Putting your best face forward may have a deeper meaning.

When it comes to getting hired, one would think the factors would be exclusively based on experience and education. There is a third factor that may play more into the mix: appearance.

According to a Feb. 21 Yahoo! Finance article, there are several ways people’s appearance affects their paychecks. So maybe students should pay more attention to their appearance to be the most marketable hire.

There are some factors people cannot control over their appearance. For example, men who are at least 6 feet tall make an average salary of $5,525 more than their shorter, 5-foot-5-inch counterparts, according to the article. While this hardly seems right, it illustrates an essential point 8212; appearances matter, whether it’s fair or not.

There are factors that can be controlled in one’s appearance though: dress, cleanliness and neatness. Students should treat class as an opportunity to practice their skills and dress with an intention to impress and to be professional. Business casual is not as difficult as it sounds.

Those letters of recommendation one needs, that networking opportunity, even the on-demand ability to impress a potential employer all lie in the classrooms of TCU. Maybe wearing sweats to class isn’t such a great idea after all.

There is something about looking qualified that correlates to doing well, according to the article. When people dress like they’re ready to perform, they are outwardly expressing the will to perform. They also are internalizing this drive so it becomes a part of their work ethic that day.

Practice is the only way to achieve a level of quality, and practicing now for those job interviews involves more than just verbal developing verbal skills. For people to ensure they will be a part of that top tier, they need to act and look the part.

What’s more is the interview is just the start of the professional environment. Those first impressions will be vital and one’s appearance is one of the factors they can control. Dressing the part will pay off 8212; literally.

For men and women, it means ironed khakis and a button-down shirt, a semi-uniform of certain campus organizations. It means waking up early enough to actually brush one’s hair and avoiding cleavage for women. Good judgment, cleanliness and neatness are the basic guidelines no matter what the situation.

Not for every class will it be plausible for students to dress well. But the extra effort, used sparingly, could be that deciding factor. What harm could it do to look the part for a change?

It is time to accept the challenge. It is time to defy the social norm and come to play. Our students already excel, and it’s time to dress like it.

Bailey McGowan is a sophomore journalism major from Burkburnett.