How to Express Your Personality at Work

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The NYT recently had an interesting question from a reader who wondered if they could express their personality at work. We've discussed this a lot in the past, but not recently, so I thought it would be a fun discussion today.

Here's the NYT question (gift link):

“This summer, I will be interning in a corporate setting, and I am wondering if you have any tips for dressing appropriately for work while still being able to showcase my personality? I don’t want to make any big fashion mistakes, but I don’t want to look like a drone either.” — Erica, Berkeley, Calif.

The answer Vanessa Friedman gives is largely a version of our constant refrain: Know Your Office.

The best approach is a strategic one. Begin by playing it a bit bland and observing those around you and what they wear. That will give you a sense of the institutional ethos and how you can stretch it to your own style. Then you can dip your toe in.

Maybe literally. Shoes are a good place to start. If, for example, you like balletcore, Ms. Heller said, pair cigarette pants or a skirt with ballet flats. Don’t appear at work in a “Sex and the City” tutu.

(I love that their example of showing personality is ballet flats. Be bold, ladies.)

How to Show Personality at the Office

When we've talked about this in the past, we've had some further suggestions — in fact, we had a guest post blog from Siouxsie Law, who called her style “corporate goth” a few years ago. Her tips on how to surrender without giving yourself away:

• Play it safe sometimes.
• Once people get to know you, loosen up.
• Casual Fridays and weekends are a great place to start.
• Take it slow and be consistent.

She quoted Maureen Dowd, though, to note that sometimes you need to nurture what's weird about you:

“Sometimes the thing that’s weird about you is the thing that’s cool about you. When you’re young, and even at times when you’re older, it’s hard to fathom this: What needs to be nurtured is the stuff that’s different, that sets you apart from the pack, rather than the stuff that helps you blend in.”

My own big tip on how to show personality at the office: Be intentional. This means you have to Know Your Office first, so you know what is a deviation from it and what isn't. It means you're consciously choosing the parts of your personality that you want to show (and not just, say, wearing the first thing you grab when you open a drawer). A big part here is deciding what you want to convey about yourself at work in general (polished? capable? reliable?), and choosing personality clothing that complements that statement.

Note that sometimes you're going to want to keep parts of yourself separate — we've talked about having a “weekend you” vs. a weekday you, as well as wearing different clothes as a way to help yourself make work/life boundaries. (For example, I always think people should change into jeans or something else that's “them” after work, rather than sitting around in your corporate clothes or changing directly into your pajamas.)

What are your thoughts, readers? Where have you seen people show personality through clothes in a great way that enhanced your professional opinion of them? When have you seen people stumble a bit by showing personality through clothes?

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / Sonya92.