Job Interviews

The way we dress gives out lots of messages about us. It doesn’t matter what age, size, colour or race we are we need to express who we are – Being Truly You.

Wardrobe Personality – we all have different taste and preferences with our clothes, so it is important we feel as well as look good in our clothes. To do this be aware of what fabrics, style and accessories you enjoy wearing. The clothes you wear and how you wear them are giving out lots of messages about you as an individual. Your style will indicate whether you are trendy, classic, creative, dramatic, conservative, sporty or casual. You clothes even give out a message whether or not you are a tidy or untidy person or whether you pay a great deal of attention to details or are we more looking at the “big picture.”

To look your best in your clothes, whether formal or for casual, you need to ensure you are well groomed and that your clothes compliment your shape and fit you well.

Style of clothes – understand what styles of clothes suit your shape and please avoid bringing attention to your weaker areas.

Alterations – It is so easy to purchase of the peg clothes and to have them look bespoke with alterations. Yet so many people ԁο not think of alterations or appreciate the benefits of having them. Some people just do not want to pay the extra and yet when you do the clothes will look like they have been made for you, flatter your figure and give you greater style.  They will also last longer. Examples are shortening the sleeves of a jacket or length of trousers, taking in a skirt or trousers in at the waist or hip. It is important to purchase clothes to fit your largest part and then have the items altered where they are too big.

Change your lifestyle – when your lifestyle changes then so should your wardrobe e.g. job change to a more informal or formal, going for a job interview, had promotion or looking for promotion, personal life changes – have a family, get divorced, retire.

For more information or if you would like some help then contact Angela at Appearance Mananagement.

 I am often asked, when networking, what are the benefits of a consultation with Appearance Management and who comes to see me. Well here are my responses. Many of my male and female clients come to me because they:

1. Feel they are in a rut with their clothes and want to look and feel better; make less mistakes with purchases
2. Have become lazy and sloppy
3. Need to buy less but look smarter
4. Need to smarten up for an interview or are not sure what to wear
5. Are looking for promotion; had promotion
6. Got divorced or are looking for a partner
7. Want to update their style, what styles best suit them
8. Are lacking in confidence and low self-esteem
9. Wear too much black or lack confidence with what  colours are best suited to them
10. Are appearing in the media  or have  speaking engagements 

 Benefits of a consultation

1. Fresh ideas – Use the wardrobe of clothes in different ways
2. Look healthier and brighter in the correct shades of colour
3. Buy less but mix and match items so feel you have more
4. Understand what suits you and brings out your personality
5. Look good and feel confident on a budget
6. More confident to do the things you want to do in life
7. Have a wardrobe of clothes to suit your lifestyle
8. Buy the right clothes to suit you and your lifestyle; avoid mistakes when shopping
9. Know where and when are the best times of year to shop to suit you
10. Save money on purchases via Appearance Management eshopping (internet shopping service)

Why not email or telephone to arrange for a free 20 minute chat on how Appearance Management can help you.

With the cost of clothes going up as well as everyday expenses it is difficult to have a wardrobe of clothes that suits your budget. Yet it is vital to also look your best for work as well as your social life. By understanding some key points you will achieve a great wardrobe on a budget.

5 Tips on What to Avoid:

1. Stop overspending on items you do not need
2. Buying clothes off the cuff, know what you need and plan your wardrobe
3. Buying clothes that you do not wear and just sit in your wardrobe.
4. Paying for clothes you cannot afford, paying on credit and being charged interest.
5. Buying too much of the same items from the same shops.

To look good you do not have to spend lots of money. The key is to identify what you need and where and when to go for items. Understand what suit you, your colouring and fits in with your budget. Often you can get great bargains either in the High Street or online shopping.

 5 Tips on What to Do:

1. Develop your own style to suit your personality, lifestyle and body shape
2. Know what shops suit you although check out new ones as well
3. Recognise when is the best time of year to purchase items to suit your colouring and lifestyle
4. Keep up to date with offers and new brands
5. Understand your Wardrobe Personality – what suits you and you enjoy wearing

As an image consultancy company, Appearance Management services can:

1. Sort, organise your wardrobe to make more use of your clothes and help you plan what you need.
2.  Inform you what combination of shades of colours will suit you,
3. What shapes and proportions of styles will compliment your shape
4. What fabrics, styles and accessories you will enjoy wearing to suit your wardrobe personality
5. Provide an eshopping service, by receiving regular eshopping newsletters and finding items via online . Often with offers and big discount.

A consultation will explain and help you to have a mix and match wardrobe for your lifestyle and budget. The cost of a consultation will be more than saved. Contact Angela Marshall for further information or if your company requires a Professional Speaker on Personal Image.

