YOUR personal image is part of YOUR personal brand

We’ve come a long way. Power dressing now is designed to let the woman inside us come through.
Donna Karan

Recently I was at a business meeting with professional women, all at the top of their respective fields. We where working on some reinvention ideas, everyone was excited to be there. Many of us did not know each other, but we where all equally committed to accomplish our goal for the meeting. I always enjoy these situations and hope to learn from my peers. At the very beginning of the meeting, however, there was one woman, who was really throwing me off…. so I stepped back in order to figure it out, WHY was I tuning her out ????

I’m sorry but the old adage doesn’t work – people still “judge a book by it’s cover”

Then….. I had THE AHA moment….. The woman in question looked liked she had been rolling around in dirt and her clothes where ill fitting (so we got a good view of her undergarments (if you are gonna show them – make sure they look good… and by all means CLEAN!). She was a mess! The reality was, I couldn’t get past her appearance to hear what she had to contribute – shame on me, I know.

The way you see people is the way you treat them.
Zig Ziglar

I know we are not supposed to judge people based on looks, upon further analysis I noted; her messiness to me meant she didn’t bring her “A” game, if she couldn’t bother to brush her hair and put on a decent outfit – she didn’t care to be there – and BTW, all the other ladies looked fabulous (with varying degrees of style from polished designer to funky vintage, etc… you get the idea)……..I am by no means suggesting that anyone should go and spend their monthly mortgage money to dress in couture like a Kardashian. It would be nice, but not necessary. During Grad School I learned the fine art of budget shopping and have acquired a very stylish wardrobe, for a very modest price.

Your personal image is part of your personal brand – do you reflect your brand?

This got me thinking….YOUR Personal public image is critical, because it is a part of your Personal Branding. This is so important, but yet we underestimated the impact it has on how WE/OUR BRAND is perceived.

I asked Dan Schawbel, Author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success and “Personal Branding Guru” to answer a few questions regarding Personal Branding.

• How important is having a polished Personal public image to your personal brand? It’s mandatory in an age where your Google search results are your new resume. If you don’t have an online brand that communicate who you are, what you do, and who you do it for, then you will get lost in a sea of clutter.

• You always say that “Consistency is key”, is this also true on how we dress and present ourselves in professional settings? You should be consistent in everything you do from selecting a single headshot of yourself for all of your online channels to your clothing and even the colors you use on your business card and website. The more consistent you are, the more you will be remembered and be able to create a brand promise to your audience.

• What do you think about the old saying “always leave the house dressed for success”, and how does what you wear matter to your brand? We are all judged based on the perception of what we wear, how we behave, and who we associate ourselves with. If you don’t take care of yourself, people will notice, and it will create a negative brand perception that wont go away.

I don’t know about you, when I look good, I am confident

People tend to respond in a more positive way, to someone who is dressed well, one would think that the idea of making a positive impression is common sense, but I see disheveled looking people everywhere. The airport is my favorite place to spot these….you should always look good because you never know when you might make an important connection – for business or personally. Last year I got an upgrade because the ticket agent really liked my dress – true story!!!!

Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, has put together some solid guidelines in “If you want to be successful, dress the part”

I do differ with Ms Kennedy and many other recruiters on the suit issue – in a creative businesses, you would run the risk of being judged as stodgy or a “suit” if you wore a “suit”. Wear what is appropriate in your field.  In the creative field there is rarely a taboo on tattoos or piercing, but you would be immediately discarded as a serious candidate if you showed either of these during an interview in a financial or legal field. Again, assess what is appropriate, ask others if you have doubts.

Making sure you look professional online too

Make sure that the photos that are associated with your professional and public profiles are consistent with your image and branding. Your LinkedIn profile should not be accompanied by an embarrassing photo of you at your bacholorete party.

Make a choice and Decide HOW you want to be viewed

This has been very important to me during my own reinvention. It’s something that is an ongoing process. How can I show intelligence, leadership and confidence while being feminine.

During my years of working as a Producer I had the advantage of working with top fashion stylists and designers who taught me a thing or two – one of the most important is to create your unique “look” by cluing in to current fashion trends AND your personal style ICONS, and always make sure that the look suits you. And if you can’t manage to do it yourself enroll the help of people who know you well or finally get an image consultant – it is well worth the money!

There is a lesson here, no matter where you are, if you are in a professional setting or even meeting someone for coffee, and you want to be taken seriously, try to have some put together style, (men and women) – and this can mean many things – from great t-shirt and jeans to stylish high end designer clothing -  it doesn’t mean everyone should wear a suit.  Whatever your style “own it and make it part of your personal brand!”

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1. Online and offline trends to help you increase your brand equity
2. Brainstorming Worksheet to Help You Name Your Brand
3. Dressing for Yourself At Work
4. Microsoft Social Media Outreach Case Study
5. ‘Safety Net’work Now Not Later