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What to Wear to a Company Golf Outing

06/06/2013 By 55 Comments

golf skirtWhat do you wear for a company golf outing? Reader C has a great question that we haven’t talked about in a while:

Would you consider doing a post on what to wear to the corporate golf outing? I have several to go to this year, in US and UK – and need some guidance.

Wowza. We talked about what to wear to a company golf scramble back in the early days of this blog (with a bit of help from a girlfriend of mine who is a golfer), but I thought we’d revisit the topic. I’m not a big golfer myself — readers, what would you wear to a golf outing?

Some thoughts from poking around the web: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Exercise, Internships/Summer Jobs, Networking, What To Wear To...

Beauty Wednesday: Can You Network With a Band-Aid On Your Face?

06/05/2013 By 86 Comments

how to treat facial scarsSo here’s an interesting question: how do you deal with wounds on your face that require a band-aid — is it better to be a dork for a week with a band-aid on your face (thus helping it heal) or is it better to “tough it out” and then be left with a permanent scar?  I’m enough of a klutz to have injured myself twice in recent years, and I dealt with it differently when I was in a high-intensity work situation, so I thought we’d discuss. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Career, Eyewear, Intense Work Period, Networking, Professionalism

That’s Ms. Griffin To You: When To Use Last Names

05/21/2013 By 158 Comments

when to use mr. in businessWhen do you call work associates by their last name (such as Ms. Griffin), or by another title (such as Attorney Griffin)? Do you have a preference how work associates refer to you — and how do you communicate that? Does calling someone else “Ms. Griffin” make you look young?  I’ve gotten a number of questions about this lately — one from reader D who notes,

I work in legal services on the East Coast, and I’m a little stumped about how to address people. On the one hand, working with the legal services population makes me eager to address people with titles, using Mr./Ms./Mrs. So-and-So as a mark of respect for folks in my office who otherwise may feel disenfranchised. On the other hand, as a native West Coaster, this level of formality is not inherent in my being and I frequently find myself slipping and referring to people by their first names.

Meanwhile, reader J was fuming because

opposing counsel start[ed] calling me ‘Ms. X’ as opposed to ‘Attorney X’. I have never seen male attorneys addressed as other than ‘Attorney Y’. The devolution to ‘Ms. X’ is clearly intended as an insult by opposing counsel. Any good suggestions for a professional but firm response?

We’ve talked about a lot of name issues — how to correct colleagues if they call you the wrong first name, how to get rid of an old nickname, and more — but When to Use the Last Name is kind of a big one.  I suspect this is going to vary widely by region, so readers, please be sure to say where in general you are.  A few notes:

  • Never, ever use “Mrs.” in a business setting.  Marital status is completely irrelevant.  For my $.02, the only person who can call me Mrs. Griffin is my husband, at least until our son has playmates who are speaking in sentences.
  • Presume, in writing, that you should use the person’s last name, at least on a first correspondence (e.g., “Dear Mr. Smith”).  [Read more...]
Filed Under: Business Etiquette, Looking Young, Names, Networking

How to Promote Your Friends Professionally

05/02/2013 By 25 Comments

how-to-promote-friendsHow can you promote your friends and colleagues in a positive way? Considering all the talk from Lean In about how women should be more supportive of each other in the office, I thought this was a great question from Reader E:

I am an intern (waiting on bar results) at a small law firm. A branch office of my firm is hiring a new attorney for that office, and my supervisor asked me If I knew anyone who was looking. I suggested my friend A., who submitted a resume. Today I found out that the attorney in the branch office wants to interview A. This attorney also wants to talk to me, “candidly,” about A. I am confident in my friend’s ability, but I know this office has had a friend of a current attorney not work out. What can I say to promote my friend and what topics or traits should I avoid?

I actually think there is some etiquette involved when it comes to promoting friends and colleagues, talking up their accomplishments, and even helping them network. Here are some pointers, but I’m curious to hear what else the readers say:

- When suggesting your friend for a specific job: Ask A (let’s say her name is Allison) for a copy of her resume, and what she thinks her top three selling points are. I would then either a) write a short email attaching the resume, or b) swing by the hiring partner’s office, hand-delivering a copy of the resume, to say basically, “My friend Allison just applied for Position Y, but I wanted to bring you her resume myself. Allison is a good friend from law school; we worked together on law review and she won the moot trial competition. I think she’d be a great addition to the firm.  Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.” Note a few things about this: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Etiquette, Career, Interviewing, Job Hunting, Networking, Professionalism

The Red Dress at the Black Tie Event

02/05/2013 By 103 Comments

1Can you wear a red dress to a professional black tie event?  Reader “Confused in VA” writes in, wondering:

Is it ok to wear a red gown to a professional black tie event? The event will be in the evening with dinner.

Hmmn.  We’ve talked about what not to wear to a black tie event, how to do black tie on a budget, and whether cocktail dresses are appropriate for black tie events — but never what colors are appropriate.  To be honest, my gut reaction here was “If you are the honoree or the hostess of the event, knock yourself out.  Otherwise, step away from the red dress.”  But after some Googling, it seems like a red dress is becoming more and more popular — even Tim Gunn says “absolutely” to bright colors at evening affairs.

Still, for my $.02, I would stick to dresses in muted colors for professional events — a dark plum or an emerald, or a navy — and leave brighter colors to details like your clutch, or your bag.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Black-Tie/Fancy, Fashion Gaffes, Networking, Professionalism, Style

What “Business Casual” Means for Students Who Are Networking

12/20/2012 By 84 Comments

Shirred Side Cowlneck SweaterA lot of companies and networking groups have parties for students over the holidays — I can remember attending more than a few in my younger years.  The perennial question, as Reader N wonders:  what do you wear when it says “business casual attire”? Perhaps more importantly, what things shouldn’t you wear for winter networking events?

I’m a college student who is interested in finance, and go to a lot of information sessions for banks. The dress code is usually business casual or business attire. Other than just wearing a suit, what can be appropriate in these situations? A dress like this Metallic T-Shaped Tunic Sweater from Express (picture) or this Merona Sleeveless Empire Dress (picture) with tights and a jacket? Black slacks and a nice sweater?

This is a great question, and I want to start by saying, again, that when you’re networking — at least for a conservative job — the goal is is for your clothes to be muted enough that people remember your brains (or your words or your resume), NOT your outfit.  A few basic rules, just responding to your question: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Casual, Business Etiquette, Fashion Gaffes, Internships/Summer Jobs, Networking, School, Wear to Work, Weather