The positive message you send out to employers when you dress the part.
I know, I know… perhaps, an article about clothing might seem trivial. But research has shown that the way you dress can be very important in terms of the signals you send to others around you, especially for people who work with the public. Let’s face it! People are every now and then judged by the clothes they wear in their workplace. Others form opinions about a person’s knowledge, credibility, and trustworthiness by how the person is dressed.
(if you’re not already convinced of the benefits of taking on locum pharmacy work, read this article)
Differing Impressions Based on Styles of Work Clothing
At RPI Consulting Group, we deal daily with Pharmacies from all over Canada that reach out to us to fill top jobs with qualified candidates. Needless to say, the experience, ethic, and hard work prevail to pick the right candidate for the right job; however, we see every day that a pharmacist who is not dressed professionally might end up affecting their relationship with patients. This leads to the question of what the best attire is for community pharmacists to wear. As casual ways of dressing have gained more acceptance in the workplace, the attire pharmacists wear these days can range from casual, to more business-like dress, to the more formal white coat.
While the white coat symbolizes professionalism for some, others believe it intimidates patients more than anything else and avoid wearing it. This is the reason psychiatrists in particular have given up the white coat, for example.
Showing Yourself to Be Professional and Approachable
Community pharmacists need to communicate a feeling of warmth and congeniality, and yet they also need to have an aura of professionalism. So, some recommend a more casual dress but discourage anything too informal. For example, they do not see the need for a tie, but a polo shirt is inappropriate. Others also discourage too many colours and recommend just a white shirt because white gives an image of authority.
Proven to Make a Difference in Your Professional Image
Some studies that surveyed patients at both independent and chain pharmacies found they overwhelmingly chose a pharmacist with a white coat as the most professional and knowledgeable. Therefore, in order to take the safe side for every shift and new store that will be attending, we at RPI Consulting Group suggest that you actually carry more than one lab coat (with no brand on it of course), so this way you will certainly look neat, clean and more professional to deal with the public customers on a day-to-day services.
Contact me at danilo@rpigroup.ca or call 416-850-9809 (ext 223) to learn more tips and tricks about the Pharmacy Industry and to get prepared for your next shift. Also consider calling our Toll-free number at 1-866-505-3383 (ext 223)
Written by Danilo Chaves (danilo@rpigroup.ca)
RPI Consulting Group Inc.
