“What should I wear?”

by Angela Copeland | May 18, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter, Personal Brand

One of the questions I’m asked over and over again is, “What should I wear?” What should I wear to an interview? What should I wear to work? When should I dress up or down?

The answer to this question can be tricky. When I started my career in engineering, I wore a golf shirt, khaki pants, and steel-toed boots. As a project manager, I wore business casual most days. As a member of corporate management, I often wore a suit.

In a way, what you wear to work is as much a costume as anything else. It’s what you put on to be taken seriously each day. It’s what allows you to fit into your environment.

On one hand, you want to be yourself. On the other, your number one goal at work isn’t to make friends. It’s to get things done.

And, unfortunately, people judge you for what you wear. So, what should you wear?

When it comes to interviews, a good rule of thumb is to find someone on the inside to quietly ask in advance. If you’re interviewing at a corporation or traditional business, a suit is often the correct choice. Stick with neutral colors in your suit, your shoes, and your makeup.

But, if you’re interviewing at an advertising agency or a start-up, the full suit look could really turn folks off. Consider something slightly less formal, and with creative accents. Add a little more color than you would at a corporation to show creativity is part of your brand.

When it comes to day to day wear, it’s often best to take hints from those around you. In a creative environment, you will want your style to look more up to date. Similar to when you were interviewing, you’ll want to add in more color, more creativity, and more of your personal brand.

But, if you work at a corporate, beware. It may seem fun to stand out initiatlly. You may be known as the one with the interesting hair, crazy shoes, or big tattoos. But, it’s likely in a corporate environment that’s all you’ll ever be. That person with the unusual look. It’s less likely you’ll be considered for promotions or management roles if you don’t fit into the corporate culture.

It’s sad, but true.

Now, I’m not trying to tell you not to be yourself. If you have no career aspirations of moving up, by all means, wear what you feel the most at home in.

But, if you plan to move ahead, you need to consider your wardrobe carefully. Selecting the wrong “personal brand” for your environment can sideline you in a way you never expect, and may never know for sure. It’s rare that someone will be truly honest with you if your style is causing you to be overlooked.

Again, I’m not encouraging you to not be yourself. But, consider your environment and think of your goals. Remember you’re at work to make a living, not to make friends. Friends are a great bonus, but you also need to stay focused on your goals. And, sometimes, especially in corporate, part of reaching that goal is being able to fit in along the way.

If you do have a strong personal identity that clashes with your work, remember that you can always wear your favorite clothes at home, outside of the office.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland

@CopelandCoach

New Year, New You: Building Your Personal Brand

by Angela Copeland | Dec 23, 2013 | Advice, Newsletter, Personal Brand

The New Year is just a little over a week away.  You’ve just started to think about looking for a new job or internship, and you’re wondering where to begin.  The entire process can be quite overwhelming for many, especially if you don’t have family members you can lean on for help.  You may be graduating from college, finishing up graduate school, just looking for something new, or switching careers altogether….

No matter what your situation, the first thing to consider is your own personal brand.  Yes, YOU.  Your personal brand is a lot like the big brands that you think of such as Target, Apple, McDonald’s, and Facebook.  What do you think of when you think of these brands?  Do you love them? Do you hate them?  Where did you come up with these impressions?  I will be that there are brands that you’ve never used before, but you already have an impression of.

When you’re looking for jobs, the first thing you need to consider is your personal brand.  You may wonder how to begin to evaluate your personal brand.  Here are the steps you should follow to start with:

1. Get your resume in order.  Draft a new resume or update your existing resume.  Then, work with a professional career coach to ensure that your resume really makes the cut.  The worst thing I’ve seen is candidates with a great education and great background who are overlooked because of a sloppy resume that doesn’t succinctly highlight their skills.
2. Do a Google search of your name in quotes.  The first place an employer will look other than your resume is in the search engines.  For example, I would check out “Angela Copeland.”  What pops up?  Are there positive or negative results?  Do you have the ability to remove or change the negative posts?  Can you add more positive posts?
3. Do a Google search again, but within Google Images (Google.com/images).  You may never have noticed, but Google also allows you to search through their images using your name.  Are there beautiful photos of you and your parents from your graduation?  Or, do photos also show up that your friends posted on Facebook after a drunken party?
4. Ensure that your e-mail address is clear and concise.  Take a second look at your resume, and the e-mails you’re sending.  It should not make a statement about your hobbies or your age (such as green_girl_1992@gmail.com).  It should be plain and easy to understand.  Try something like firstname.lastname@gmail.com.  If you’re an older job seeker, stay away from e-mail addresses that date you, such as anything@AOL.com, or anything@HOTMAIL.com.  I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone gossip, “Did you see his e-mail address?  Oh my gosh! He is either extremely old, or he knows nothing about technology!”  Neither of these is something you want an employer to think (even if they are kind enough not to say it).
5. Take inventory of your social media.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Flickr, your blog.  Whatever you’re using, it’s time to go through it.  Look at your privacy settings.  Ensure that they’re set so that random internet stalkers (a.k.a. “future employers”) can only see what you want them to.  Check that your visible profile picture is also in line with the professional brand that you want to display.  Consider hiding or removing old photos that don’t represent who you are today.  Drunken party photos or scantily clad beach pics are not what you want to be part of your personal brand.

Following the steps above will help to ensure that you’re driving your own personal brand, and avoiding a social media nightmare.  Stay tuned to CopelandCoaching.com for more tips for building your brand and finding the job for you in the New Year.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland

@CopelandCoach