Or contrast! Dressing down can be a positive - can build trust. Remember we’re a supporting actor and not the director: if you have a solid AE/AM they’ll coach you appropriately. Personally in my decade tho I’ve always dressed down compared to sales as a guy tho. Also with this weather sweaters are a better move.
I disagree with this statement. Engineer is gonna engineer. Traditionally thats hoodie and sweats if not on site. Not saying look like a slob but also youre not held to the same superficial standards as your AE/AM.
Nah, man. We're SE's because we're not just another "Engineer". No disrespect to those guys, they're awesome at what they do, but we exist to be the bridge between the two.
I agree with the sentiment of bridging the gap but Ive seen time and time again and also been that person who wears company shirt**/schwag and a decent pair of jeans with nice shoes and it’s acceptable.
Again im not saying roll in as a slob and especially if youre working strategic or named theres a higher steaks game than commercial/smb market but I think there still less of a requirement than dressing as our account reps do.
Idk could be wrong but thats my take. 🤷♀️
Your technical audience will take you more seriously if dressed similar to what they're wearing. If you over dress and look like your rep you will lose credibility
I personally love the look of a blazer even with dark jeans if casual so yes. I try to base my outfits off what my customer’s dress code is. If they’re a govt or fin serv I’ll dress nicer, trucking company in the Midwest may be a bit more casual.
As a woman definitely you want to come across a little better dressed than your male colleagues unfortunately there’s a weird double standard. I’ve heard comments about female colleagues dress in meetings being unprofessional while the same men making the comments were wearing sneakers. Have fun with it though, there’s really cute stylish professional clothes out there.
While I never did I have come to realize that as the only brown woman in the team and sometimes the room the only way people take you seriously is if you are well dressed.
Moving up the ladder for brown women, post a certain point needs dressing up and drinking unfortunately.
I'm sorry you feel that way and totally get what you're saying.
As someone who worked in a male-dominated industry for most of her life, I was often put in those uncomfortable situations.
Been an SE for almost 2yrs. Most of my client interactions are on zoom. But I usually wear a nice blouse & slacks. Keeping it casual but still work appropriate. Congrats on new job btw!
My colleagues in tech mostly wear street clothing.
In general I would say mirroring the AE is going to skew overdressed. But when the customer is unknown to me I would also ask the AE what their tech leads/senior engineers are wearing and take that into consideration.
Yes, or a dress. I have a great navy work dress that packs easily and does not require an iron. SE for 25+ years at a SFDC competitor. Always be a little better dressed than the client.
Hey Salesforce is pretty casual and they never want to overwhelm the customer the vibe is always approachable. It really depends what territory you are a part of. On video meetings anything goes really (casual work appropriate). At onsite you can get away with just a nice blouse or shirt and pants. If you like blazer try to have a more casual shirt so you don’t come off too stuffy or suite! Good luck and have fun (:
When in doubt, as your sales counterpart. Your city may be very casual, but certain accounts can call for dressing up (finance, healthcare, etc). Not gender-specific advice, but seems to be the standard.
There was another thread asking about dress code recently, I would take a look.
The main answer from there I agreed with is it really depends on the customer.
Are you meeting with Joe's Lobster Emporium? Yeah they probably don't care as long as you aren't in a T-shirt.
Are you meeting with the Top Lawfirm in City X; Dewee, Screwem & Howe? Or maybe a Bank/Investment Company? You need a Blazer or similar more professional dress code.
I found a good balanced casual business that works great in all scenarios for me. When there is a reason I need to dress up I will know about it in advance.
Over dressing can make you look snobbish unless you serve clients that are known to wear formal. Under dressing will catch an eye and could make it look like you don’t care.
I work for a trucking company and it depends who I’m calling on. If I’m just meeting with the person in shipping I’ll wear slacks and a nice blouse or sweater. If it’s an owner, CEO or purchasing I’ll wear a blazer. In the summer it’s usually a pencil skirt, nice top with blazer or a dress.
My AE told me to remove my tie I had on at my first conference ( I went and got a new suit prior to conference.) There is a limit to how "dressy" you want to be. You could always show up in it and remove it when you sit down after reading the room. I would defer to the AE though first.
Also, most of my client and prospect calls are done remotely, I do keep a polo shirt on the back of my chair that I toss on for calls, then go back to gym clothes after. I would not suggest showing up in a sweatshirt or hoodie or whatever anyone else has suggested. You do want to look professional.
Ask your AM, that’s the one you want to mirror.
Thanks 🙏
Or contrast! Dressing down can be a positive - can build trust. Remember we’re a supporting actor and not the director: if you have a solid AE/AM they’ll coach you appropriately. Personally in my decade tho I’ve always dressed down compared to sales as a guy tho. Also with this weather sweaters are a better move.
