Did you know that first impressions are impacted by what you are wearing? It’s true. Research consistently finds that first impressions are influenced by the type of clothing you wear (e.g., Gurung & Chrouser, 2007; Satrapa et al., 1992; Sebastian & Bristow, 2008). You may be wondering:
How does this affect me?
Should I really think about the clothes I wear on a daily basis?
As faculty members, we usually do not comment on students’ clothing choices. However, there is a time each year during which our students ask us for our opinion — conference time. Inevitably, students ask us about what is or is not acceptable to wear to a conference. Although the answer might seem self-explanatory, this can actually be a difficult situation for students to navigate. Telling someone to dress professionally is not enough information. Therefore, we want to discuss appropriate style of dress as it relates to presenting at and attending a professional conference.
What if I am presenting?
Being a conference presenter is similar to being a professor. Like a professor, you want the audience to be engaged with your content, take you seriously and learn new information. You also want to receive feedback from the audience to improve your future work. We know from research that students perceive instructors differently based on the clothes they wear. Professionally dressed instructors are perceived as being more knowledgeable, competent and overall better teachers (Gurung & Vespia, 2011) compared to instructors not professionally dressed. It is likely your conference audience will give the same attributions to you that students do to professors.
What if I am attending?
Although the main purpose of conferencing is disseminating information through talks, symposia and poster presentations, there are other benefits as well. For example, conference attendance provides you with the opportunity to network with professionals in the field. Meeting professionals can open doors for you. You may have the opportunity to collaborate with individuals on shared research interests. You might even meet faculty members from institutions where you plan to apply for graduate school or a job in the future.
Research tells us that what we wear during these networking interactions is important. Dressing professionally, for instance, can enhance perceptions of intelligence, competency, responsibility, reliability (Gurung & Chrouser, 2007) and expertise (Sebastian & Bristow, 2008). Conversely, dressing casually can lead to negative perceptions such as being disorganized or unfriendly (Butler & Roesel, 1991; Lukavsky, Butler & Harden, 1995; Roach, 1997). Therefore, the way you dress at a conference, even when not presenting, can have an impact on your networking opportunities.
Finally, it is equally important for you to have a positive self-view and be confident when attending a conference. Research shows we tend to perceive ourselves more positively when dressed professionally. In particular, when dressing in professional attire, we attribute positive adjectives such as “cultivated” and “strategic” to ourselves (Hanover & Kuhnen, 2004) in addition to having higher self-confidence (Sebastian & Bristow, 2008). Thus, dressing professionally has a positive impact on your own confidence and feelings of self-worth, which will directly impact your presentation or networking endeavors.
What do you mean by “professional attire”?
There is not a single, agreed-upon understanding of professional attire. In fact, clothing that is deemed professional attire in one part of the country may be viewed differently in another part of the country. But don’t be disheartened; there are some general recommendations you can follow.
- Ensure your clothing is clean and neatly pressed. Dirty or wrinkled clothing will likely lead to some of the negative perceptions we discussed. If you are traveling to a conference, most hotel rooms offer in-room irons or a laundry service for a fee.
- Choose sensible footwear. Taking off your shoes because your feet hurt can be distracting when networking with professionals. For most conferences, professionals wear closed-toe shoes, and you are less likely to see professionals wear flip flops, tennis shoes or high heels.
- Select clothes that fit you well. Avoid clothing options that are too big or too tight. This will help increase your comfort at the conference.
- Consider pantsuits, business skirts, dress slacks, polo shirts or button down shirts over jeans, shorts and tank tops.
- Think of others. Sometimes attendees are crowded or in small spaces at conferences. Too much cologne or perfume can be overpowering.
- Pick accessories to complement, not distract from, your outfit.
- Look approachable. Colleagues may be less likely to approach you if they can’t make eye contact because of hair or clothing covering your face.
The purpose of this article was not to critique what you wear. But as faculty, we often hear professionals concerned about what students select to wear to conferences. It was our goal to cite relevant research to illustrate how clothing impacts first impressions and perceptions people form of us. Of course, everyone is unique, and many times our clothing reflects our personalities and styles. This might be something you do not feel comfortable changing. However, as is the case for many things in life, finding the right balance for you will lead to success.
References
Butler, S., & Roesel, K. (1991). Students’ perceptions of male teachers: Effects of teachers’ dress and students’ characteristics. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 73(2), 943-951.
Gurung, R.R., & Chrouser, C.J. (2007). Predicting objectification: Do provocative clothing and observer characteristics matter? Sex Roles, 57(1-2), 91-99. doi: 10.1007/s11199-007-9219-z.
Gurung, R.R., & Vespia, K.M. (2007). Looking good, teaching well? Linking liking, looks, and learning. Teaching of Psychology, 34(1), 5-10. doi: 10.1080/00986280709336641.
Hanover, B., & Kuhnen, U. (2004). Culture, context, and cognition: The semantic procedural interface model of self. European Review of Social Psychology, 15(1), 297-333.
Lukavsky, J., Butler, S., & Harden, A. (1995). Perceptions of an instructor: Dress and student characteristics. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 81(1), 231-240.
Roach, K.D. (1997). Effects of graduate teaching assistant attire on student learning, misbehaviors, and ratings of instruction. Communication Quarterly, 45(3), 125-141.
Sebastian, R.J., & Bristow, D. (2008). Formal or informal? The impact of style of dress and forms of address on business students' perceptions of professors. Journal of Education for Business, 83(4), 196-201. doi:10.3200/JOEB.83.4.196-201.
Satrapa, A., Melhado, M., Cuardo-Coelho, M., Otta, E., Taubemblatt, R., & Fayetti Siqueria, W. (1992). Influences of style of dress on formation of first impressions. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 74(1), 159-162.
About the authors
John Raacke, PhD, is chair and associate professor in the department of criminal justice at Fort Hays State University. His primary research interests are juror/jury decision-making, team decision-making and the impact of social networking sites. Prior to joining the faculty at FHSU, Raacke served as the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and an academic affairs administrative fellow and chair of the internal review board at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Raacke earned his PhD and MS from Kansas State University in experimental psychology and his BA from Christian Brothers University.
Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, PhD, is the chair and professor of psychology at Fort Hays State University (FHSU). She is a former president of the Southwestern Psychological Association, and her primary research interests are the psychology of mass communication, decision-making and the psychology of teaching. Prior to joining the faculty at FHSU, Bonds-Raacke served as the associate dean of the Maynor Honors College and as a faculty teaching fellow for the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She has also been an assistant professor and faculty advisor of the honors program at Briar Cliff University. Bonds-Raacke obtained her PhD and MS from Kansas State University in experimental psychology and her BA from Christian Brothers University.