From long ago,

we’ve been taught not to judge a book by its cover and that what is inside is what matters. Unfortunately, living in America, we judge someone by their looks and how they appear visually. This is especially true now that there are cameras readily available to post on social media.  

Yes, technology has changed the way we think and interact with one another but has not changed the way we perceive someone from our first encounter.  First impressions are still relevant, making your image important. This is true in all aspects of our lives including the workplace.

Compared to 20 years ago, the workplace has had so many changes coming down the pipeline. With the world in the palm of our hands, thanks to social media, your personal image is often combined with your corporate image. Due to the changes brought by the digital era and with workplaces changing the way we work, interact with one another, and dress at the workplace, one might wonder, “ How does professional image play an important role in the workplace in 2022?” and “ Why is professional image important in the workplace anymore?”.

Now you may quickly think that professional image isn’t as relevant because of the flexibility in our daily wear now that companies are more relaxed in dress codes as they want you to be comfortable. “Casual wear” or “comfortable wear” has been so normalized that according to a recent survey done by Simply Hired, only fewer than half of American workplaces have an office dress code.

But honestly, do you want to remain in the same position in your career? 

To understand the crucial role your professional image plays in the new work environment, let us first get an understanding of what image is.

According to the dictionary, Image is the concept of someone or something held by the public. We define personal image as a visual resume of you that people perceive of you.

The ultimate goal is for you to find flattering ways to showcase who you are professionally while developing a presentation that is career-appropriate and at the same time refreshing and modern enough to compete with other ambitious professionals and for some women, with their counterparts. This includes taking small steps like updating things like your fashion accessories or getting a different hair color that may seem like small adjustments at the moment but over time add up to a sophisticated, professional look which often results in the added benefit of bolstering not only your image but also your self-confidence and getting you better opportunities in your work environment.

Let’s break down the benefits of how your professional image plays an important role in your workplace and profession: 

It shapes your reputation before others do

I know you’re tired of hearing about how first impressions are important but it is a factor in your personal and professional image especially when you are first meeting someone in person. 

I tell my clients that your image talks before you start talking with your words. So what are you currently saying or projecting when you enter a room for a meeting with people who only know you for your projects?

The world for centuries has been built off of the energy in form of non-verbal messages. Unfortunately, people don’t realize that they are unconsciously shaping their reputation through their dressing. Take a look at a lot of the women who take a lot of pride in their look, even though for some, the looks are simple, it is still pristine. Think of those who don’t leave the house without looking a certain way, unconsciously forgetting they are setting the tone of how they want their reputation to be. It all starts with knowing your goals and mission within your work life.

Among the key aspects of setting the desired tone at your workplace, color is key. As music creates moods and feelings, so does color. Color is closely tied to our emotions and is the most immediate and overwhelming message received by people considering our responsive nature as human beings. Sequentially, our memories, subconscious thoughts, and energy vibrations are triggered by smells, sounds, and most of all by what we see.

Human beings have a physiological and psychological response to colors. A psychological response is where your choice of color is affected by upbringing or personal taste and is mostly mental for instance, she wore pink a lot as a little girl and now hates wearing it as an adult. The physiological response on the other hand is where a color causes a physical impact on someone, for instance, colors like violet cause people’s eyes to bulge. Understanding this will get you ahead in your quest to improve your professional image towards being impactful.

With that, here are some suggestions if are you seeking to;

1. Appear credible in a male-dominated industry.

Try wearing a dark color matching skirt suit with a solid color blouse. A color combination we often inform women in a male-dominated industry is navy blue and blush pink. An example is a navy blue skirt suit with a blush pink blouse. Clients have reported back stating that it breaks away from being intense by wearing black all the time while the blush pink adds the soft feminine touch.  

1. Give a speech or presentation to a group

Try wearing an energizing color. This varies from Magenta, Orange, Red, or Yellow. These warm color variations will often cause feelings of optimism and happiness. Such are bright and vibrant colors that are often more childlike because of the high energy they hold. This hints at why kids’ clothes always have bright colors and not muted ones. Sometimes these colors are used in signs for showing warnings for example yield signs, stop signs, construction cones, etc. This is because these colors spark us to action since they have the longest wavelength in our retina. 

The first color I would suggest for my client if they want to energize the room, is magenta. A lot of women I come across do not like wearing it but don’t know that this warm color is reminiscent of the color red and gives off the same energy as red.

Then my next color suggestion would be pastel yellow or mustard if you are not a pink wearer. These are warm colors on the color spectrum purposely to get your attention. A woman can get away with wearing it as compared to a male in business.

It contributes largely to brand representation

As mentioned, personal and professional image impacts not only your opportunities but also your reputation. Most people don’t recognize that image says something about who we are- whether or not we focus on it and whether or not what it says about us is accurate. Regardless of your size, shape, or ethnicity, your image can either communicate that you are confident, professional, and chic, or on the flip side, none of these. 

Representing the corporation’s brand to the public is a huge part of being a member of the company because everyone’s look is in unison. So much so that it's an unspoken marketing strategy among the upper echelon.  This is crossroads for a lot of women who are not aware of their image not knowing that deciding to upgrade or re-evaluate their image if they want to move up the career ladder is necessary. 