 Quote: Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein,

 Over the last year more people are attending networking events but unfortunately, from my experience, they are not correctly networking. Networking, face to face, is an important part of the way people obtain new business, but people are thinking too much about sell, sell, sell! Instead they should spend time getting to know someone and show interest in their business or profession.  Networking is no different to other projects in that it needs to be planned, organised and appropriately followed up. When attending groups be positive whether it is an existing group or a new one.

7 Tips when face to face networking:

1. Dress to represent your business and brand
2. Walk in with confidence – give yourself a boost by reminding yourself what you have to achieve
3. Smile it will help you to relax and you will look more friendly and approachable.
4. Be a good listener – remember god gave you 2 ears and 1 mouth
5. Be prepared to tell people in short sharp sentences what you do and what type of business you are looking for.
6. Build up a relationship not a sale
7. Spend time with your existing networkers; not necessarily chasing new ones all the time.

During or after the meeting arrange to meet people outside the networking meeting or telephone them.

Wearing the correct clothes means you need to be comfortable but ensure you are well groomed. Your clothes need to reflect your wardrobe personality and your business and the type of industry you are in.

For more advice or if your networking group would like a speaker then contact Angela Marshall at Appearance Management.

The world is getting smaller; competition is getting stronger for obtaining jobs and doing business. We need to ensure we have every advantage when selling ourselves to people. It is, therefore, important for children to learn manners and social skills from an early age, so that they will be ready for interviews for university, jobs and generally knowing how to meet, greet or entertain customers and clients.

So often I have heard or seen how a person has lost out on a job, a promotion or socially due to their lack of confidence in mixing and mingling, knowing how to behave and having good manners at the table.

Wardrobe

 So many clothes brands are setting up kids departments and parents are buying clothes often for the kids before themselves as they find it easier to spoil them. The best approach is to teach children how to organise and plan their wardrobe on a budget, so that they have clothes they enjoy wearing and yet know how to wear them in different ways and feel great in them. No doubt if you have two or more children you will notice they often want different clothes, due to having different personalities. But be careful – spoiling them with lots of clothes will only encourage them to have too many clothes in the future, with obvious financial consequences!

Shopping

When your child wants to purchase an item, have them go to the counter to pay for it and teach them to check the change and to thank the assistant and smile. This will encourage them to engage with strangers and to be confident and polite.

Manners

 For children to be successful in life, they need to have good social skills as well as academic skills. If you help young children to learn how to be polite and caring, they will continue to use good manners and become more socially aware as they get older.

 Your kids may not appreciate this advice at the time, but it is one of those things that they will thank you for later in life. The sooner you teach your children, the easier it will be for them as they get older. Good manners do not come by themselves, they need to be taught.

Parents should always remember that the best way to teach manners is to lead by example, although they must also allow the child time to learn. Action speaks louder than words.

Here are some ideas and suggestions that may help you to prepare your children:

 1.    PS AND Qs

 Children should be taught to say please and thank you in all situations. It shows respect and appreciation. Teach them to say “please” when asking for something and make sure they also say “thank you”.

 2.   Introductions

Teaching children how to introduce themselves can be a very useful social skill and will help them when meeting new friends e.g. “Hello, I am James and what is your name?” I would encourage you to introduce your children to friends when they meet them, particularly and teach them what to say in response e.g. “Hello, it is good to meet you”. On certain occasions let them shake hands when you do and include girls as well as boys. Getting comfortable meeting new people will help them for when they go away to university and/or when they start work, as they will find it natural to open conversation with people and they will appear more courteous and respectful. People like polite and courteous people even if they don’t comment at the time.

3.    Letter Writing

 Thank-you letters seem a thing of the past and yet the person that receives a handwritten note always remembers it in a very positive way. Encourage your children to send postcards to grandparents, relatives or friends instead of sending emails and texts.

 4.    Telephone Etiquette for Children

Encourage your children from an early age to answer the phone politely. Practising with a toy phone or an unplugged phone can help, playing both roles of answering the phone and phoning the person. It is a good idea to show them how to leave a message on an answer phone and not to phone people like their grandparents at unsocial times. Good manners go a long way in telephone etiquette and give the child confidence with people.

 5.    Dining Manners

 Sitting down together as a family for a meal is important for both children and adults and no mobile phones is a great rule. Families who share their meals together tend to be more attentive and interested in each other. It is also the perfect time to teach the children table manners. Encourage them to help you lay the table as this will teach them what goes where.

Many children (and adults) eat too quickly which is bad for their digestion as well as bad mannered. Teach your children to eat slowly and if they are very young play a game of how many times to chew the meat, vegetables or fruit.

