August 25th, 2010
Summer is a more laid-back, casual time of year to begin with. And during the stifling hot days of August, the tendency is to get extremely casual. The biggest challenge is maintaining both your professional image and your cool!
- First and foremost, keep your clothes on! It sounds trite, but I’ll bet you have seen some nearly nude co-workers in your time.
- Choose light weight, breathable clothing made of natural fibers like cotton and linen.
- Choose light colored fabrics.
- To go from the furnace called “outside” to air-conditioning wear a lightweight jacket, shrug or pashmina.
- Dresses are envogue and comfortable during the summer, but avoid sundress and spaghetti strapped dresses for work.
- Watch the length on your dresses and skirts. For work they should not be more than a couple of inches above the knee. Ankle and floor length resort styles are also inappropriate.
- The jury is still out on some sandals, but at work, flip-flops should be avoided along with mules and sandals that are just a couple of strips of leather.
- All pants that are shorter than the top of your feet call your professional image into question. So capris, city shorts, pedal-pushers should all be avoided at work.
Tags: Image, professional image, success
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August 19th, 2010
As summer winds itself down, we are in its “dog days” and that usually means more heat and more humidity. It can totally destroy a hair style. How many times have you walked out of the house with a beautiful hair style only to arrive at your office with a head full of frizz? What causes all of that frizz and what can you do about it?
From Allure Magazine, “dry, porous hair sucks up moisture from the humid air, which causes the hair shaft to swell and kink all over the place.” Here are some tips for combating the summer frizzies.
- Unless your hair is extremely fine, load up on a deep conditioner each time you shampoo. Leave it on for at least five minutes.
- When drying your hair, blot-don’t twist or rub-your hair with a towel.
- Use a hydrating product.
- To limit the damage caused by the blow-dryer, shampoo at night, apply a styling cream from roots to tips and dry naturally.
- Use a heat protective spray each time you use a heat product.
- Use an ionic blow-dryer to reduce frizz.
- Smooth out that frizzy halo with an anti-frizz or smoothing product.
- Skip the hair spray. The alcohol content can swell up the hair cuticle, causing puffiness.
- Pull your hair back in a bun rather than a ponytail. Wrapping the hair around itself smooths the fly aways.
Tags: Bad Hair Day, Image, professional image, success
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August 2nd, 2010
I have seen so many women who claim to want to move up the corporate ladder, dress as though they would rather hold in the corporate ladder. It made me wonder if I was alone in believing that projecting a professional image mattered. So, Polished Professional Image conducted a short, non-scientific survey to find out whether or not having a professional image was still important.
The surveyed showed that 94% of respondent believe that companies consider image when hiring. Eight-nine percent think they take it into consideration when making promotion decisions. Even if you work in a business casual or casual environment, don’t let your professional image hold you back. Make sure it is always polished.
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June 10th, 2010
The image survey that we are conducting is getting a great response. The visual survey asks what is considered a professional image for women in today’s business casual environment. If you haven’t already completed it, click here to access it. The survey and raffle entry ends Tuesday, June 15, 2010.
Be sure to check back to see the combined results. If you’d like a sneak peek, go here.
Tags: Image, professional image, survey
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May 24th, 2010
Here we go! It’s a nice, warm (some say “hot”) Monday and the professional image faux-pas are in full bloom! This morning I saw tank tops, shorts (and I don’t mean walking shorts), cropped shirts and, of course, flip-flops on women on their way to work. The guys, on the other hand, were in short-sleeved shirts, some unbuttoned for the first two buttons; they kept their shoes, socks and pants on.
Why do we women think that it is in our best professional interest to dress so casually during the summer months? Has the definition of “professional image” changed for women? There was a time when a casually dressed woman was not seen as being as professional as her casually dress male counterpart. Is that an old-school notion or does it still hold true?
We have created a survey to address just that issue. It is short and non-scientific, but it will give us some idea as to what the new(?) professional image is for women. As an incentive to participate, one lucky, randomly selected participant will receive a $100 Macy’s gift card. But you have to respond by June 15, 2010. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help us help women align their professional image with their career goals.
To access the survey, click here or cut and paste this address into your browser:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2wbkbefg97rnw6g/start
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January 4th, 2010
I have always thought that the greatest obstacle to setting goals was writing down all of the steps (process goals) that were needed to reach the final “high, lofty” (outcome) goal. But what I am finding more and more is that it is not the writing of the steps, it is defining that “high, lofty” goal that creates the obstacle. It is because of this lack of an answer to the proverbial question “what do you want to be when you grow up”, that we find ourselves either moving from one job to the next unrelated job, never gaining any useful, transferable skills, or spending thirty years doing the same job without moving up the ladder to success.
It is because of this lack of clarity that the Give Yourself a Boost Brainstorming online/on-demand workshop was created. This free workshop is not simply a slideshow lecture. There are brainstorming exercises that you will do to bring you closer to your ideal vocation.
