Professionalism: The importance of image
Professional image is one of the downward spiraling fundamentals in the business world, causing communication breakdowns, lost advancement opportunities, and negative outcome interviews.
Some of the simplest, most basic things are getting in the way of employees being advanced and getting jobs and companies doing business together.
Professionalism starts with appearance. We are told as kids “not to judge a book by its cover”. The truth is people judge you by your cover every day, and you do the same. Believe it or not, here is a list of the most common things I have been told by employers that prevented them from advancing someone or hiring someone:
Female image barriers:
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Non-age-appropriate dress (looked like she was wearing her daughter’s clothes)
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Clothing too tight, too much cleavage, and “not office appropriate”
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Too much jewelry and/or too much makeup
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Perfume too strong
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Smelled like cigarette smoke
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Dressed out of style or not congruent with job
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Pet hair on sweater or suit
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Bad hairdo
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Bad posture
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Some kind of fidgety behavior (nail picking, hair twirling, etc)
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Chewing gum
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Fingernails too long and/or too gawdy (colored tips with designs)
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Visible tattoos or piercings not fitting with our company culture
Male image barriers:
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After shave or cologne too strong or unpleasant
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Ear hair, nose hair, or facial hair unkempt
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Shoes dirty, dusty, or scuffed
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Dandruff
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Wrinkly shirt/clothes
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Clothes don’t fit right, too big or too small
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Bad or missing teeth
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Smelled like cigarette smoke
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Visible tattoos or piercings
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Dirty hands and/or fingernails
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Weak or “dead-fish” handshake
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Not enough eye contact
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Didn’t smile or smiled too much
This was a discussion with senior executives about candidates who were already pre-screened on the phone, whose resumes looked promising, and upon first or second live interview these image barriers showed up. Also included in the list were employees already working for the company, who have the hard skills and expertise to be considered for an upward move, but got passed over, and the company brought in an outside person instead. The latter is the saddest, since these are all easily correctable attributes. A couple of visits with an image consultant, and/or a trusted mentor who has the capacity to be honest, would have made the difference between a succession and being passed up and the company making an outside hire.
Remember we are not talking about Starbucks, Abercrombie, or the US Postal Service. We are talking about executive careers. Now, it is true that image criteria in the business world is evolving as you read this post, with so many millenials beginning to take over leadership positions in the corporate world. Maybe wrinkly shirts will be in style next month. But in this competitive workplace, why take chances?
I’m not taking into account any faux pas in global settings, and I’m not even addressing skill-building in body language, building rapport quickly, appropriate interview dialogue, diversity or cultural sensitivity. We’re talking about such basics here that it almost seemed silly for me to even write this post! But it happens so much, somebody has to say it! Does no one dare to tell someone they work with that they need to brush their teeth? Come on, folks!
Writing this brings some conviction upon myself. I have to acknowledge all the times I have met business associates or colleagues after having come directly from Pilates or Yoga class, sweaty with no makeup, and pony tail hair. Even though my colleague was warned ahead of time, and we were meeting in a coffee shop, I realize that my next client could have been there, and judging a book by its cover, may have thought “Not professional”. I will never know. We are each a walking, talking billboard for our companies, and ourselves. Because this is such an important topic, I have put an image/business ettiquete expert on my consulting team. You will see posts from her in the near future on a variety of topics.
The bottom line is this: It’s time for all of us to pay more attention to the way we are presenting ourselves. It’s time we exchange the Marlboros for a patch, wake up in time to have a healthy breakfast, start working out, iron our shirts, shine our shoes, use the lint roller, and decide on our attitude before we walk out the door. And, for goodness’ sake, take it easy on the perfume!
For a one and a half minute tidbit on job interviewing, enjoy my favorite Comedian Greg Hahn on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/8mb7fh
Tags: Best Practices, Business Mentor, Corporate Etiquette, executive coaching, Executive Grooming, Executive Performance Coach, Greg Hahn, human resources, Image Consulting, Job Interview, Professional Image, Professionalism, Succession
