Professional Image

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Professional Image Etiquette
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Self - Presentation

• A word about Culture
• The way you dress
• The way you communicate
• Behavior and other office rules

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Its All About Culture

• Etiquette is culture specific
• Work Culture is different from School Culture
• Businesses focus on common goal vs. individual
  goals
• You will work with people of different ages and
  backgrounds
• Not all company cultures are alike

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Professional Dress

• Dress for the job you want not the job you have
• Levels of Dress
• Business Tailored
• Business Casual
• Casual

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Business Tailored Style

• Key element Suit

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Business Casual Style

• Still neat and clean
• For men
• Khakis or dress pants
• Button down shirts or polo shirts
• Casual shoes
• Sweaters and vests

• For Women
• Khakis or dress pants
• Jean or corduroy skirts
• More casual sweaters

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Casual Style

• May be OK in some settings

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Donts for Men

• Forget to shave
• Wear too much jewelry
• Forget to tuck in your shirt
• Baggy pants/cargo pants
• Extreme hairstyles or unnatural hair colors (i.e.
  green, blue, pink)
• Hats indoors

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Donts For Women

• Really short skirts
• Showing too much skin
• Sandals are OK but not flip flops
• Lingerie on the outside
• Spaghetti straps
• Really young looks
• Extreme hairstyles or unnatural hair colors (i.e.
  green, blue, pink)

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Communication

• Spoken
• In person
• On the phone
• In writing
• Email
• Other written documents
• Avoiding CLMs (Career Limiting Moves!)

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Spoken Communication

• Interpersonal conversation
• Start out speaking formally
• Do not SWEAR
• Do not spread office gossip
• Be careful about saying anything negative
• Watch your co-workers follow their lead

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Phone Etiquette

• Speaker phones
• Tell people before you put them on speaker
• Mute your phone while others are presenting
  information
• Voice mail
• This is the companys message system not yours.
• A professional message
• Leaving a voice-message
• State your name clearly.
• Keep the message brief for longer topics use
  email
• Repeat your name and number at the end

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Written Communication

• Proof read it!!!
• No typos
• Correct grammar, no slang
• Business jargon is OK, however
• Be careful what you say
• You dont know who will read it
• You dont know where it will go

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Email is not Always Casual

• Dont be cute
• Acronyms - LOL TTFN
• Emoticons -) 8- 8-0
• Do not use text message talk
• Dont use lots of !!!!!
• Dont mark everything urgent
• Dont reply all unless you REALLY mean to.

• Do proof read it before you send
• Do include a subject line otherwise it could be
  deleted
• Do add the email address last to avoid
  accidentally sending it too soon.
• Do use proper capitalization and punctuation

Getting from College to Career, Lindsay Pollak,
Harper Collins 2007
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Behavior

• Greetings
• Names Use formal titles at first
• Handshakes Should be firm
• Hygiene is important
• Your desk and office space
• You will be judged by your calendar and wall art
• Find out what is allowed and who is allowed to
  hang them up

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Using Technology

• The technology does not belong to you
• The use of it is for business only
• The company can
• Read ALL of your email
• Block certain websites
• Track your web browsing history
• Dont forward chain letters
• Dont browse inappropriate sites
• Dont use company resources for personal reasons

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Other company rules you need to learn

• How and when can you spend company money
• Business dinners?
• Books and professional dues?
• Office supplies?
• Travel
• Which airlines and hotels are allowed?
• How loose are expense reports?
• Work schedule
• What are the real work hours?
• Do you need to plan vacation time ahead?

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How Can You Know All This Stuff!!

• You cant so relax
• No one expects you to get it all right the first
  time
• No one expects you to just know
• How do you learn
• Watch your coworkers
• Ask secretaries
• Ask your manager
• Get a mentor
• If you make a mistake apologize and move on

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Being Yourself at Work

• Being part of any group is a compromise
• Companies treasure their images or brand
• Brand equity customer loyalty
• As an employee you are part of the Brand
• A well understood culture gives us guidance on
  how to handle situations
• A roadmap for success
• An expectation of how people will treat you

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You Have a Choice

• Do you want to look like a native or a tourist?
• Do you want to be a success or a rebel?
• Look for a culture that you would feel
  comfortable with
• Start conservatively until you know the culture
• Use your unique personality to stand out in
  positive ways
• Dont expect to change the culture to suit you
  because you cant, unless you are the boss

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Always Remember the Golden Rule!

• In Business
• Whoever has the GOLD makes the Rules!

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Thanks For Attending

• Questions?
• Contact UAlbany Career Services
• For more assistance
• Phone [phone]
• Email career_at_uamail.albany.edu
• Hours M- F from 9 AM 5 PM