Is how you wear your hair integral to your success or does it matter what you wear and how you dress in an age of more remote working and less formalized working environments? Attic Recruitment takes a look at how a personal assistant should dress for success.
How should a Personal Assistant dress?
In days gone by it was very much a matter of dressing for the job that you want, not the job you have. This is still very much the case but attitudes have shifted somewhat in recent years. If you are working in a trendy, digital media office in London you may be quite at home in jeans and a jacket. If you are in a more corporate environment however then the need to dress accordingly is paramount.
Knowing how to dress is up to the individual but it is important to create the right impression. You may want to dress in a similar style to your boss and take the lead from them. Perhaps there is a dress code that needs to be followed? What you wear may depend on what is in the diary and if you are likely to be face to face with senior execs or clients on that day or where you are going to be on a certain day.
Clothes that look and feel good
While it is important to look the part, it is also important to consider what suits you and what feels comfortable. This is especially important when it comes to shoes. Cramming your feet into 4-inch heels, day in day out is great but it’s not going to be very comfortable if you are on the go running around all day. Likewise, if you are wearing tight or restrictive clothing you aren’t going to look very comfortable. A well tailored jacket with co-ordinated dress, trousers or skirt is always a nice idea with a pair of more comfortable shoes for all that running around.
How to wear your hair
Believe it or not, how a woman wears her hair has been linked to how successful she is in business. Of course, while there is much more freedom in how you can dress and fewer restrictions or judgments on what is allowed and what is not, there is still an expectation to look and dress a certain way. Pink hair is not going to be very instilling of confidence even in the world’s best Senior PA. Sensible, tidy hair and spectacles aren’t mandatory but a professional and tidy hairstyle is a good idea.
What to wear for an interview
If you’ve been in your job for 10 years and built a good reputation you can afford to be a bit more experimental with what you wear to work or have an off day without anyone really being phased. It is, however, critical to creating the right impression at an interview for a Senior PA position. You want to dress to impress. It might be a good idea to carry out some research or perhaps talk to someone that works in the company you have an interview with to get a feel for how people in the office dress. Maybe you could talk to the receptionist and get an insight into the office environment. You don’t want to turn up dressed in a tailored suit if it is a very relaxed and informal environment and vice versa. Do your research first.
In most instances, there will be a fashion or a dress code that lasts for a while then gets replaced by something else. For those PAs that have been in their roles for a number of years, they will have seen the changing styles and dress codes evolve. Some people will stick with their own style while others like to be at the forefront of trends. The important thing is to dress for the role and the environment that you are in and stand out for the right reasons.
