While some of her coworkers might give her odd looks when she shows up in a fitted blouse and business skirt on casual Fridays at the office, Lara Revolinski has a plan in mind.
"Dress for the job you want, not the job you have," is the motto adopted by Revolinski, who has her eye set on a supervisory position at the call center where she works in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. "I'm being noticed, and that's what it takes to get ahead in the professional arena."
Revolinksi explained that her first - unintended - incident of dressing beyond the call of professional duty occurred when she failed to notice a pre-Thanskgiving email from Human Resources informing employees that the office dress code had been downgraded to "casual" for the entire holiday week. When she appeared in her standard neutral-colored business wear while everyone else was wearing jeans, she saw her superiors take note.
"Just in the way they looked at me, I could tell that they were seeing me with more respect," said Revolinksi. "I didn't want to lose that momentum."
It was at that point that Revolinksi instituted her own personal policy of wearing business attire every day, including "casual" Fridays.
And, by all indications, her plan to dress her way to success seems to be working. At her most recent annual review, Revolinksi received a two-plus-percent raise, along with assurances that she would be eligible to apply for a supervisory position after she finished out her two-year probationary period at the call center.
"Some might call it manipulative of me to get ahead using my appearance," said Revolinksi. "But these days, you have to be willing to use everything - and to think outside the box."
When asked to share his professional opinion, Revolinski's boss, Matt Jackson, had nothing but positive things to say about Revolinski. "Lara is a diligent worker. Even though she works remotely, she always goes the extra mile. It's the behind-the-scenes people like her who keep this place running smoothly. She's very much an asset to the team."
