Blog Post

Your Professional Image

Barbara Cosgrave
You have probably dedicated time and effort to becoming the best you can at what you do to earn a living. However, do you find yourself not successful at interview or not attracting the clients you are targeting? Or maybe in a presentation not holding the audience attention?  Maybe, in the middle of all the hard work you have been doing. you have missed a very important aspect of your self-promotion?

Are you:
•    A professional taking the next career step
•    A small business owner building your client base
•    Returning to work after a break or redundancy
•    A graduate recruit entering the business world
•    Embarking on a public speaking career
•    Wanting to polish your presentation
•    Or do you just want to make a move from the job you have to the job you’d love!

Do the silent signals you send out through your appearance, posture and body language – your personal impact and brand - reflect your inner abilities and values? Even your voice, your social media presence, your stationery and accessories, convey powerful messages to others. Are they the messages you want though? Or is your image holding you back?  You need to be in control of the silent messages you are sending – always.
Today it is not enough just to be good at something. You have to “fit” the expectation of others in your chosen career or business, in the way you present yourself. Having spoken to numerous people in the position of interviewing candidates, and employing them, it almost always comes down to “do they look like they will fit in with our team?” “Are they giving the right signals about who they are and their values and personality?”  “Do they look like they represent the values and corporate image of the company?” This is relevant to every area of business, employed or self-employed, working behind the scenes or in front of an audience.
It’s about interaction, conveying the appropriate signals for the situation and the other people involved. By learning how to understand and be aware of these signals, you can make yourself far more adaptable when you most need to, and one of the most stressful and important situations is at interview, with new clients or making a speech or presentation

Make sure:
•    You know the dress code for the company
•    Know your audience and their expectations
•    You know what suits you style wise, your business and personality
•    You have done your background research on the people you are going to meet
•    You make good eye contact and have a good handshake

Everyone you meet for the first time will make an instant judgement on you and the silent signals you are sending out. The more confidence and control you have over these signals, the easier it is to succeed.

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