Changing your image to industry-leading standards will increase your responsibility for representing the company publicly. Think about it. Many conglomerates today spend a lot of time, effort, and money on building their visual brand, investing in recruiting the right talent to scale up their business, and researching the appropriate words for their content. People being the companies’ vital marketing tool for representation, makes the way they come across to the outside world of the greatest importance and it only makes sense that when a company cares about the way its employees look, so should its employees. Even research shows that people are more likely to hire, promote and do business with individuals if they look the part. We don’t like to think image matters, but people react to us based on their perceptions.

Being in a digital era where entrepreneurship is shoved down our faces via social media, big conglomerates require you to work as a unit which means you MUST move and dress accordingly to the brand’s integrity no matter how great your resume is. 

It helps you communicate (non-verbally) effectively

As mentioned earlier, the world is built off of signals and non-verbal messaging. Have you ever noticed how you’re treated when you have on an over-the-knee skirt with a silk blouse on, high heels, nails are manicured and your hair is done as compared to when you wearing a knitwear jogger set with heels on, nails are manicured and hair done in a corporate setting? 

With society normalizing “comfortable wear” or “casual wear” (as some would say), you might be misrepresenting yourself unintentionally by not giving yourself a fair opportunity to introduce yourself to appear the way you want to be addressed. To add or take away from your effectiveness, especially when in certain sectors of business, colors play a major role since they are made of energy and are crucial in sending a message non-verbally. 

I tell my clients, especially those in strict corporate settings, to take it as a boys’ club. That within this club, certain colors may get you respected as they communicate, “I’m the boss” and so on, and achieving that, you will have to play around with the garment silhouettes (if you are open to that), and certain fabric textures (depending on your industry). Choose your color wisely as some of them might send out messages that you are not aware of.

If you’ve ever experienced this, kindly share how you were treated when you had your casual clothes on i.e. flats/sneaks, jeans, and a t-shirt with your hair semi-done versus How you were treated when you had on your professional wardrobe i.e. heels, skirt or dress, blouse, hair neatly done with light makeup.

It increases your chances of professional development: Advancement, Onboarding, Networking, and Referrals 

 “I can’t count the number of networking connections and referral that has increased for me these past 13 months. We were all in a slump due to the pandemic but I wanted better for myself since I wasn’t feeling right just being in casual wear while working- it was like my performance and mindset were sub-par. After connecting with Mikara at MIIEN, and creating a new fashion system, things have by a rocket for me in business. I never realized how important professional image was until I was educated by Mikara, which provided examples for me to have a clear understanding. I’ve attended two prestige business schools and they don’t spend enough time talking about how your professional image has a HUGE impact on elevating your career, getting that, connecting with like-minded people, and earning referrals. I think everyone should take the time out to learn and see (if you can’t afford to hire an accurate image consultant/stylist) how your image is important in everything you do, especially as a woman.”

This is Dana, MIIEN’s client, on how creating and managing a professional image has helped her in the corporate world.

According to a study done by Robert Half, the majority of professionals (86%) and managers (80%) surveyed said that clothing selections affect someone’s chances of being promoted. 44% of senior managers said they’ve had to talk to an employee about their inappropriate attire, while 32% of them have sent staff home based on what they were wearing. This goes to show how employees’ outfits bring different effects in the workplace including promotions and demotions. 

To add to this, managing our presentation can be an effective leadership tool just like negotiation or strategic thinking. People make decisions about us based on their first impressions of us so it’s important to get your professional packaging right. Learning to visually express who we are by highlighting specific characteristics through clothing, fit, color selections and quality can positively impact your profession. Presenting a less-than-corporate image can hurt us as some professionals do not place too much importance on dressing up for the workplace. 

It determines how others treat you  

Respecting your image equals to you respecting yourself in others’ eyes. This will in turn have others respecting you.  At the first encounter with someone, you are being assessed based on your appearance. How we are packaged is directly correlated to how we are received by others. Therefore, take time and invest in knowing and upgrading your personal and professional image. Knowing how to use your image gives an immediate advantage over your competitors and brings in business success. 

It adds to confidence

People tend to blend in rather than stand out by dressing as casually as the people around them. Having a solid corporate image could get you better responsibility at the workplace, which in turn, influences your performance which is the goal of every organization.  According to an article on color psychology, the brighter and lighter the color of clothes you are putting on, the happier you are likely to feel. There is assured confidence throughout the day, so you can use your image as a personal asset.

In conclusion, the world-changing in this digital era might have impacted the way we communicate with one another, how we work, or do business but has not changed the impact your professional image carries in the workplace.

If you are a woman trying to figure out your professional image during this transitional time, try doing a self-study to identify appropriate clothes for your body shape then try out different clothes. Make sure to journal how well you increased your chances with casual wear as compared to a professional look and then make necessary adjustments based on what you want to change and how you want to shape your reputation. Build a solid foundation for your professional image by committing to principles and practices on a consistent daily basis. 

If you are not sure whether you need to revamp or manage your professional image, ask yourself these questions for a start;

1. Do you like your image?

2. Do you like what your image says about you?

3. Is it appropriate for your job or your side hustles?

4. Is your image helping you achieve your goals?

Besides this, practice image management where you align your clothes, confidence, and career goals together so that you can have a better fashion system based on your lifestyle. The quality of your work and skill level might be the most important thing but your image also leaves an immediate impression if you leverage it the right way. 

It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed, especially when making an impression on your profession.