First, for readers in or near Las Vegas Valley: I'll present my "Art of Conversation" program on Friday evening, Nov. 18, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Free and open to the public. Venue is at 4325 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV 89130, the Northbrooke Business Plaza. Attend and learn some surprising new skills. For other readers, upon request, I will send you information on how to host such an event in your community.
Now, today's nugget: Dress for Success
A June 2011 survey by U.S. recruiting firm CareerBuilder confirmed that certain unspoken messages can hurt your chances of promotion. They surveyed 3,000 hiring managers about personal attributes that would make them less likely to promote an employee. Here are the top ten, with the percentage of respondents choosing each one:
Piercings - 37%
Bad breath - 34%
Visible tattoo - 31%
Wrinkled clothes - 31%
Messy hair - 29%
Dresses too casually - 28%
Too much perfume or cologne - 26%
Too much makeup - 22%
Messy office or cubicle - 19%
Chewed fingernails - 10%
You readers over 40 probably understand good standards of "dress appropriately" for job interviews and promotions. But younger adults often do not understand or accept how much one's physical dress and adornment affects how they are perceived. What may be really "cool" in the cohort of young friends (like piercing and tattoos) is a turn-off to hiring managers.
I've listened to complaints that such judgments are "unfair." After all, the U.S. is a free country, isn't it? But such grumbling misses the point, which is that people make judgments about you on your overall self
presentation: Dress, mannerisms, and speech. Get over it. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When applying for a job or desiring a promotion, dress and act like those in that job. Then you'll be seen as someone who can fit in and not be an oddball outsider.
(I received this information from my professional speaker friend in Toronto, Helen Wilkie, and I thank her for sending it to me.)
Until next week,
Loren