The workshop is on Screencast.com and an account is not needed to access it. If you could use some help in clarifying your dreams, go to the workshop by clicking on the link:
GYAB Brainstorming
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November 20th, 2009
Most people don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan. But thinking about how you are going to succeed in your career is not a plan. Thinking about it is nothing more than a thought; an idea. Turning those thoughts into plans requires action and the first course of action is to write your plan down. Yes, it is time consuming, yet, well worth the effort when done correctly.
The second course of action is – action. When you write down your plan for success, you must include process goals as well as outcome goals. Those process goals are your action steps. Think in terms of planning a driving trip to a new destination. You first need to write down the route that you will take to get there. If you don’t, you will get lost, right? Just writing it down will not get you there, however. You have to get yourself (and your car) moving, then, take the proper left and right turns. Those turns are your process goals.
The highest hurdle to goal setting is just getting started. If you need some help, the Give Yourself a Boost – Create a Road Map to Success online workshop will help you leap over that initial hurdle. For more information about or to register for the workshop, click here: http://bit.ly/6vLg9L
Tags: goal setting, goals, plan to succeed, success
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October 27th, 2009
I just read a very good blog article entitled Top 10 Unwritten Rules That Could Sabotage Your Career by life coach Ann Daly. Rule number two is the one that I address almost everyday. Polished Professional Image was created because of this rule.
2. Looks matter. When is the last time you saw a CEO in shorts or a short-sleeved shirt? Bare those arms and legs at your own risk: flesh conjures up images of the beach and the boudoir, not the boardroom.
John T. Molley wrote New Women’s Dress for Success in 1996 and some of the suggestions sound outdated, but in truth, thirteen years later, those canons still hold true. Long sleeves are more professional than short sleeves, which are more professional than going sleeveless.
We women tend to resist these ideals – these canons - because we have evolved and expect that all have evolved with us, but that is not (necessarily) the case. In spite of our strives, women are still considered less professional than our male counterparts especially when we are dressed in casual clothing. Casual business dress is a double-edged sword for us. Dressed casually, we are not professional; wear a suit in a casual environment and we are not team players (you’ve heard it before, “what is she trying to prove dressed like that?”).
Appearance is one area where women have control. Even if management is not your goal, earning as much as possible is and conveying professionalism in your appearance will help you reach your career goals. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to wear a suit to appear professional. There are a number strategies that will help you project a professional image.
Polished Professional Image developed the online workshop Give Yourself a Boost – Creating a Professional Image to teach women how to project a professional image in all environments, from formal to weekend casual. The workshop was created because image is still an issue for women. Make sure yours is always polished and professional. Remember, for your career advancement, ‘looks matter’.
Tags: Image, professional image, success
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October 8th, 2009
There seems to be a fundamental difference between men and women when it comes to dressing for important group meetings with upper management. Sounds like I’m generalizing, doesn’t it? Maybe. But I’ve seen it over and over again. Mid-level male managers will put on the blue suit, white shirt and red tie for townhall type meetings with C-level management; every time – the ones who aspire to promotion, that is. They are going to meet (or at least be in the presence of) the company CEO and will make sure that they appear professional and authoritative.
Mid-level and sometimes upper level women managers, will attend that same meeting in their normal, everyday business (often too) casual attire. I think they believe that it is not really expected that they suit up for such meetings. And they are probably right. They are not expected to appear professional and authoritative because, even today, women are not perceived as being as professional or authoritative as men.
And don’t misunderstand. It is not about “brown-nosing” or sucking up to the big bosses. It is about standing up and standing out! If you will notice, upper management tends to seek out the employees who look polished and professional to chat with during networking sessions. Why? Because they appear to have something to offer. Whether they do or not comes out eventually, but they do get that initial contact.
If you are part of the management team or aspire to become part of the management team, make sure you always have a polished professional image, especially at townhall type meeting. It does matter and it is noticed. Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Tags: Image, professional image, success
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October 2nd, 2009
As I “window shop”, an activity that I love to do, I am noticing more and more suits on the racks. Is there a trend back to more formal wear for work? Even the business casual ensembles are featuring “more business” and “less casual”. The good news for women is, a more formal dress code benefits us. You see, when we are dressed more casually, the perception of our professionalism is diminished.
The bad news is suits and formal business-casual attire can be expensive. In this economy, buying a wardrobe of suits can be a challenge to our budgets. Even the separates can get pricey.
The exciting news is that suits are showing up in some of the budget-friendly clothing stores. I stopped in a Dress Barn a few days ago. I was attracted by the purple outfits that were in the window (purple is hot this season). They had some really attractive suits and separates in there from A.S.L. Tahari, Jones New York and Calvin Klein! And the prices were very reasonable. What’s more, they have a layaway plan. If you are planning to update your professional wardrobe with a more formal look, check some of the budget-friendly stores. And rejoice in your professionalism!
Tags: classic style, Dress Barn, professional image, success, Suits
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