Personal Brand: Perfecting Your Professional Image

In every workplace, professional image is very important. Your appearance comes first followed by your voice then behavior. What you wear indicates how seriously you take your job, recognize your position and pay attention to detail.

How to Self Sabotage
1. Wearing clothes that you purchased 5 – 10 years ago. If you don’t keep up with trends you are perceived to be non creative, lack innovation and paying little attention to things around you.

2. Wearing clothes with multiple floral. This shows lack of coordination, style and inner ability to plan. Stick to black, grey, navy, white, charcoal, red, deep pink and green.

3.  Poor fitting. If your clothing appears too big then you will appear sloppy and insecure. If it’s too tight then it will look like you do not care to notice details and amends.

4. Wearing faded shirts, shoes with worn out heels, worn out leather belts or carrying an overused bag, indicates a lack of attention to detail and fashion trends.

5. Being too cool or too casual: If you work in a formal environment and continue to appear in jeans and simple tops then you appear not to value professionalism. Ensure that you dress appropriately.

6. Grooming skills: Too much perfume may be offensive while too little shows poor grooming. Chipped nails or nail polish shows that you do not care and are insensitive. Unkempt hair creates the worst impression.

7. Makeup: If you do not put on makeup it makes you look dull and unprepared for professional presence. On the other hand, too much makeup indicates sloppiness and seeking unnecessary attention.

8. Repeat clothing: there are issues of hygiene and cleanliness when clothes are re-worn repeatedly. It is an easy way to be silently stigmatized in the office.

Steps to a Successful Professional Image
1.    Identify the image that suits you best.

2.    Do a self assessment on how you perceive yourself.

3.    Recognize areas for change.

4.    Invest in your personal self: clothing/ presence/ knowledge.

5.    Let success and ambition be your ultimate goal.