The Lewis College of Business hosted a seminar about professional dress codes and personal image Thursday, as part of its annual Professionalism Month.

“Dress for Success with Denise Hogsett” was from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at Corbly Hall. About 57 Marshall University students and faculty members participated in the event.

The event was sponsored by the Marshall chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a professional fraternity for students in accounting, finance and MSI majors.

“This event is necessary for the students because first impression is the very key to getting a job,” said Brandon Walters, Beta Alpha Psi president. “So a lot of the times, when you get your first interview, when you walk in the door, they’re going to start writing in your resume. And if they like it, they are going to write good things. If they write down about your dress, then that’s usually not a good thing. So, it’s very important to have a proper dress when you searching for a job.”

Director of Marshall’s Career Services and guest speaker Denisse Hogsett presented several tips on how to maintain a good first impression and personal image, including how to shake hands properly, how to put on makeup and what not to post on social media sites.

Hogsett also gave out advice on how men and women should dress in different occasions.

Hogsett said she hopes the session helped students learn the difference between business casual and business professional.

“I think it was a great session,” Hogsett said. “I think the participation was really good and I think everybody had learned a little bit of something about how to dress professionally.”

Marshall sophomore Patrick Arnold said the most useful things he learned from the session is to pay attention to the details and the concept of “power suit.”

“It was very helpful, you know,” Arnold said. “She is very knowledgeable, and I got a lot of information that I think will help me in the future.”

The next Professionalism Month event will be a reserved trip to Amazon’s facility Friday afternoon.

Son Nguyen can be contacted at [email protected].