Are You Invisible At Work?

Are You Invisible At Work?

As a court reporter, sometimes you may feel that you and your work go unnoticed and taken for granted…no recognition, praise, or appreciation. Other times, being invisible seems like a good idea…you feel you don’t have to “dress for success,” because who’s going to notice? And why make the effort; after all, the history of your work speaks for itself.

According to scientific study and research, there are valid reasons to pay attention to your image in the workplace. Dr. Lawrence Wrightman, a social psychologist, found that “impression management” has a real effect on how people respond to you. His scientific definition of image: Impression Management - a term in psychology to describe purposeful choice of wardrobe and behavior to affect the images and impressions others form during social and professional interactions. Taking this a step further, Dr. Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at UCLA, found that people will make ten decisions about you based solely on your appearance: your economic and educational level, trustworthiness, social position and sophistication, moral character, success at what you do, and your background - your economic, social, and educational heritage (family background).  Even if you don’t care what people think of you, most people care how others communicate and respond to our communication…and if how you look fits others’ perception of a “good court reporter,” then others will communicate with the respect, the appreciation, and the recognition you may have been waiting to receive (also research results).

One final benefit that may convince you to “look like a professional”…the Society of Human Resource Management did a study on the impact of professional image on income. You guessed it - a better income for those who “package themselves” compared to equally-stellar performers who don’t care about their image …20% more money for those with a polished image!  Job offers, better pay offers, improved income negotiations, repeat call backs, and offers of better opportunities for advancement—all these lead to monetary rewards—and all are benefits to a purposeful, professional image.

Invisible?  Make a choice to consistently appear professional every day, all day, and you’ll enjoy visible results in your wallet and the way people treat you.

Write to us with your business image questions: patsy@corporateicon.com

Watch for the next article from our new 2008 newsletter contributors: the corporate image consultants from Corporate Icon, LLC – Patsy Cisneros, AICI, and Susan Abrams, AICI-CIP, authors of The Professional Image Toolkit - How to Look like You Mean Business. www.corporateicon.com