Resourceful Girl

Every now and then you just need a kick in the ass. The most productive and motivated days I have start with the TED Talks App on my iphone. So, it’s off to Ted.com to find some inspiring talks from intelligent and unique speakers. Today I was focused on big, bold ideas about women’s roles in the world. Fortunately, there is a whole theme page on just that, titled Women Reshaping the World. Here are three that kicked my ass. Pass them on.

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Are you ready for the most comprehensive, no bull-shit guide to dressing for success? If you are a female working in the corporate world, you have lost many otherwise calm moments to one frantic question, “Is this outfit going to hurt my career?” Patty Conklin breaks it all down from head to toe. The clear mantra of corporate woman attire is this, Sexy will sabotage your career, serious will help it advance. Find more on her blog, OfficeFashionIdeas.com.

9 Rules for Women’s Business Attire
If you ask yourself the question “What should I wear to work that will help me get promoted and earn a bigger salary?” the following rules will help you to know what you should wear to give you the best chance for a better job and a bigger paycheck. Men have known these rules for ages, but women seem uninformed and wear things that undermine their chances to get ahead.

STARTING TOP TO BOTTOM:
1. Your Hair – Whatever hairstyle you choose, make sure it is neat and professional. Your grooming is a big part of your professional image. Extreme styles or wild dye jobs send the message you are not serious about your career. I have some examples here of professional hairstyles (network anchorwomen are an excellent place to look for ideas!)

2. Your Face – Some makeup helps most women to look their best, but don’t overdo it. SEXY will sabotage your career, SERIOUS will help it advance. In fact there are studies that have been done that prove that women who wear makeup to work are more likely to get promoted and earn a bigger salary. Your image isn’t just about how you see yourself, but how others see you too. Here is a video on professional makeup and grooming.

3. Jewelry – As a rule, nothing cutesy, clunky or clanky. Anything that makes a noise is a no no. Do wear conservative jewelry that doesn’t steal the show. Here is a video that talks about accessorizing your women’s business suit. Here is a video about accessorizing your business suit.

4. Jacket – Wearing a jacket gives you the impression of authority, of being competent and capable, it gives you confidence and others have more confidence in you when you wear one. Not wearing a jacket doesn’t give this same impression. If you want your best chance to succeed, wear a jacket, period. Some women opt for the “soft” jacket (cardigan or knit) which is fine for some work places, but again, does not hold the authority of the tailored jacket. Try wearing a simple top one day to work, and the next a tailored jacket and you will notice that people look at you differently and treat you differently. They see you as more authoritative and capable, and thus promotable, which ultimately translates into a higher salary and higher position. Here is my post about the top 5 reasons to wear a jacket.

5. Blouse/Top- Must not be sheer or see through, should cover your cleavage, and should direct the focus to your eyes. Do not make your choice of blouse or top an attention getter for your chest area, so pin those button gaps (an often overlooked faux pas) and make sure to keep the focus up to your face where it belongs. SEXY will sabotage your career, SERIOUS will help it advance. The best choice of top to wear with a jacket is the button down blouse with a collar that goes over the jacket lapels. White is always the best choice for a professional blouse and silk is usually the right fabric, depending on the suit.

6. Skirt/Pants – This is a personal choice and both are acceptable by today’s standards. If it is your first interview, however, wear a skirt suit (You can read more about what to wear to an interview here). You’ll want to be safe, and a skirt suit is always the safer choice. After that it depends on what you prefer and what other high ranking women in your company wear. Do not wear short skirts: SEXY will sabotage your career, SERIOUS will help it advance. Skirt length somewhere around the knee is best (check your skirt length when you sit to see if it creeps up too high).

7. Hosiery – If you want to succeed, wear it. There has been a trend towards not wearing hosiery to the office. Not wearing hosiery is not professional. Nude or suntan shades are best, although sheer jet black works also, particularly in the cold months.

8. Shoes – Mid-heel, closed toe. I love shoes and I have a gazillion pairs, but to the office, it’s mid-heel and closed toe. Anything else is not professional, and will take your business image down a notch. The peep-toe is gaining acceptance, but if you want to play it safe, no peep toe shoes, sorry to say. PLEASE stay away from anything close to a platform shoe! The acceptable heel height for work ranges between 2 3/4″ and 3 3/4″. Heel height of 4″ or higher is not an acceptable heel height for working in a professional setting. Save the really high heels for going out or other non-work events.

9. Briefcase – Do use a briefcase. There are many in women’s styles now to choose from. Find a good quality briefcase that will tell the world you are a powerful and successful woman, or on your way to being one!

Other general tips for what to wear for the professional business woman:

Career Wear Color Choices: The more conservative your industry (i.e. finance, accounting, legal) the more you need to stick to navy, gray and black. If you work in a more creative field like advertising or marketing, then you can choose from a wider palette of colors. There have been studies done that the darker colors like navy, black and gray instill trust in a business setting, whereas pastels and especially pastel yellow are the worst colors to wear to work.

Sexy VS Serious: I see a disturbing number of young women coming into the workforce wearing styles that are influenced by celebrity fashion or the runway. Don’t do it. You will sabotage your career and give up your chances to earn more money and potentially advance to a better position. The business environment operates by different rules than the fashion industry and if you show up to work in a less than serious outfit, you will not be seen as a potential candidate for advancement, simply because you don’t understand the rules. Sexy = not serious about career; Serious = concerned with professional appearance and her career, and thus more likely to succeed. Other people base 55% of their opinion about you based on your appearance, 38% on how you sound and only 7% on what you actually say, so professional dress is important!

