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Improving your personal impact at work

We make no secret of the fact that we're big fans of Trinny and Susannah of What Not to Wear fame. Not because of the way they bully and pull people around, but because the positive transformations they make to their victims’ appearance and confidence is undeniable. Those who are prepared to pooh-pooh the importance of looking good and personal grooming as a shallow conceit should reconsider carefully their position when it comes to surviving in the job market.

• Hair - a good, well-cut, flattering hair cut takes years off. A good hairdresser or barber is worth their weight in gold. Avoid bad home perms or colours or untouched roots. Better grey than the odd ginger hue that poorly applied dyes can create in artificial light. Clean, healthy looking, no dandruff, not too much gel or styling product. No extreme styles if the work environment doesn’t warrant it.
• Eyebrows frame the face – for women they must be naturally shaped and for men, try to avoid that sprouty, Dennis Healey antler look that seems to happen to the over-40s.
• Facial hair is still considered taboo for men in many jobs and definitely for women (electrolysis is relatively inexpensive or use Jolen bleach). Men must shave properly; change the blade in the razor regularly and shave with the line of the hair not against it to avoid razor burn and cuts.
• Clean, well-trimmed nails, no vivid polish for women, keep artificial nails natural looking and not so long that you can’t do your job. There should be no nicotine stains on fingers either.
• As far as make-up goes, less is more for most women. We read somewhere way back that women who wear well-applied, subtle make-up earn more. Who knows? However, the 'nightclub look' definitely doesn’t do for women who aspire to be taken seriously. Many beauty salons offer make up lessons that are well worth the money and you can get a free makeover at most of the top department store beauty counters.
• Fragrance – light colognes on either sex are fine, overpowering, cheap ones can seriously offend. Wear fragrance-free anti-perspirant or deodorant – it’s better for your clothes anyway. Never smell of alcohol and preferably not of smoke either. Our sense of smell is one our most powerful and evocative senses.

Clothing 

• For women – moderation in all things, not too much cleavage or leg or anything else for that matter on show. The more skin you show the less professional you appear.
• For men – no workman’s butt cleavage or beer gut on show or peeping through a shirt. A good, classic, well-cut suit in a serviceable fabric really makes a man look the part at work or at an interview. Better to have a few well-cut suits in basic navy and charcoal and ring the changes with shirts and ties than lots of cheap items. Suits don’t need to be dry-cleaned too often either. Marks can be carefully sponged off (or use dry cleaning wipes for small stains especially on ties, available from department stores like John Lewis and M&S). Keep suits well pressed. Once the trousers are shiny, discard them. Better still, you could buy one jacket with two pairs of trousers. If formal suits aren’t part of the dress culture of the firm you work for or aspire to work for a jacketed outfit may be suitable. Make sure the weights of the fabrics and colours tone properly. No character ties or socks if you want to be taken seriously.  No fancy coloured socks, stick to black and navy. Black shoes, classic styles, well polished. Don’t spoil a good suit by wearing an unsuitable anorak type jacket over the top in winter. Buy a proper coat or a light raincoat.
• If you have or want a funky job in a fashion store, hairdresser or an advertising agency by all means wear what is appropriate. Just make sure it doesn’t scare the customers.
• Women don’t have to wear butch, mannish suits to carry off an air of confidence or authority at work. Good quality fabric, well-cut items that flatter, good shoes and bags are available in most high street stores these days. Buy the best quality items you can afford and look after them properly.
• De-clutter your wardrobe regularly. If you haven’t worn something for three years or more give it to a charity shop. If something can clearly be identified as a 1980s power suit complete with shoulder pads, save it for fancy dress!
• Keep buttons sewn on properly, zips repaired, hems up, shoes polished and heeled, sweaters de-bobbled and suits free of lint and pet hair.
• Black can appear very austere so unless you’re applying for a job in a funeral home or it’s the company uniform, stick to dark classics like navy and charcoal for men and perhaps other dark colours like plum, teal and chocolate tones for women.

Accessories

• Women don’t sport matching bags and shoes any more but the bags and shoes you use should at least complement each other.
• Keep jewellery to classic basics and steer away from novelty items, especially for interviews. Watch and wedding ring for men, cufflinks if it fits the dress code. For women – subtle earrings (no 1980's power jewels), necklaces, brooches; avoid the distraction that a noisy jangling bracelet will create at interviews.
• If you haven’t updated your glasses for a few years consider investing in a more contemporary style. The right glasses can take years off and the wrong ones add them on!
• Men should stay away from ties decorated with faces, cartoon characters, numbers, anything that might draw an interviewer’s (or customer’s) eyes from your face. Choose a tie that complements or brings out your eye colour instead.

Get a professional makeover

You may also want to consider having a full colour, wardrobe and style consultation with an image consultant. Prices start from about £80 and most people who have had this done report that it was well worth the time and the money. It made them feel and look more confident and saved them a lot of money in the long run because they stopped buying styles and colours that didn’t do anything for them. The two companies mentioned below are the most well known and have many large corporations as clients as well as private individuals. They have local consultants all over the UK.

Many large department stores offer personal shopping services so once you have your rules they can make it even easier for you to keep up to date with each season. It’s excellent for busy people, or those who don’t really like shopping.

Is it just how you look that creates a positive first impression?

Personal impact is about other things apart from your looks of course. Improving your posture, knowing how to shake hands properly, having good manners, not fidgeting and controlling your nerves in meetings, looking friendly and confident, are all equally important to that vital first impression if you are applying for a new job or a loan to start your new business. Try out this simple test to guage your personal impact here.




Essential Resources

Check out these companies and organisations, or these great titles from Sue Donnelly who is an Executive Director for the Federation of Image Consultants and a popular image columnist.

 For the chaps we recommend Does My Belly Look Big In This? - a common sense style guide for men who care what they wear. For either gender we like The 80/20 Makeover

Colour me Beautiful Colour Me Beautiful - find out about training to become an image consultant or booking a consultant to help improve your personal image.

House of Colour House of Colour offer image and colour consultancy to both men and women.

The Federation of Image Consultants The Federation of Image Consultants - information about becoming an image consultant, training courses, Federation membership, choosing and finding an image consultant.