Guest Post: My Top Tips for Dressing to Impress In Your New Career

Today we have a guest post from Victoria M, telling us about how to dress to impress on a new job. Since starting med school, this topic has definitely been on my mind for building a (fun) professional wardrobe!

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I’ve just started a job in a really busy office environment and I love it so far. As it’s my first job, I know that I must make an impact with the work that I do, but also how I present myself in the office. People are constantly watching how I behave and react to situations and other colleagues, and all of this information will be fed back to me during my appraisals every three months. I want a really positive report so I’ve been on my best behaviour and been really thoughtful with what I wear.

I would never advocate dressing provocatively at work as this is the wrong type of impression to leave people with; once you get a label at work it is hard to shake it off. Instead, I am a huge fan of dressing professionally yet in a feminine way. Here are my top tips if you’re just starting out too.

Buy matching sets

If you want a fail safe way to dress for the office, head to the work wear department of a shop and have a look at the matching sets. You should be able to find plenty of skirts and jackets, or trousers and jackets if you prefer. All you’ll need to do is put a smart top on underneath and then its most of your outfit sorted. However once you get a little more confident you might start noticing knee-length pencil dresses that would work well with your jacket, or a high waisted skirt that would look excellent with your favourite work shirt.

Remember the ironing

Speaking of shirts, I’d urge you to iron all of them before you wear them. I know that you can buy many “no-iron” shirts these days but they always look much crisper when you do. And it’d be typical if the one time you didn’t, your boss called you in for a meeting! I try and do all of my ironing on a Sunday when I’m watching TV, it makes the job a lot easier and more bearable.

Invest in some great shoes

Once you’ve got the bones of your outfit together, don’t ruin the effect by putting on a grubby pair of shoes. I’ve bought four pairs of beautiful heels solely for office use. One pair is a glossy black, another pair nude, then I also have dark grey and blue. By having a few different shades you’ll be able to match them better with the suit sets you’re wearing.

Hosiery is helpful

As it’s autumn now, I’d suggest buying some dependable hosiery to keep yourself warm. Stay away from cheap pairs that fall down or snag easily as you’ll forever be replacing them. Buy a thicker denier pantyhose and you won’t worry about getting a ladder when you pick something up off the floor in the office.

Accessorize to complete your look

Finally, don’t forget to pick up some sophisticated accessories to wear with your work outfits. My favourite picks include jewellery sets (pearls work well) and neck ties. You might also want to find some leather belts, handbags and some nicer VDU glasses. Job done!

This article is a sponsored post and was written by the sponsor; it has been reviewed by me. I received monetary compensation.