered with a crisp collar. “A collar projects authority,” says Sabath. She further advises hat men button one or two jacket buttons when standing in order to look neat and well-assembled. As for women, Hillary Clinton has offered some elegant but comfortable and accepted clothing expertise. Her dark suit hit the nice-but-not-loud note that signals we’re supposed to be paying attention to her brain, not her designer. All this points to the need to be sophisticated and well-informed about the expectations of the 21st Century executive job market. If you haven’t been in the market for a while, you need to catch up before you enter.
 
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