Firstly, it’s important to say here that you do not need to get paranoid about this.

In my own mind, I cannot remember a single person who stood out as either inappropriately or even memorably dressed.

So it’s not worth getting too hung up about, though I suggest that unless you only want to score well in ‘Creativity’, a frog outfit might not be the best idea.

The usual option is ‘Business Casual’, which is sort of if you were going into the office, without the tie (if your wear ties). I used to panic a lot about this, but realized that no-one else did, so I stopped.

The critical thing is to feel comfortable and not feel that your clothing is getting in the way of who you are on the day.

You don’t want to be thinking about how tight your belt is, when you need to be focusing on stuff that really will make the difference.

You already know to read the instructions carefully, so we don’t need to delve too much into that bit – except to say make sure you are really, really clear about what time you are expected!

Yet here we need to understand something of the dynamic of the informal.

In a later chapter I will explain a great, yet simple tactic to help you succeed even more than by what you know.

Upfront and top-line, give yourself time to mingle.

Often invites to these things say things like:-

9.30 Coffee
10.00 Introductions

That word ‘Coffee’ is a real stunner. What it should say, to you, is ‘influencing opportunity’.

Otherwise known as Gold Dust!

Safe to say, this is more than useful for you and you should always ensure that you get there as soon as you can, to give yourself much more time with the movers and shakers who will be there to greet you.

After all, you will be so helpful and chatty as they are setting up the room, won’t you?

You see, this gives you a lot more informal interaction time with those folks who will be sitting in deliberation on you later in the day.
So it is real, live one-on-one time which can tip the balance.

So get there, get in and get going.

There are more tips and hints on how to leverage this fully in a Chapter 8!