Children should stay at the table until excused. Create a rule for how to leave the table. For example they can say “Thank you for my meal, I enjoyed it. May I be excused, please?” You may also want to teach them to carry their own plate and cup to the kitchen sink or even load it in the dishwasher. It will help them to create a habit of being tidy. Advising them that elbows on the table, making rude noises when eating or wearing hats at meals are not allowed are all good at helping them to achieve good table manners.

6.    Eating out in Restaurants

It is good to encourage eating out with your children so that they become accustomed to being waited upon. However they need to understand that meals can take longer to arrive and that they will be served at the table by someone strange. Remembering their “Please” and “Thank You” will go a long way with the waiting staff.

7.    Social Skills

Not all children find it easy to make new friends yet encouraging them whilst they are young will help them in later life. These skills will give them confidence when dining with strangers and generally mixing with new people. You never know – it may refresh and improve your own manners at the same time!

 8.    Art of Conversation 

It is important for all the family to make conversation and also an important rule for children to learn to listen to what others have to say and to wait their turn to talk. They will find it will help to broaden their interests and it can be fun to talk to them about subjects you would like them to know more about. Dinner time is the ideal time to talk about what happened during the day.

9.    Respect Different Styles and Cultures

When people do things differently from your family whether it is due to having a different style, religion or culture then encourage your children to embrace it and appreciate the difference and to respect it and show them how interesting it can be.

10. The Golden Rule

It might seem like common sense, but it’s worth repeating to your child: treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you don’t want someone to be mean to you, don’t be mean to them. If you want people to say nice things about you, say nice things about them.

Any suggestions or comments for helping children please

Email:  angela@appearancemananagement.co.uk

When people go for an interview they are expected to look their best and yet so often people forget about their image, particularly how to be well groomed. Our grooming and clothes need to  represent us in a positive way.

Image Breakers

1.  Dirty and poorly manicured nails.
2. Poor hygiene
3. Dull or dry skin.
4. Dirty or bad teeth, bad breathe.
5. Greasy or lank hair.
6. Clothes creased or in disrepair.
7. Badly fitted clothes
8. Dirty marks on clothes.
9. Dated appearance.
10. Incorrect underwear e.g. visible pants line.
11. Pen in top pocket.
12. Scruffy briefcase or knapsack
13. Cheap plastic pen.
14. Scuffed or unpolished shoes.
15. Looking stern, miserable or disinterested

Contact Appearance Management for further information on how to have a good personal image.

Whether you are going back to work after a break, looking for a job, starting a different job or starting your own business you need to feel confident with what you wear.  

You may ask yourself what clothes have I got or what do I need to purchase? You need to ask yourself:

•  What image do I wish to portray and what is the brand of the company I have or I work for?
• Has my wardrobe personality changed?
• Do I know what style, fabrics and accessories I enjoy to reflect my personality?

Then

1.  Check sort out and organise your wardrobe
2. Make a list of the essential items you need for work
3. Purchase only key items you need and gradually add more, especially  if you are on a tight budget
4. Buy a few of this season’s accessories to change and update your wardrobe
5. Ensure you have comfortable shoes for work
6. Have a good quality handbag, satchel or briefcase
7. Always be well groomed – have shoe cleaning kit, sewing kit and organise your washing and ironing

 What you need to ensure that you have an up to date image to suit you and the organisation. This doesn’t need to cost a lot, sort and organise your wardrobe and then make a list of the essentials you need.

 If you need to know more about your wardrobe personality or work out what is your wardrobe personality type then try the questionnaire in my book.  OR

 Why not consider an image consultation which will help you to understand what styles; colours compliment you and your personality plus how to improve your wardrobe so that you stand out from the crowd in a positive way with great self esteem and confidence.

 Understand how to have a wardrobe to suit you and your budget, so that you don’t have clothes sitting in your wardrobe and not being worn.

If you want to start the decade with a new wardrobe, hair style or makeup, first ask yourself what you want to change? Do you want to look more professional, smarter, more up to date, thinner or younger? To get things moving choose one or two things that you will undertake immediately.  Just a few steps and you will already start to feel transformed.

7 ideas to Consider:

1. Changing your hairstyle – when did you last change your hairstyle? Is it dated or not working for you? As we get older our hairstyle needs to change in keeping with our face and the texture of our hair. Don’t get in a rut by keeping the same hairstyle, a new look gives us a new lease of life and is well worth investing in.

2. Clothes that flatter with style and fit – Be self aware; there is no substitute for understanding which are your better and which are your weaker areas. Accentuate the good and neutralise the bad e. g. Do you have a short or long body? If short then avoid a thick belt and wear a longer top to lengthen your upper body. Do you have a long or short neck? If short avoid high necklines.

Ask for style advice, if necessary, you’ll save a lot of time shopping and avoid costly mistakes.

