Earlier this month, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne introduced a strict new dress code for her Queen’s Park staff. While her rules provide many details, her overriding message is simple: “Be casual rather than sloppy.”<\/p>\n
As a financial advisor, you should be especially cautious about going “summer casual,” says Carey McBeth, a business professionalism and etiquette specialist based in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
“[Advisors] have to be really careful with what they are wearing because they have the expectation of being professional all the time,” McBeth says. “Summer is a time when you can be a little more casual, but there is a fine line that you shouldn’t cross.”<\/p>\n
McBeth offers the following tips on how to stay on the right side of the boundary of sartorial acceptability:<\/p>\n
> Dress the part<\/strong> For example, female advisors should avoid items such as tank tops with spaghetti straps. Men should avoid sandals or loafers without socks.<\/p>\n “The more skin you show,” McBeth says, “the less influence you have.”<\/p>\n > Err on the side of coverage<\/strong> Although it is within your right to “bear arms” during the sticky summer months, carefully consider the message that such casual dress could send to your clients.<\/p>\n Men and women advisors: if you decide to wear short sleeves in the office \u2014 or no sleeves \u2014 have a blazer or cardigan handy that you can wear during meetings.<\/p>\n It’s also a good idea to consult your firm’s dress code to confirm its sleeve policy.<\/p>\n “The more professionally you can dress,” McBeth says, “the less doubt clients will have about you being the right person to manage their finances. Leave the runway look at home.”<\/p>\n > Dress for your client<\/strong> For example, if you have a meeting with an older, conservative-minded client, consider wearing a jacket and tie rather than a polo shirt and khakis \u2014 even if it is 30 degrees outside. (For women, that would mean something like means a conservative skirt suit.)<\/p>\n Dressing appropriately shows respect for your client and demonstrates that you possess the level of professionalism he or she expects from you.<\/p>\n Even when meeting casual-dressing clients, your attire should be a notch more formal than the client’s.<\/p>\n “People are apt to judge you on the tiniest of details,” McBeth says. “It’s a small sacrifice to put on a tie or something formal for an hour or two and then change later.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Go a little more casual if you wish, but be careful not to cross the line<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38954,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2336,2375],"tags":[2376],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268284"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38954"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355466,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268284\/revisions\/355466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268284"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmentexecutive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=268284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Always bear in mind that your clients regard you as a strong influence on their financial future. With that in mind, you should dress in a way that corresponds with an image of professionalism and reliability.<\/p>\n
U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has become known for wearing sleeveless tops that expose her enviable, toned arms. But even if your biceps are Obama-esque, you should probably cover up.<\/p>\n
When deciding on your summer business wardrobe, the best approach, McBeth says, is to see yourself through your client’s eyes. What would he or she like to see in a financial advisor?<\/p>\n