Image and Self-Projection:

Is It Derailing Your Career?

Susan Johnson, Ph.D.

Health and Human Services Commission

2

Malcolm Forbes

“Looking the part helps get you the chance to fill it.”

3

First Impressions

Source: Kite, Alicia. “Looking Good, First Impressions.”

4

Agenda

• The Concept of a Professional Image

• Attributes of a Professional Image

• The Importance and Significance of a Professional Image

• Development of a Professional Image Action Plan

• Further Reading

5

Attributes of a Professional Image

• Appropriate Professional Appearance

• Use of Correct Manners and Etiquette

• Appropriate Personal Behavior

• Effective Communications

6

Appropriate Professional Appearance

• Profession

• Company Policies

• Level of Customer and Client Interaction

• Geographic Location

• Clothing Care and Maintenance

• Appropriate Styles for Your Individual Body

• Types of Functions You Must Attend

• Budget and Purchasing Techniques

7

Manners and Etiquette

• Making Introductions and Appropriate Greetings

• Being Able to Initiate and Maintain Conversations

• Respecting the Customs of Others

• Being Able to Express Appreciation

• Knowing Appropriate Dining Rules and Protocol

• Extending Courteous Behavior to Others

• Know How to Behave in Difficult Situations

8

Personal Behavior

• Respecting the Organization and Its Rules

• Being a Loyal Employee

• Conducting Business in an Ethical Manner

• Assuming Responsibility

• Respecting the Diversity of People

9

Communications

• Posture

• Facial Gestures

• Neatness

• Listening

• Personal Behavior

• Punctuality

10

Things We Say

• “That is NOT in my job description.”

• “I don’t like that person.”

• “That assignment is out of my comfort zone.”

• “Why volunteer? We won’t get any more money.”

• “I am allergic to special projects.”

• “I like working alone…I am not a people person.”

• “Yes.”

• “No.”

11

Things We Say

• “I don’t like talking in front of groups.”

• “I am not interested in going to training.”

• “Why?”

• “It’s about the money.”

• “Do I have to participate?”

• “It’s no use.”

• “I don’t want to be here.”

12

Things We Say

• “The sky is falling.”

• “Things never really change here.”

• “But that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

• “I don’t see why I have to help anyone else if my work is finished.”

• “I don’t have time for that.”

• “Yeah, no problem.” (unless you MEAN it)

13

Importance and Significance of a Professional Image

• Selection for Participation on Project Teams

• Inclusion in Social Settings with Customers or Clients

• Selection for Presentations

• Promotions to Positions of Greater Responsibility

• Performance Rating

• Overall Competitiveness in Numerous Situations

• Effects of a Professional Image on Self-Confidence

14

Dressing the Part

Source: MSU Engineering

15

Avoid

16

What Do I Need to Change My Image?

You!!

17

Further Reading

• Change One Thing: Discover What’s Holding You Back – and Fix It – With the Secrets of a Top Executive Image Consultant by Anna Wildermuth. ISBN-10: 007162435X

• First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You by Ann Demarais Ph.D. ISBN-10: 9780553382013

• 5 Steps to Professional Presence: How to Project Confidence, Competence, and Credibility at Work by Susan Bixler and Lisa Scherrer Dugan. ISBN-10: 1580624421

• You’ve Only Got Three Seconds by Camille Lavington.

ISBN-10: 9780385484558

• Business Etiquette: 101 Ways to Conduct Business with Charm and Savvy by Ann Marie Sabath. ISBN-10: 9781564146144

• Expect to Win: Proven Strategies for Success from a Wall Street Vet by Carla Harris. ISBN-10: 1594630518

18

Further Reading

• Power, Influence, and Persuasion – Sell Your Ideas and Make Things Happen by Harvard Business Essentials.

ISBN: 1-59139-631-X

• Developing Women Leaders by Anna Marie Valerio.

ISBN: 978-1-4051-8370-3

• Stop Whining and Start Winning: Eight Surefire Ways for Women to Thrive in Business by Molly Shephard and Jane Stimmler.

ISBN-10: 0452286921

• Overcoming Your Strengths: 8 Reasons Why Successful People Derail and How to Remain on Track by Lois P. Frankel.

ISBN-10: 0517704145

• Since Strangling Isn’t an Option by Sandra A. Crowe.

ISBN-10: 0399525408

• Be Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets of Success by Sheila Wellington. ISBN-10: 037550060X

19

Further Reading

• Seven Secrets of Successful Women: Success Strategies of the Women Who Have Made It – And How You Can Follow Their Lead by Donna Brooks. ISBN-10: 0071342648

• Same Game, Different Rules: How to Get Ahead Without Being a Bully Broad, Ice Queen, or “Ms. Understood” by Jean Hollands. ISBN-10: 007140760X

• What Leaders Really Do (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition) by John P. Kotter. ISBN-10: 0875848974

• If My Career’s on the Fast Track, Where Do I Get a Road Map?: Surviving and Thriving in the Real World of Work by Anne Fisher. ISBN-10: 0060007966

• Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things by Madeleine Van Hecke. ISBN-10: 1591025095

• Harvard Business Review on Managing Yourself published by Harvard Business School Press. ISBN-10: 159139970X