You might not be spending your day in an office, but what you wear as a freelancer can reflect how you do business…
Working for a company can have many benefits, but sticking to their dress code isn’t one.As a freelancer you’re your own product – and you’ve got to sell yourself all the time to win new work. So making sure you’re properly dressed for the right occasion can be the difference between winning the work or not.
For at home
If you’re working from home all day, and not expecting any visitors or video calls, feel free to dress down. But, don’t fall into the trap of working in your pyjamas. Having a ‘work outfit’, even if it is just t-shirt and jeans, help marks out your working day from the rest of your day.
Also, just because you’re not expecting visitors, doesn’t mean you won’t get any, so a basic level of smartness should be expected.
Typical outfit:
Jeans and short sleeved shirt or smart t-shirt.
On a conference call
As a freelancer, you’ll end up doing a lot of your meetings and business over video chats and conference calls. This means you’re going to have to dress up a bit – well, at least on your top half.
Depending on who it’s with will guide your dress code. If it’s just a meeting with the central office, reflect what people there will be wearing. If it’s a client meeting, go a little smarter.
Typical outfit:
A clean and well-pressed shirt or blouse. Dark jeans and socks in case your legs pop up on screen.
During a client meeting
This is the time to smarten up your look. As a freelancer you don’t have branding and a company history as marketing tools – you have yourself. Therefore you’ll need to be smart, though not over the top.
Don’t go dressed in a three piece suit if your client is in the arts. Do some research into the client via social media and its company website to get an idea of their ethos and how their staff dress.
Typical outfit:
Shirt, suit jacket, smart trousers or chinos and leather shoes for men, simple work dress for women.
For popping into the office
If you’re a freelancer who’s mainly employed for a single company, then you’ll have to pop into head office every now and then.
Hopefully, you’ll have a good idea of what the day-to-day dress code is – but it’s probably worth going a notch smarter. This is because you don’t want to give the impression you’re not pulling your weight or have a casual approach to work.
Typical outfit:
Simple suit with plain coloured shirt for men or smart work dress for women.
Posted by The Secret Businessman