(ES) Professional Image Lesson

Professional Image

Many people confuse a professional image with business dress. While looking your best and dressing appropriately are certainly a part of a professional image, they are not the only things that mark you as a professional. Let's begin with dress, however, and explore what it takes to be perceived as a professional.

Professional Dress

There are three categories of professional dress: business, business casual, and casual. For most businesses the dress code is either business or business casual. Some things are even too casual to wear to work.

• Business Dress - For men this means a suit and tie, usually in a neutral color (black, navy, gray) and dress shoes. Women can wear a suit with either a skirt or pants and heels.
• Business Casual - Men wear khakis and a collared shirt, tie and jacket are optional. Shoes may be casual, but no tennis shoes or sandals. Women may wear dresses, or they may wear slacks or a skirt with a blouse or sweater. They may wear low heels or flats but no tennis shoes or sandals.
• Casual - This attire can have great variations from company to company. A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to what others wear if you have a casual day. Some companies allow jeans on casual days, others do not. Whatever the wear, be sure that it is always neatly pressed with no holes or tears.
• What Not to Wear - Do not wear anything too short, too tight, too revealing, or wrinkled. Do not wear flashy jewelry, too much makeup, or too much perfume (some people are allergic). When women wear heels, they should be no more than two inches high and should not be open-back or open-toe.

Professional Image Online

Before you ever apply for a job, you need to make sure that your online image is professional. Hopefully, you have already tackled this by never posting anything that might eventually embarrass you online. Here are a few hints.

• Check your social media sites and make sure they portray the professional you want to be. Remove anything that might embarrass you later. If you have friends that might post inappropriate things, use your settings to block their content from your page.
• Make sure that you have a professional appearing email address. "Pinkkittysocks@yahoo.com" is not likely to be taken very seriously as a job candidate.
• Email is the primary way of contacting most people in an organization. Make sure you know the rules of email etiquette and follow them. When writing emails, avoid using texting shortcuts such as omg and lol.

Professional Attitude

Professional attitude is a mixture of many things. Here are just a few:

• Professional Communications - Work on your writing skills. Always answer email and return phone calls promptly. Whether emailing, texting or writing a letter, remember that spelling, punctuation, and grammar are important.
• Professional Etiquette - Be ethical, respect the rules, never bad mouth anyone. Practice making introductions and shaking hands.
• Avoid negativity, listen and learn, do what you say you will do. - Be visible, be unique, and smile!

Business Dress Interactivity

Now that you know more about a professional image, try this activity to see if you understand the rules for business dress.

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