Tag: professional development

I am a freelance writer and marketing consultant. This means I am constantly on the look-out for more work and new clients. Sometimes it feels like I am a professional job seeker. I’ve been on more interviews and have done more presentations than I think is humanly possible. Which is great because my work is your gain.

Today I want to talk about polish and the importance of first impressions.  Studies show that your looks can hurt or hinder your chances of getting a job or well deserved promotion, regardless of qualifications. Personally, I don’t think it’s fair to be judged on appearance but the reality is most employers, clients, hiring managers, and recruiters do size up their employees and potential candidates by the way they look.

In fact 73% of employers rate grooming as a strong influence when meeting with potential candidates. “These results are consistent with what we’ve seen in the past,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Job candidates need to remember that their overall grooming and choice of interview attire project an image; they are marketing themselves to the employer as a potential employee, and part of marketing is the packaging.”

It’s important to keep yourself as polished as possible and to help you here are some Dos for you to consider:

Whether you are currently employed or not:

• Do put your best foot forward at all times – keep yourself neat, clean, and well-groomed – tailor or throw away ill-fitting clothes
• Do maintain your professional portfolio – update your resume and profiles with new accomplishments and take classes or workshops to keep your skills fresh
• Do make professional connections whenever possible – attend networking events in your industry, socialize with colleagues, and stay current with industry news and events
• Do spell and grammar checks for all professional correspondence
• Do keep a running list of your goals – a vision board, a to-do list, or any kind of reminder of what you are working towards
• Don’t get complacent, lazy, or sloppy
• Don’t let your skills get rusty or obsolete
• Don’t isolate yourself from coworkers or industry insiders
• Don’t be afraid to brag – humbly – about yourself
• Don’t ever use slang in an interview or conversations with colleagues
• Don’t be afraid to go above and beyond – learn about your employer (potential or current) and coworkers and share common interests you may have

Keep in mind that polish is about more than just your style – it’s about the complete package – you must dress for the job you want and always be thinking about the future.  Even if you don’t have a lot of money, you can still keep yourself current:

• Invest in a good tailor – in this way you can make old clothing look and fit like new
• If you can’t afford a new pair of shoes, polish and re-heel the ones you have to get more wear out of them
• Update your resume with a new look and feel – a simple online search of “resume templates” will help you get started
• If you can’t afford to take clothing to the cleaners buy Dryell, then press and iron suits, shirts, and pants yourself
• The devil is in the details – loose seams and buttons translate to carelessness – learn how to sew on a button or fix a loose hem
• If you can’t afford a hair cut buy products that will keep your loose strands neat and in place
• Never use a casual picture for your professional resume or profile

First impressions count so it’s important to do everything in your power to make sure the impressions you give are good and lasting. This doesn’t mean that you have pretend to be something you’re not, on the contrary be yourself but the best version of yourself. At the end of the day you will be valued for exactly that and all the skills you bring to the table. Don’t build a package that can not be maintained, the point is to maintain, to the best of your ability, the package you’re in.

Market yourself as a complete package, put your best foot forward always but most importantly be bold, brave and unafraid to go after what you want.

What experience have you had packaging yourself for potential employers? What Dos, Don’ts, or other advice would you give? Please tell me your thoughts in the comments below, I love hearing from you.

Not everyone is privileged enough to have a career, most just have jobs they must show up to on a daily basis to ensure the bills are paid. Still, even if the job you’re doing isn’t your dream job, dignity, respect, and recognition can go a long way to making it a job you can enjoy on a daily basis.

In this era of “more with less” many employers expect their people to wear many hats. “Lean and mean” is the war cry across many corporate spaces and while I am an advocate for efficiency, I find this culture can produce overworked, over stressed, and underpaid employees. There are many companies who recognize this and do their best to provide their people with benefits and bonuses that make the job worth the stress.  On the other hand, there are many companies who don’t.  How can you tell if you are undervalued at your current  place of employment?

1. Your boss constantly asks “what’s your value add?” – I have a big issue with this phrase “value-add” it irks me to no end because it’s an employers way of squeezing blood from a stone.  When an employer asks you what your value-add is – it is code for “I want you to do more but I don’t want to pay for it”. Your value is in the work you’ve already been hired to do, whether you’re a waiter or a marketing professional.  Anything beyond that – anything additional should come with appropriate compensation. So the next time your boss asks you what “your value-add is” your response (in the most diplomatic and professional way possible) should be “what is the additional compensation for the additional value you are asking for?” If the response is extra paid time off, a bonus or some other agreed upon compensation then you are very lucky to be valued enough to get what you’re worth for all the work you do.
2. You go above and beyond with little to no recognition – In a recent study it was found that organizations that give regular thanks to their employees far out perform those that don’t. The moral of the story is, thanks and recognition is important, it matters to people, it matters to morale and it reminds us that we are important in the grand scheme of things.  If you are working hard, doing more than is required, improving everyday and no one is saying “thanks, great work” or providing you the recognition you deserve, you should question the culture of the company you are working for.  Everyone deserves to be thanked for a job well done!
3. Others are getting credit for your work – Nothing is worse than sitting in a meeting and hearing your own idea coming out of someone else’s mouth with absolutely no credit to you.  If it is a co-worker or peer, you might be able to rectify it by going to that person and asking if they perhaps forgot to credit you and work it out with them directly.  If they are still unwilling to give you appropriate credit, this might be something you have to escalate to your boss.  However, If the offending party is your boss, this is a huge red flag that you are not appreciated for your work.  Confronting them might help but it might be wise to start updating your resume now.
4. You aren’t made to feel part of the team – I thrive off of teamwork, I love working with people and sharing ideas.  Most companies should encourage a healthy team dynamic within their ranks. Sometimes though, even adults can become catty, divisive, and cliquey. In this dynamic there is always a “black sheep” of the office – the person who never gets invited to lunch or after work events with the rest of the group. No employer should allow this type of culture to manifest. If you are the “black sheep” of the office and you find your boss is encouraging or enabling this type of behavior, you should definitely try move on to a company that more closely aligns with your own values as a human being.
5. You feel under valued – If you are going through this list and shaking your head in agreement you might be under valued where you work.  You probably already knew it.  If you wake up everyday and dread your work – not because of the work itself – because of the people or culture, it’s time to explore other options. No one should be made to feel demoralized or ignored. You have options, you can speak to your boss, it might be your employer doesn’t realize how careless they are being.  Best case scenario, they make it right for you. Worst case scenario, they ask you what your value-add is, if so, see #1 and start looking for work elsewhere.