Other Accessories: Other items you can integrate into your professional wardrobe are scarves, belts, brooches, and other accessories. These are fine as long as you don’t overdo. Err on the side of conservative. These are the very pieces that can add your personal expression and can add to your look if done right. Choose them carefully.

Your Femininity: There are obvious differences between the sexes and the more you play up your femininity, the more you send the message to notice you for your gender, rather than your competence. This is not a slight against being a woman but going for a look that doesn’t call attention your gender will help you advance. If you plan to work with men they will notice your figure anyway, you just don’t want to call attention to it. Much can be said and debated on this point, but playing up your gender will get you attention, just not the career advancing, higher income producing attention if you are serious about your career. What you wear can either enhance or detract from your career so choose what you wear carefully and wisely, keeping others perceptions top of mind. We all want to express ourselves in what we wear, but do so following the rules and you will help your chances of success.

The main point is, that unless we worked alone by ourselves, we are going to have to take others’ perception of us into serious consideration. Why? Because our success comes from garnering the respect and trust of those who would help us. They help us get better jobs and they help us earn a bigger salary… these are all good things, right? To disregard how others see us and how they feel about our job performance is risky, especially in this tight job market when people are happy to be employed at all.

I hope these tips help you in your career, and that I can continue to provide regular inspiration and ideas on what to wear that is “career-friendly”. Good luck and feel free to email me or post your questions anytime!

Regards,

Patty Conklin ~ Editor, Office Fashion Ideas

Featured Image by Eco Fashion World

It’s hard to be “Queen of the Castle” when you live in a shoebox. When setting up your pint-sized home office, remember 3 things and you’re golden:
1. Pick a spot that is away from distraction
2. Pair small desk space with convenient shelving
3. Find yourself a small, but comfy chair

Here are some great small space office ideas found on HGTV.com.

Keeping a desk clear is pretty much as difficult as keeping up with email or only eating one piece of cake and the proof is popping up in my news feed. An organized work space is so challenging that the internet is posting their proud achievements for all to envy.

Exhibit A via BronzeGal

Exhibit B via EveryBoneBreaks

So, of course I took to searching my trusted online community where I found this interesting post from Dan Richards on Tumblr on the whys and the hows of cleaning up your desk and increasing productivity.

I recommend that everyone finds 5 minutes at the end of the work day to clean and organize their work desk. By doing so it puts the mind at ease, stimulates creativity and increase productivity.

Benefits of a clean desk:

* Less Distraction. A cluttered office desk is filled with potential distractions. Sticky-notes, business cards, file folders, and uncompleted projects all clamor for our attention every moment of the day. Removing them allows our mind to better focus on the most important project of the moment: the one you are working on.
* More Freedom. A clear desk grants freedom to pursue the project of your choosing. Your to-do list is not held captive by the folders on your desk. It is determined by you – even if you are getting direction from someone else.
* New Opportunity. A new day brings new opportunity and the potential to accomplish something great. Walking into an office with yesterday’s work still visible immediately anchors you to the past, tying yesterday’s rope to today’s potential. But a clean desk breeds life, encouragement, and endless possibilities. Even if your new day is going to consist of completing yesterday’s project, starting again or reopening the file offers new opportunity and a new way to see a problem or accomplish a task.
* Increased Reputation. A clean desk indicates a clean and focused mind. It makes you look efficient, accomplished, thorough, and organized. And while nothing can replace a job well done, a clear desk can only help improve your reputation among your co-workers.

Here are a few tips to get you organized:

1. Reduce your Office Items. The first step in keeping your desk clear is keeping less things on it and around it. Seems simple enough… almost so simple that it often gets overlooked. Take a look around your desk surface. What doesn’t absolutely need to be there? Photos, calendars, books, supplies, and food should all be considered. If it’s not essential, remove it permanently.

2. Use Drawers. Using drawers isn’t cheating, it’s smart. It keeps your projects, tools, and supplies at your fingertips while still removing them from your line of sight. In my drawers, I store all of my supplies (pens, stapler, etc.) and my current projects. My current projects are stored in labeled folders in my top drawer for easy access. And only the current project that I’m working on gets to be on my actual desk surface.

3. Finish Your Projects. One of the biggest enemies of desk clutter is unfinished projects. Sometimes, they lay on our desks for weeks distracting us and taunting us. The mind clutter of an unfinished project can be crippling at times. If the project can be completed in less than 20 minutes, see it through to completion right away. If the project will take longer, find a drawer to store it in until you are ready to pull it out and work on it again.

4. Store Things Digitally. A simple Contacts program and Tasks program can probably remove 95-100% of the notes cluttering your workspace (I have always used Microsoft Outlook). Find one and learn to use it. Those sticky-notes will no longer clutter your screen or distract your mind. And you’ll never lose one again either. I have found this method to be both liberating and essential.

5. Limit Computer Distractions. While your computer can be essential in helping to eliminate the clutter from your desk, it can provide distraction of its own. Help your cause by decluttering your computer desktop along with your physical desk. For starters, find a non-distracting wallpaper image and remove all unnecessary icons.

6. Set aside 5 minutes. Take the last 5 minutes of every day to clear the surface of your desk. Rest assured that once you get started with the habit, it’ll take far less than 5 minutes. But set that much aside at the beginning. Trust me, your morning you will thank you.

A clear office desk will grant you more focus, peace of mind, and productivity. And that’s good for both you and your company. Source: becomingminimalist.com