3. What shades of colours work for you? Do certain blues make you look pale or yellows make you sallow? If unsure have a colour consultation. It will make shopping easier and you will look more radiant wearing the shades that suit you.

Colour also affects our emotions and influences people; colour can lift our spirits or helps us to look approachable, assertive or happy.

4.   Your clothes should reflect your wardrobe personality. Understanding what styles, fabrics and accessories you feel as well as look good in will ensure you do not waste time or money picking up items on impulse that you won’t wear. Key to this is knowing what styles, fabrics and accessories suit your personality, and these will differ depending on whether you are more creative, conservative, dramatic, fashion fad, or casual.

Read my books “Being Truly You – Discovering Your Own Unique Wardrobe Personality” which include a questionnaire to complete to find out which you are.

5.    Know what accessories you enjoy. Whether you like little and simple plain items, lots of fancy details or few bold pieces, accessories are a great way to add style and your own personality to an outfit, as well as updating or changing your look.

6. Ensure you have the suitable undergarments – such as a correctly fitted bra and style of underwear that create smooth lines so that only the outer garments are noticed.

7. Get good advice and follow it. Get another point of view, from someone you trust. We all can get into a rut and stick to what we’re comfortable with, even if it’s not suiting us.  Remember, we change as we get older.

Over the years, many men and women have turned to Appearance Manangment for image consultant advice which has helped them towards changing their lives either in their career or personal life. When you feel good about yourself, things begin to fall into place rapidly and new opportunities present themselves with much more clarity and purpose.

The Tie – a status symbol

The tie is a key part to looking professional as the eye is instantly drawn to it whether it is a well-chosen tie or a poorly chosen tie. It not only represents who you are (it gives out information about your wardrobe personality), but it also demonstrates how professional you are plus it gives you a sharper image.

Five reasons retailers are seeing an increase in the sale of ties:

1.       People feeling they need to look professional as they are concerned about losing their job

2.       More people are going for interviews for a job

3.       Casual is no longer fashionable in the work place

4.       Skinny ties the latest fashion- worn by footballers, pop stars and in the Mad Men TV show

5.       Tone on tone ties ideal to look professional at work and smart for the evening

What to consider when choosing a tie:

Quality

Choose a tie made of good quality silk as it will tie well, avoid polyester as it will not tie well and wrinkle easily.

Colour

Generally choose the base colour to match or complement the base colour of the accompanying shirt with accent colours complimenting the colour of the suit or jacket. Choose a solid coloured tie for the most conservative occasions, followed by a striped or dotted pattern tie.

Patterns and Designs

Match patterns and texture of shirts and ties. A plain tie and shirt are the most formal look. A plain shirt and pattern tie give more personality and recently both striped shirts and ties have been fashionable. However they are not so easy to mix and match with other items and it is important to ensure they match in colours, widths and pattern to complement each other.  

There are many patterns of ties to choose from (e.g. polka dots, paisleys, stripe, foulard) and it is important to consider the shape of your face as well as the size of pattern as it should relate to your size of body. 

A Personal Image Consultation

Why not have a style consultation  and colour consultation with Appearance Management who will advise you on what pattern ties and knots to suit your face and will also advice you on the correct shade of colours and how to wear various colours together.

Example of client

richard-good-and-bad-colours1

I have recevied feedback from several employers about obvious mistakes people are making when attending interviews. Some of theses mistakes, it seems,  people just don’t think what image they are portraying to the interviewer, particularly students out of university. As an image consultant I am quite shocked, or should I be, what bad manners people have?  Here are some tips:

10 Do’s

1. Shake hands firmly with the interviewer at the beginning and end of the interview
2. Good posture, give eye contact, smile and relax in the chair but don’t slouch
3. Make sure you know where any documents you need are and the order they are in
4. Adhere to the employer’s dress code, check out the company’s dress code beforehand
5. Be smart – dress slightly better than you would if you were an employee
6. Cover up tattoos and remove body jewellery
7. Listen carefully to the current question and try to give short and concise answers with examples
8. Speak clearly and loudly (no too loudly) and try not to speak too fast
9. Know your CV

10 Don’ts

1. Chew gum or eat garlic beforehand, ensure you have a fresh breath
2. Turn off your mobile and ensure you do not take any text or phone messages whilst in the interview (it has been known)
3. Have dirty, scruffy shoes
4. Look worried, or have a poor posture
5. Wear creased clothes
6. Have dirty hair, nails or hands
7. Ask for the toilet the minute you arrive for the interview, ensure you go before you announce your arrival or ask the receptionist to give you a minute to go
8. Mutter, interrupt and not listen to the interviewer
9. Turn up late and not apologise
10. Be arrogant