Guest post by Kaylene Mathews (www.ksmlifecoaching.com)
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The same thing that can kill a product can kill your career opportunities. However done well, it can make you purchase a product or get you in front of important, influential people. Companies spend millions of dollars each year on it. Some have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on it’s development. That’s because they know how important doing it well is to success. It’s packaging. I know I’ve been on the consumer side of purchasing a product because the packaging was appealing. Had it not been, I wouldn’t have given the product a chance. The same is true of your appearance, especially on the job. Your appearance is your packaging.
Why appearance is important to Career Advancement:
- People have less and less time these days. Executives have to make split second assessments and decisions. You have a brief moment in time with which to convey that you’re worth their investment of time. Your first communication is your appearance. If you want to be able to say more, to share how incredible your work is, then you better make sure your appearance is polished.
- It shows whether you pay attention to details. If you can’t put your physical appearance together, why should they think you could put anything else of value together? Especially if it’s someone who doesn’t know you. Their first assessment of your competency is the care with which you have put yourself together. Early on in my career I use to work with a gentleman who reached a whole new level of wrinkled when it came to his clothing. I really could not figure out how it was possible to have clothing that wrinkled. On the other hand, he couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t getting promoted. Hmmmm.
- You garner respect with a polished appearance. This is as true in the office as it is outside the office. Just shopping in the mall, I have had vastly different experiences in the level of customer service I receive depending on my appearance. I was the same person with the same amount of money to spend, but the sales associates gave differing levels of service based on my appearance. A less than polished look said to them that I wasn’t going to be worth their time. Same in the office. Show you’re worth the time, because you took the time to look your best.
Give yourself the best possible advantage in selling your competency and your value to your employer. If packaging weren’t important, companies wouldn’t spend millions of dollars a year on it. It’s important, and your appearance is your packaging. Put your best foot forward. Show that an investment of time in you will pay dividends.
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About Kaylene Mathews: (www.ksmlifecoaching.com)
Board Certified Coach and President of KSMLifeCoaching, Kaylene Mathews equips and empowers individuals and groups to gain the clarity they need to achieve their personal and professional best through coaching and training services. She authors a twice weekly blog, monthly newsletter and just published her first book, available on Amazon.