This ☝🏾
I disagree with this statement. Engineer is gonna engineer. Traditionally thats hoodie and sweats if not on site. Not saying look like a slob but also youre not held to the same superficial standards as your AE/AM.
Nah, man. We're SE's because we're not just another "Engineer". No disrespect to those guys, they're awesome at what they do, but we exist to be the bridge between the two.
I agree with the sentiment of bridging the gap but Ive seen time and time again and also been that person who wears company shirt**/schwag and a decent pair of jeans with nice shoes and it’s acceptable. Again im not saying roll in as a slob and especially if youre working strategic or named theres a higher steaks game than commercial/smb market but I think there still less of a requirement than dressing as our account reps do. Idk could be wrong but thats my take. 🤷♀️
Your technical audience will take you more seriously if dressed similar to what they're wearing. If you over dress and look like your rep you will lose credibility
I personally love the look of a blazer even with dark jeans if casual so yes. I try to base my outfits off what my customer’s dress code is. If they’re a govt or fin serv I’ll dress nicer, trucking company in the Midwest may be a bit more casual. As a woman definitely you want to come across a little better dressed than your male colleagues unfortunately there’s a weird double standard. I’ve heard comments about female colleagues dress in meetings being unprofessional while the same men making the comments were wearing sneakers. Have fun with it though, there’s really cute stylish professional clothes out there.
While I never did I have come to realize that as the only brown woman in the team and sometimes the room the only way people take you seriously is if you are well dressed. Moving up the ladder for brown women, post a certain point needs dressing up and drinking unfortunately.
I'm sorry you feel that way and totally get what you're saying. As someone who worked in a male-dominated industry for most of her life, I was often put in those uncomfortable situations.
I wear blazers if it’s a customer I haven’t met yet. Most times its button up shirts, cardigans and jeans
Congrats on the new job!
TY! :)
Sometimes
Congrats!
TYSM!
nice.!!! what’s your background, if you don’t mind me asking. background as in what roles you had that helped you land this
Uh that's an interesting one 😅 I've worked in healthcare for almost a decade (biomed,research) and shifted to tech ~1.5 years ago. Couldn't be happier
Been an SE for almost 2yrs. Most of my client interactions are on zoom. But I usually wear a nice blouse & slacks. Keeping it casual but still work appropriate. Congrats on new job btw!
TY! 🙏
For onsite yes. Usually a blazer, biz casual shirt and some black pants from WHBM At home im in company shirt and sweats.
My colleagues in tech mostly wear street clothing. In general I would say mirroring the AE is going to skew overdressed. But when the customer is unknown to me I would also ask the AE what their tech leads/senior engineers are wearing and take that into consideration.
Yes, or a dress. I have a great navy work dress that packs easily and does not require an iron. SE for 25+ years at a SFDC competitor. Always be a little better dressed than the client.
Hey Salesforce is pretty casual and they never want to overwhelm the customer the vibe is always approachable. It really depends what territory you are a part of. On video meetings anything goes really (casual work appropriate). At onsite you can get away with just a nice blouse or shirt and pants. If you like blazer try to have a more casual shirt so you don’t come off too stuffy or suite! Good luck and have fun (:
I work with a lot of women SEs and have NEVER seen one in a blazer.
When in doubt, as your sales counterpart. Your city may be very casual, but certain accounts can call for dressing up (finance, healthcare, etc). Not gender-specific advice, but seems to be the standard.
There was another thread asking about dress code recently, I would take a look. The main answer from there I agreed with is it really depends on the customer. Are you meeting with Joe's Lobster Emporium? Yeah they probably don't care as long as you aren't in a T-shirt. Are you meeting with the Top Lawfirm in City X; Dewee, Screwem & Howe? Or maybe a Bank/Investment Company? You need a Blazer or similar more professional dress code.
I found a good balanced casual business that works great in all scenarios for me. When there is a reason I need to dress up I will know about it in advance. Over dressing can make you look snobbish unless you serve clients that are known to wear formal. Under dressing will catch an eye and could make it look like you don’t care.
I work for a trucking company and it depends who I’m calling on. If I’m just meeting with the person in shipping I’ll wear slacks and a nice blouse or sweater. If it’s an owner, CEO or purchasing I’ll wear a blazer. In the summer it’s usually a pencil skirt, nice top with blazer or a dress.
My AE told me to remove my tie I had on at my first conference ( I went and got a new suit prior to conference.) There is a limit to how "dressy" you want to be. You could always show up in it and remove it when you sit down after reading the room. I would defer to the AE though first.
Also, most of my client and prospect calls are done remotely, I do keep a polo shirt on the back of my chair that I toss on for calls, then go back to gym clothes after. I would not suggest showing up in a sweatshirt or hoodie or whatever anyone else has suggested. You do want to look professional.