#appearance is everything

New Post | How Looking Professional Could Land You the Pitch

Many studies have revealed it takes between 7 and 17 seconds for people to make a lasting judgment on your character, which places a high level of importance to looking professional when you want to land an opportunity.

Seventeen seconds, never mind seven, is not quite long enough to run through your pitch, charm your audience with an anecdote, and present all your corroborating evidence.

It is however enough time to make a first impression — you’d better make sure that first impression counts for something.

If you want to be successful in life, you can’t rely on just knowing the correct thing to say.

For every idea you put across, the person on the other side of the desk is conjuring up plenty of their own ideas from the thousands of visual clues that you are projecting.

How can you make sure the signals you’re giving are the right signals?

Dress for Where You Are Going, Not Where You Have Been

In “You Are What You Wear”, William Thourlby explains that people make 10 psychological judgments on someone’s character based on their appearance, on topics ranging from economic status to moral integrity.

A smart suit and neat haircut is the minimum, but you should also take care of the intricate details.

If you’re wearing a tie, make sure it’s well‐knotted in a classic style, such as a Windsor knot.

Check that your shoes are clean and the laces are neatly done up.

Never be afraid of looking too sharp; you should always dress for the position you want to hold, not the position you have currently.

Project Confidence In Your Handshake

Try out your handshake on a trusted friend or colleague and ask for their honest response.

Is it limp or bone‐crushing?

Are your palms sweaty and moist?

Scientific studies have found the perfect handshake is a firm squeeze followed by 3 brisk shakes.

If you do suffer from sweaty palms, carry a handkerchief to wipe them prior to the handshake.

Remember to make eye contact and never leave your other hand in your pocket.

Be Sure Your Surroundings Project Your Destination

If your pitch is on paper, store it in a ring binder or presentation folder rather than a stack of loose leaf sheets.

If it’s on a computer file, be sure to bring your presentation to the table in a smart looking laptop, even if you have to borrow or rent one.

This may seem pedantic, but details always count.

An expensive laptop in a beat‐up backpack says you’re content with the minimum to get by.

A snappy dress-up to your machine like a leather laptop case on the other hand, sends the message you go the extra mile in all things.

Remember Your Presence Includes Aroma

Leave plenty of time so that you can go to the restroom and freshen up before any pitch; maybe you can’t help getting soaked in your sweat travelling across the city in summer, but it’s not something potential clients need to experience.

However, don’t spray yourself so thoroughly with aftershave that your smell enters the room five minutes before you do.

You want to smell fresh, yet subtle.

Citrus notes are particularly good.

By concentrating on these small details, you will project an image that is professional, persuasive and appealing.

Knowing you’ve passed the challenge of the first impression, you can concentrate on delivering a killer presentation and landing your firm the deal.

Remember…

Dress for Where You Want to Be, not from whence you came…

Stay Updated!

To stay updated conveniently with what is going on with our content by subscribing to our newsletter.

We keep all your information confidential – we never buy nor sell lists.

You control what you receive as well – both when you subscribe as well as afterwards through a link in the footer of the newsletters.

Make Us Convenient For You Subscribe to any 1 or more of our Newsletters NOW!

Our Social Media Presence

Where to Follow Us

   Follow Us!

Twitter

@thehrisworld : @thw_research : @thwjobs

@HRISWorldStore : @Garrett__OBrien : @thw_videos

NEW: @thwrn_news

LinkedIn

company page: The HRIS World / THW Research

groups: The HRIS World Research Network | The HRIS World LI

Minds

The HRIS World

Open Group | Free Minds membership required

Google +

The HRIS World

paper.li

Dust Motes

The world, as he sees it, is at the other end of a camera lens. He has an eye for the beautiful, although if you had told him so he would have said that he had left it in his other jacket. But it’s true that his gaze fillets and dissects almost without his knowing, dividing whatever lies before him into shadows and highlights, thirds and ninths, angles and extremes, all compacted neatly into an eighteen by twenty inch frame. Regulated but not regimented. Arranged but not artificial. There’s a trick to it, of knowing how to see.

Be still. Observe.

Long shot, just bordering on extreme, lower two thirds occupied by masses of close, hillocked grey stretching back and back, upper third barred by irregular thick strokes of black. The spaces between the dead trees are the palest slivers of grey anywhere in the shot. Good contrast. Movement and an illusion of space provided by the endless streams of falling dust motes, thick and spiraling, like snow. Still to flat, though. Not enough depth, not exaggerated enough. A step or two back, a few degrees tilt to exaggerate the height of the the trees. There. That’s better. Shame he couldn’t put himself in the frame. A bright splotch of technicolour in amongst the grainy monochrome. Would have been very striking. Ah well.