Undergraduate Programs

First of all, Happy last week of School! I am going to start this blog post with a disclaimer, yes I will be talking about wearing a tie, but the message is really about doing (in this case wearing) something you  may not normally be comfortable with in order to feel more secure, and subsequently grow as a business professional. With my disclaimer I might have given away the whole point of the blog entry, but I will continue anyway.  It is time to start wearing a tie, and that means a dress shirt too.  There are a few things that go along with this ‘tie wearing.’ The first is, it isn’t good enough to just own a tie, one must wear the tie, more often than not.  I’ll just say at least once a quarter (start out easy).   The next step, and don’t skip this one, learn how to tie the knot yourself.  Many, especially those with roommates, tend to rely on others to make sure that simple piece of clothing that makes all the business formal difference is correctly knotted and displayed.  If you are going to own a tie then you must learn how to use it.  Step three is a more challenging notion: know the importance of what it means to wear a tie.  Many first time (or first few times) tie wearers might describe a tie as a fancy looking noose that isn’t getting the job done.  Fancy looking?  Yes. Getting the job done? No, wrong job.  A tie is a symbol of formality, thus, when worn properly, you are formal.  Formal means that you are showing respect to those who you might be interviewing with, but it also means that you are commanding a certain amount as well.  A tie says: I have a skill –tying a specific knot-and it says I spent some time on this outfit which means I care about how I am presenting myself right now. Step four is probably the easiest to master: Wear a tie often.  Once you have one, or a few (I suggest a simple black or extremely dark slate/gray to get started) then you wear them.  At first you’ll be uncomfortable, but then you’ll move on to possibly thinking that you are overdressed (assuming you aren’t just wearing the tie for an interview or a presentation in class), but then you will move into the territory of confidence and ease.  Think about it this way: If you don’t ever wear a tie, except when you are going to do some sort of presentation, or interview, or other nerve racking experience, putting on that tie is going to remind you of what is ahead.  However, if you wear ties often, and feel confident in them, you can get up in front of whoever your audience may be, and present with that same degree of confidence that you have built through this association with the fancy knot around your neck. This may all be a glorified, step-by-step guide to “practice makes perfect,” but if it works, then use it.  Now go forth, build that confidence that is going to eventually make you a star in the business world. Cameron, NSM