You know that old cliché about how you should dress for success if you want to get a job? That very well may be more true than not.

Dressing for success is essentially adjusting your physical appearance (as it relates to grooming or clothing) to make one’s self appear more “presentable” and “business-ready” in order to make a good impression on a potential or current employer.

According to a CNN article written by Rosemary Haefner, Career Builder human resources vice president, 41 percent of employers said workers who are “well-dressed” are more likely to receive promotions than those who are not. Thus, these people who have chosen to dress up are the ones who end up making the big bucks within their careers.

Many reading this are probably skeptical about this whole ordeal. How can the way that you are dressed possibly have any correlation with the amount of money that you make or one’s success? After all, isn’t it your work ethic, personality and dedication to success that dictates the wages you earn and the job you retain?

While these aspects are indeed very much important and needed, dressing the part should not be overlooked. As much as it should just be these factors alone to dictate the success that one has with obtaining and retaining a job, impressions have been known to be just as important. Imagine two people coming in for an interview for a position at a law firm. One is dressed in a suit and tie and the other is dressed more casually, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. Though they both may be equally qualified for the job, when juxtaposed, the employer may be more likely to hire the person who came dressed in a suit.

Dressing down can possibly send the wrong message to an employer; it says you may not be very serious about the job or about how you are perceived. It can ultimately hinder a person from getting the job that they want. However, a polished look can do just the opposite. According to Haefner, dressing professionally helps you to “project a motivated image to your boss and co-workers”.

There are many people who can attest to this fact. Shyla Flakes, sophomore physical therapy major, believes dressing in professional attire is extremely important and has helped her land a few jobs.

“Even when it’s not required of me to dress up for job interviews, I still do anyway,” Flakes said. “I think it shows the employer that I am serious about the job and puts me in a better position to get it. It helped me get my current job now, so it works.”

With the internship and job fairs this Tuesday and Wednesday, now is the best time to begin making sure that you are completely prepared to successively captivate potential employers’ attention and make them want to hire you. Sometimes it can be the smallest, seemingly insignificant things that can help you. So, dress up. You know, suit and tie. Skirt and blouse. It couldn’t hurt and it just may be what gives you that extra edge over another candidate.