Sure, you may look irresistible in leopard print, but the boss doesn't need to know you're an animal in the bedroom. -file

NEW YORK (Reuters):

Shopping for summer clothes to wear to work? Forget the tank tops and lose the flip-flops.

A new survey showed tank tops and visible underwear are the biggest fashion faux pas on the job, according to Monster, an online job and recruiting site, which compiled more than 18,000 responses to an online poll.

Results were released this week by Monster, whose parent company is Monster Worldwide Inc.

Flip-flop sandals weighed in next on the list of fashion mistakes, followed by Hawaiian prints and shorts, it said.

What you wear at work speaks volumes, said Norma Gaffin, director of content at Monster, based in Maynard, Massachusetts.

"Do you want to look like you're 14? How seriously are people going to take you if they can see your bra? Or if you're wearing flip-flops, and they can hear you walking down the hall before you get there?" she said.

Taken more seriously

"If you want more responsibility and more autonomy, you're going to be taken more seriously if you're dressing appropriately," she said.

Gaffin, who in her role at Monster provides advice to job seekers, says she tells people undergoing job interviews by telephone to dress profession-ally, even at home.

"You will have a different demeanour if you're wearing your pyjamas versus if you're wearing clothes. If those things are reflected over the voice when people can't see you, what is it reflecting when they can?" she said.

The results of the survey were based on 18,178 votes cast by Monster users from March 23 to April 2.

Monster runs a series of online polls to gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation, it said.