Your shirt fell off the hanger and sat in the bottom of your closet for a couple of days. So it has a few wrinkles, it’s clean, right? You should consider carefully caring for the ‘packaging’ that is surrounding YOU. The photo on your bio is unprofessional and isn’t a great photo of you, but your employer is using that one in the proposal, and that is not up to you, correct? Well, I would disagree. You own your brand, your packaging, and the total image that is displayed both in your organization and externally to the market.
Your brand is important. The way that it looks could affect the value or price that someone would pay for you the same way that packaging products can help products succeed or fail in the market. Often we don’t think about our brand that way.
You form a package that creates a component of your brand in every aspect; from the technologies that you use to the clothing and accessories that you wear and carry. You could win or lose a deal or a future job based on your lack of attention to your image.
Success dresses differently. Successful people really do present themselves differently. They look pulled together. They are attentive to detail. Their appearance alone gives you confidence that they can get the job done. They are able to present themselves professionally and pull together a look that screams, “I can do it.”
How you package yourself can aid or restrict you in your upward mobility. To be successful and to rise to the top of a company, you must pay attention to your image and appearance. Image is a valuable part of your brand that will ensure that you get that next promotion or obtain the next position that you apply for. You really should care about that wrinkled shirt on the floor. Think about having it pressed before you wear it.
Bethany Williams is an expert in business development, personal branding, and healthcare operations. She has held high level positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Perot Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare, and IDX Systems Corporation. Williams shares her stories and helpful tips on career success in her book, Winning Strategies for Women, and a popular motivational blog. She volunteers as a life coach and mentor for employees around the globe through her website and personal one-to-one visits. She currently works as an executive at a big four accounting firm, and speaks on branding, career planning, and women in business. She lives in Dallas with her husband, Michael, and her three children. You can find her on the web at www.bethanywilliams.org.
