How you dress in a professional setting goes a long way in how others perceive you.
3 min read
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If you take one look at Antonio Centeno, your first thought is probably, “Wow, here’s a good-looking, well-dressed guy that’s probably a Fortune 500 CEO.” I know that’s what I thought when I first came across him at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego recently.
It turns out that Centeno is a former Marine captain turned men’s style and fashion consultant who has written over 1,000 articles and published thousands of videos to close to 2 million subscribers on YouTube while teaching men of all ages, shapes and sizes how to dress their best to impress.
According to Centeno, how you dress in a professional setting goes a long way in how others perceive you, which traditionally has been true for your typical job interview or pitch meeting depending on your industry or line of work.
However, what does Centeno say to the modern-day professional who commonly will show up to an industry conference in a backward hat, skinny jeans and Jordan’s?
Combining his military background and the “science of style to command respect and earn more money” lifestyle content that reaches over 6 million men monthly, Centeno suggests that you are the captain of your message. Meaning, your appearance should align with who you want others to perceive you as and the message that goes along with it.
Here are five key takeaways from my five-minute with Centeno:
- It’s proven that you’re likely to earn $ 232,000 more over the lifetime of your career based on how you dress and present yourself to others.
- Your look influences your message. For example, if a firefighter walks into a room and yells, “Get out!” everyone is going to immediately listen because of the uniform. Centeno suggests that the same principle applies in business. Your uniform is your attire — what does it say about you?
- If you’re going to wear a T-shirt to an industry event it should have your logo on the front. You can also dress up your T-shirt and jeans look by throwing on a blazer.
- Your face is the feature that people see first, therefore your hair and beard (if applicable) should always be neatly groomed.
- Clothing is the first step to get you in the door. In the corporate world, people will judge you based on aesthetics, therefore you should dress to impress when meeting others at a conference or networking mixer.
Watch more videos from Carlos Gil on his YouTube channel here.