Success has never looked so good… - by Ernie Chen

One scholarly article after another reveal what every professional may have already heard of about acquiring professional success. It all seems so boringly generic nowadays – continuous training and education, hard work and determination, teamwork and interpersonal skills, critical thinking and “proper” attitude projection. These elements may play a pivotal role in elevating your climb up the corporate ladder to success; however they do not complete the package. What they constantly forget is the crucial element of grooming and image management.

Current global market and economic trends have brought to an extreme rise in human capital competition. Professionals are beginning to realize the need to “live up” to employers’ expectations in order to maintain a tight grasp on their jobs. Some may possess an advantage over others; as the others are merely clinging on to their paper qualifications to get through job interviews. Those who possess the added advantage are those who value the power of looking good.

The first and perhaps the most crucial moment of professional judgment would be the first impression. No matter how much the corporate world would like to emphasize on the importance of talent, looks undoubtedly play a significant role in defining the first impressions. This includes your fashion personality, your choice of dressing, your hair and makeup style, your fitness and your personal hygiene.

However, grooming and image management does not end at that. Your individual business ethics are equally, if not more, crucial in determining the image projected to the corporate world. This is because your external outlook displays your level of consideration towards adhering to workplace ethics and maintaining optimum professional behaviour.

When dealing with both colleagues and clients, a primary communication style between the sender and the receiver is body language. Handshakes, eye contact, body postures as well as gestures demonstrate the professional’s respect (or lack of it) towards their communication partner. For example, a lack of attentiveness in responding to their partner’s query only serves to frustrate the receiver.

Additionally, etiquettes in social settings, business agendas and dining engagements also determine your level of business ethics. This is because the way of which you behave, act and react in such situations are pivotal in making or breaking your professionalism, as they demonstrate your ability in adapting to the communication styles of others without foregoing your ethics.

The above and more inevitably point towards the burgeoning importance of grooming in the corporate world. True enough, success, when approached well, has never looked so good…