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Ask the Image Expert Sherry Maysonave is the founder and president of Empowerment Enterprises, one of America's leading communication-image firms. Sherry conducts corporate seminars and coaches executives, professionals, and politicians in achieving excellence in communication and image. She is also the author of Casual Power: How to Power Up your Nonverbal Communication and Dress Down for Success
Transitioning from student attire to professional attireQuestion: I recently finished grad school, and I'm having a difficult time making the transition from the student look to a professional image. Any recommendations?Margaret H Answer: Congratulations on completing graduate school! And kudos to you for recognizing that student garb does not cut it in the business world. I understand that it can be a huge transition to go from T-shirts and jeans (or whatever you were wearing as a student) to even a semi-professional look. But, If you do not make the change, you risk stalling out your career, even before you really have it going. To jump-start your career, include at least one power suit in your professional wardrobe. Depending upon your job, you may want to purchase a pantsuit. Ideally, today's power suit for women includes a skirt and pants. Those options would give you flexibility for multiple business environments -- the traditional and the business casual. At the minimum, purchase one dark jacket (tailored) in your best power-neutral color. Notice that I said a tailored jacket; a bomber jacket or sporty style does not convey that you mean business or that you are serious about being successful in your career. The jacket can have style, but choose a jacket that fits you well and one that is longer in length -- probably finger tip length. The longer fitted style even looks great with jeans. What are the best power-neutral colors? Black, navy, and sometimes brown are the most empowering neutral colors for women, with black and navy being the absolute best for business. Strive to accumulate some very basic pieces in just one of these colors. (No, dark jeans do not count as a navy basic business item.) By having items in one power-neutral color, you can wear the same garment more than one time in one week and it not be memorable -- a wardrobe stretcher, indeed. I suggest that you read my book, Casual Power, for multiple reasons. For starters, it has a chapter on how to accumulate a business wardrobe on any budget; that chapter is loaded with tips for bargain shopping and creating miracles on even an anorexic budget. I do not mean to imply that you are not making a great salary. Since your graduate school completion, you may have landed a job that pays well. Even still, the chapters on the power of nonverbal communication, vertical dressing tips for women, and the capsule wardrobe plan all have information that would add tremendously to your knowledge about how to build a business wardrobe. And one that helps you achieve your goals… and one that is perfectly suited for you, your coloring and your body type. It takes dedication and focus to go those extra miles that graduate school requires. Don't throw away all that hard work and ignore the impact of your image. No, it's not everything, but it counts for more than most people believe, especially when starting out. Power up your image from the start, conveying that you can handle today's highly competitive business environment. I assure you, it will only work in your favor.
Best of luck to you,
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