APPEARANCE CAN BE THE REALITY  

Dress how you want to be addressed

Image is everything! The first impression matters a lot in our daily lives. Your appearance sends a signal to people you meet in the office, on an occasion or events, at church, and so on. We live in a world where we are judged more by appearance than by any other thing. Appearance, they say speaks louder than words. 93% of impressions are based on what people see. What you wear signals your image to others. Looking good is good business.

Your attire can send a serious, conservative, creative, or sloppy message about you. It speaks long about you before you do and can enhance or diminish your professional image. Therefore, you must consider what you want your appearance to speak for you; slightly, very loudly, or better still, what not to speak about you. People overlook your positive qualities when you dressed inappropriately.

To make a good appearance, you must maintain good grooming. The basic grooming ingredients include proper care of skin, nails, teeth, hair, and body, teeth brushed at least twice a day, a good bath at least once daily, a good moisturizer (for your skin type), antiperspirant deodorant, shave, well shampooed and conditioned hair, well-shaped eyebrows, neat facial hair, clean & not too long nails, and good perfume. You must have good control of your wardrobe. Have the right accessories for your work role.

To succeed today, one needs to stand out. You need to package yourself effectively. Apply brand thinking to yourself. Remember, everything matters, and everything communicates the value and character of your brand. Find a niche for yourself and make that your brand, with confidence, competence, and passion. You are your brand, and your look should be your logo with a clear consistent image.

 Our social skills tutor mentioned that our dress code should correspond with the occasion or event we are attending, whether in our daily office dress or to any social or official meetings. At work, you should dress to have a positive impact. Your dress should speak authority, seriousness, self-confidence, reliability, and professionalism.

This session made me remember a previous experience I had a few years ago when I went for an interview in one of the big private schools in Lekki. On that faithful day, after the written interview, we were ushered in by the school administrator for a brief oral interview with the school director. As I entered the director’s office with a cheerful facial expression and a pleasant smile, I greeted her, and she answered back with a smile and offered me a sit. She told me that she loves my smiles and outfit. In her exact words, your outfit is smart and beautiful. I was so excited that the director of such a big school could admire my less expensive outfit. Indeed, appearance matters a lot. It doesn’t have to do with the cost of the outfits.

In addition, how we express ourselves also, matters a lot. Grammar and tenses should balance with our appearance and comportment. It’s embarrassing to make a very excellent impression and then blur it with a grammatical blunder. Avoid the use of street language, swearing, colloquialism, and frequently mispronounced words.

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