Do you ever feel dwarfed by the professionalism of your colleagues, like being a noob in the midst of corporate leaders? Do office mates doubt your abilities, making you feel like an amateur among veterans? If you want to change people’s perception of you, follow these easy tips to show the professional you can actually be.
Not needing eyeglasses makes you fortunate. But beyond repairing poor eyesight, wearing glasses has certain tactical benefits. If you look too young your age without it, this accessory makes you appear a bit more mature. There’s a certain appeal to it, as if you’re a person who pays great attention to detail whether during meetings or at work. There’s an added impression of self-confidence around it.
People who carry a briefcase give off an air of importance. No matter what’s inside it, the corporate prop makes you assume they hold high positions in a company. Who knows what’s inside these cases? It doesn’t matter if you’re just a newbie who’s trying to make ends meet, wearing an inexpensive suit, running late to the office. The fact that you’re clutching a briefcase is what most people are going to pay attention to.
If you are often seen idle, many will doubt your importance as a professional. So grab your laptop and your headphones and be on your way to a meeting. But there are no meetings to go to, so make it look like the whole act is legit by perhaps having a room scheduled. Behave like a VIP would, wear your headphones, and pretend you’re deep in a Skype call with department heads, even if it’s just your mother on the line.
Impress people by showing them that you’re not a pushover. If it means making yourself overheard making important business calls, so be it. The key is to make others feel that you are vital to an organization, that you are valuable, and your ideas mean something.
Even highly knowledgeable people may appear insignificant sometimes when they behave too humbly when they don’t speak up, as is commonly the case. Instead, try to use jargon and terminologies related to your profession, and incorporate them into your daily vocabulary. Make it sound natural when you use them, and people will start to assume you’re a big deal.
Having a lot of stationery may give people the impression that you’re a collegiate student or a teacher. On the other hand, it may also highlight the fact that you are a professional. It makes you appear like you’re simply too busy at work and that you need to jot things down from time to time to keep up with your schedule. Keep a nice pen in your pocket, too.
We all know that people tend to be snoopy sometimes, especially when passing through colleagues’ cubicles. Take advantage of that fact by opening your LinkedIn page and keeping it open at all times on a different tab in your browser. Subtly impress people when they approach your cubicle by quickly browsing the professional network platform.
A headpiece with Bluetooth technology isn’t exactly cutting edge, and it’s really no big deal. But it’s still popular nowadays, and it doesn’t cost much to purchase. Make people think that you’re too preoccupied with work to have time to get your phone when somebody calls. Like you’re too busy and your time is too important to be tinkering with. They’re going to think you’re an absolute professional.
Regardless of your field or occupation, these tips will help you boost your appearance as a professional. It will make you stand out and impress. It will take time, so just practice it, make it seem natural and success will follow. Appearing confident and important may someday attract and lead you to your dream position.