Featured: E’s Element Founder Emmanuela Okon

Establishing a professional image can help you set a tone of interaction and maintain positive workplace relationships. That is because your style affects how people will treat you. The moment they lay eyes on you, they can make five judgments about you already—all the more when you start to speak. Thus, when going to work and carrying out your everyday tasks, you must be aware of how you dress, speak, and interact with others.

How Style Affects Your Professional Image

Your style may either make or break your professional image. Thus, it’s crucial to always dress for success because your attire reveals numerous things about you. Here are some that they see through your clothes: 

Confidence 

The confidence others see in you is heavily influenced by how you carry yourself around. And your clothes also contribute to that confidence you wear outside. In light of this, it's always crucial to choose clothes you're comfortable with, as they will create an aura of confidence that exudes from your clothes and fills the room.

Take inspiration from Emmanuela Okon, a content creator/style blogger turned entrepreneur who launched E's Element. She believes that you can always achieve an eloquent personal style without sacrificing comfort. And those are the most important factors in getting that confidence boost. When you present yourself in the workplace with comfortable clothes that define you, you'll be seen as someone who's ready to take on anything.

Creativity 

Another thing that shows through your style is creativity. Most of the time, people will know you for something about your fashion. It can be that hat you always wear, a scarf, or timeless jewelry that compliments almost anything. By incorporating various colors, patterns, textures, and accessories into your fashion, you can create your own unique identity in the workplace.

Additionally, your clothing will demonstrate your creative vision. For instance, how you match your top with a nice pair of pants will define how you can be creative in making solutions to the tasks being brought to you.

Insightfulness 

You can also tell if people can make the proper judgments through their clothes. For instance, you wouldn't wear a jacket outside during summer or thin clothes in winter because it would be so uncomfortable. Plus, you're risking your own health and safety by doing that. 

In light of this, as crucial as making a statement is with your clothes, they should also be appropriate for the occasion. For example, if you're working in the corporate world, you must follow the dress code whenever you go to work. You can just add accessories that are allowed to personalize your style. By dressing appropriately at the right venue, you'll also demonstrate that you can make the right decisions at work too. 

Organizational Skills

Finally, a person can know if you're organized or not through how you present yourself. If you consistently wear clothes that are neat and pressed, it indicates that you take the time to organize your wardrobe and keep it in order. On the other hand, if you always come to the office with wrinkled clothes, it shows how disorganized you can be in other things. And beyond the clothes, your grooming will also affect what people perceive of you. It includes how you groom your hair, trim your mustache or beard, manicure your nails, and apply an appropriate amount of makeup.

The aforementioned factors all add up to how reliable you can be at work. Therefore, it’s crucial to present yourself in a professional manner. But how will you do that?

Creating A Professional Image

There are many ways for you to create a professional image. But before we dive into that, let’s first explore what affects your professional image besides your overall appearance. 

Attitude And Behaviour 

Your mindset towards work can have a favorable or negative impact on your productivity. And it shows—people will know your attitude by how you behave at work and perform your responsibilities. Taking the initiative, accepting responsibilities, and motivating others are all traits of a professional mentality that you must keep in mind.

Verbal or Non-Verbal Communication

The way you communicate—verbal or non-verbal—also influences how others perceive you. Verbal communication includes your choice of words and tone while interacting with people at work. Meanwhile, non-verbal communication involves actions like eye contact, posture, and hand movements.

These two alongside your attire and grooming impact your professional image. Thus, here’s what you can do to develop a professional image:

• Assess your wardrobe and eliminate all those that aren't working
• Look for style inspirations
• Do strategic shopping and invest in clothes that are worth it
• Dress to express and impress—make sure it's appropriate to your line of work
• Seek help from a professional laundry service to ensure your clothes are clean
• Be mindful of your grooming and fragrance
• Enhance your social skills
• Remain punctual
• Take the initiative and be reliable at work

Final Words

Your personal style really affects your professional image in many ways. Therefore, it's always crucial to assess how we present ourselves to build better relationships in the workplace. We hope our blog helps you develop a professional image as you dress for success.

 If you’re looking for aesthetic pieces that don’t compromise comfort, check out our shop here. 

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