We’ve heard the saying that people have just 7 seconds to make a great first impression, but does this mean that our style is the only thing people are taking in?
Whether you are meeting with a client at a coffee shop, heading into the office, or hosting an online webinar, your professional style is one that is quickly taken in. As a professional, you want to feel and look a certain way (without giving up your own personal style), so you can make that first impression count in all the right ways.
As a personal stylist, I know the importance of style when it comes to confidence, but is it also an important part of our professional lives? Can style hinder or accelerate our professional careers? In some ways, I think style can be an additional way to showcase our personalities and the professionalism we hold.
How can confidence impact your career?
One of the most satisfying parts of my business is seeing how confident my clients feel after having a personal styling session with me. They finally understand the ways to dress themselves that complement their personality, their body, and their skintone. It takes away the stress of dressing each morning, unsure what goes with what, and why certain outfits feel fantastic, while others not quite so.
Adding onto this, creating an effective plan that works for your morning routine can drastically reduce the stress of morning “what to wear”-itis. Here are some essentials that I recommend to help you plan for style success when going to the office.
Having a professional style that works for you will boost your confidence each day, helping you hold your head higher in the office. Whether you love a colourful suit, play with the casual/professional stylings from a blazer, or gravitate towards dresses, when you know your style you can confidently dress each day without the additional worries we put on ourselves to “look a certain way”. With this confidence you may feel more comfortable sharing your ideas in the office, showing up for additional tasks, or even feeling that boost to ask for the promotion that has become available!
It’s amazing what confidence can do for you across professional and personal worlds, and with the right wardrobe this can be one way to do that.
How can the right styling help you get recognition in your role?
Have you ever been to an office and thought “these people are all so well dressed”? Perhaps you’ve been to another country where everyone seems to just have an elevated sense of style? When you have the styling right in the office, you will be noticed in all the right ways. Not only is your calm confidence brought to the forefront, you are also able to shine in all the right ways – taking the right attention onto your role.
While style can’t make you better at your job, it can make you more recognised by the powers that be. Turning up feeling more confident, comfortable, and ready to take on anything the day gives you can be gifted to you just from changing that morning routine from stressful to confident.
I work with many professionals who are unsure how to dress uniquely for the office. They don’t want to lose their personal style, but they don’t want to be unprofessional. There are ways to tap into our personalities to stay unique, while remaining professional and appropriate for their professional lifestyles. The right styling in this way can help you feel more comfortable with the recognitions you deserve.
How to find your own professional style
When I work with my clients in a Colour and Style Clinic, one of the most important elements is understanding their personal style and then finding out all about the ways in which they need to dress. For example, if you work in law office, your professional style will be more tailored and corporate versus those who work in a tech start up who may have more freedom of expression. This isn’t to say you can’t express yourself!
If you want more professional style inspiration, and how to create your own professional style, click here to download my FREE Guide to Professional Styling.
When we know what the requirements of our professional lives are, we can then play with the ways in which to create our professional style. Elements from our personal style can be brought in such as colour, statement pieces, accessories, without pushing the envelope too far.
It’s important to feel confident, comfortable, and appropriately professional – and if you are unsure on how to create a professional wardrobe that delivers this, you’re not alone.
