I was recently part of a strategy session for a forth coming high powered event and we were looking for facilitators who would be speaking to – you guessed right, some high powered professionals; We needed facilitators who would not only know their onions but also looked the part (At first glance)
You know that saying, “do not judge a book by its cover”? I don’t think it applies in Public relations – In Nigeria for that matter. In Nigeria, you are addressed the way you dress; not that this is always right. There are people who meet you and size you up then decide how much respect you deserve based on how expensive your human hair is or what brand your suit is; I think everyone deserves respect no matter how they’re dressed or how old/young they are.
I agree we can’t know the essence of who a person is based on one minute with them… or like in this digital age, based on a display picture or a social media post (or can you?) This is why I believe it’s important to be deliberate about how you want to be perceived. These days, people don’t even get to see how expensive your suit is to make up their mind about you; they only look at your social media post, your display picture, your headshot even. Whether you like it or not, people are judgmental and you may be great at your job but so are many other people so if it all comes down to perception, would you still get the recommendation?
So here’s a few things I would recommend; for your display picture, get a professional headshot instead of putting up a picture you took from a phone and if you work in a conservative industry, be mindful of your hair colour (Doesn’t apply if it’s your natural hair colour).