Do you look the part?

All those late nights at the office. All those times you volunteered to lead committees, work weekends, go to conferences.

They might help you snag that big promotion.

But those jingle-jangle earrings? The Fu Manchu mustache? Your hairstyle from the late ’90s?

They could be hurting your chances at that corner office.

“You definitely have to put forward your best image,” said Cynthia Nellis, a style expert at the About.com women’s fashion Web site. You can easily spot the office slob, with his coffee-stained tie, or the workplace flasher, the woman who thinks it’s OK to show ample cleavage. They are the obvious rule breakers who will have trouble getting ahead.

It’s getting worse now that summer is here, and workers are shedding clothes — and breaking more rules — to stay cool, wearing anything from flip-flops to sleeveless shirts to the office.

But it’s not just the bad dressers who are judged — and often overlooked — at promotion time. It’s the woman who wears too much makeup — or too little. Or the guy who wears flip flops and short-sleeve button-down shirts, thinking he’s meeting the casual dress code.

“We make quick decisions about people based on their appearance. Whether or not that’s right, that’s the reality of it,” said Carolyn Gustafson, owner of Image Strategy for Men & Women in Cary. “We can’t wear our resume around our neck.”

How someone is dressed was the third most important attribute in getting a new job, according to a study by Syracuse University and Total Executive Inc. of 300 executive recruiters, chief executives and directors of personnel. That’s behind communication and presentation skills.

Executives surveyed by TheLadders.com, a Web site for job seekers looking for six-figure salaries, last year said employees who dress casually at work seemed more creative and fun. But almost half of the 2,245 executives said those casual dressers risk being taken less seriously.

However, if employees dress more traditionally — in business suits and skirts — they were more likely to be perceived as more senior level, according to the study. (And coincidentally less creative and more rigid.)

When you’re polished and professional at work, “It shows you know the rules. It says, `I play by the rules,’ ” Gustafson said.

Certainly, style and fashion are subjective, and sometimes, taste differences are subtle. The trick is knowing basic rules about what is appropriate for which work settings.

“If you show up to an advertising agency in a traditional blue suit, that’s going to work against you,” she said.

The same is true if you show up at a conservative bank in a short skirt and open-toed shoes without pantyhose.

Once you know the look that’s appropriate for your office, be consistent, experts say.

“When you have a consistent look, your co-workers expect you to act a certain way and look a certain way,” said Kate Leser, owner of A Distinctive Image, an consulting company in Raleigh. “If you don’t, people won’t know how to read you.”

Women have it harder than men when it comes to image in the workplace. They might have the right clothes, but they are also judged on their hair and makeup. Leser said neglecting either is one of the biggest mistakes women make.

“You’ve got to keep updated, both men and women,” Leser said. “Every few years, you should be changing your hair. If you want to stay ahead of the game, with everything moving so quickly, your image should move quickly, too.”

When in doubt, watch how others who are successful in your office dress.

“People need to dress appropriately for the position they’re aspiring to,” said Deborah Fernandez, vice president of career transition consulting at Right Management in Raleigh. “So they need to take cues from the people they’re aspiring to be.”

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