Dress to Impress

This picture is of some of the Microsoft Corporation's employees in 1978. Obviously, knowing what I know now, the answer to the question of if I would have invested in the company is, "YES!" But, let us time travel back to 1978 and show me this same picture and ask me this same question and my answer would be, "NO!" Why? Because the way a person dresses is vital to how people view that person and how seriously the person will be treated. Not a single person in this picture is dressed in professional business attire that would convince me based on first glance that their business would be worth investing in. Showing up to an interview for The New York Times in fishnets and go-go boots is surely not going to land you a job. If you wish to be taken seriously, you must appear to be worth someone's precious time. Especially in interviews, dress says a lot about a person. You are more likely to obtain a position with a company if you come to the interview polished than if you show up in sneakers and jeans with holes. Granted, dress is not everything and will probably not ultimately decide whether or not you receive a job offer, but by dressing to impress those you interview with, it will be easier to convince the interviewers of your genuine interest in obtaining the position with their company.

Example time. You are given a task by your boss to go out on the street and you have one hour to bring him back the best employee you can find. If the employee is a good worker, you get to keep your job. If the employee does shoddy work and is less than impressive to your employer, you will be fired. Let us now assume that you are simply a shift manager at McDonald's and you only need to hire a cashier. So, you set out with your task. How do you decide in only one hour who to hire? You will not have time to ask many questions so you are likely to only talk to those dressed nicely and who you believe would make a good worker and allow you to keep your job. You will make your decision of whether or not to even talk to someone based on your first impression because of their appearance alone. The way a person dresses can say a lot about the degree of professionalism that person will demonstrate. It is important to always dress appropriately. A good rule of thumb for a job interview is to dress one step above the accepted dress the person who obtains the position you have applied for will dress on a daily basis. Always be aware of what you are wearing says about you. It could potentially limit your opportunities or it could create new ones.

Morals Matter

In high school, I was part of the speech and debate team. I remember preparing a case one time in particular for my Lincoln-Douglas debate. The topic was something to the effect of "Should corporations be upheld to the same ethical standards of an individual?" Piecing together an "aff" case was a breeze, but I of course had a hard time trying to put together the "neg" case for this topic. How was I supposed to argue that corporations should not have to hold the same ethical standards as an individual when I expected a company to treat me the same as I expected an individual to? After brainstorming for quite some time on how I could create a neg case that would not be stating that corporations should not be held to the same moral standards as individuals, I consulted with my debate coach. He proposed to me that I should create a case saying that corporations should be held to a higher standard than individuals. I did just that.

The reason for telling this story is because practicing morals and ethics in your own life each day will help you to be ethical in all of your business dealings. Businesses have responsibilities just as individuals do. Companies are run by individuals and if individuals lack moral values, so too will the company. A bad experience will stick with a customer longer and will be spread faster than a good one. If you lose the trust of consumers you can kiss your business goodbye. People already have a tendency to distrust business. If the company consists of individuals who are unethical in their personal lives, consumers will conduct business with competitors whom they have more trust in because of their ethical standards.

At the very least, a business has the responsibility to act in a legal manner. It should abide by all laws. I argue that a business should not only practice in a legal manner, but should practice more social responsibility than that. It should treat its consumers with respect and never cheat them. A business should be honest and never try to deceive. If you do not practice these behaviors in your personal life, you cannot expect them to come about in your business. Having high ethical and moral standards are one of the most important things an entrepreneur should practice. You should hold your business to at least the same moral standards you practice. If your moral standards are lower than consumers deem appropriate, you will lose business. Some ethical decisions will be tough to decipher if they are ethical or not because there are no guidelines to what is ethical and what is not, but others will be easy. If you have been practicing ethical standards you feel are appropriate each day, it will be much easier to have your business be considered a trustworthy, fair and ethical business.