By What Cover Is Your Book Judged?
Posted on June 6, 2008 |
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Despite the popular saying most people judge a book by it’s cover.
Case in point - I work in NYC in Manhattan. There are street vendors all over the place. One day after work, while walking to the bus, I spotted a man offering a framed illustration for sale. This man was sitting on a fire hydrant with the large frame in his lap offering the picture to passers by. This did not look like your average artist selling their work. He didn’t have a table or anything setup. It looked like he decided the fire hydrant was a convenient place to stay and try to sell his framed illustration. When I saw him the first thing I thought was he stole the picture and was pawning it off.
Let’s assume it was rightfully his to sell for a moment. What a horrible way to go about selling it! I know I can’t be the only person to see this guy and think he’s selling a stolen good. If he had set up a blanket on the sidewalk and put the picture on it it would have made him look ten times more legit.
This got me thinking. How do we go about presenting ourselves everyday? Are we setting ourselves up in the best presentation possible?
Let’s look at some ways that we are perceived:
- Clothing - Are you dressed appropriately for your job? I’ve seen a lot of people where I work dress within the stated dress code but still look unprofessional. I think in most cases if you look at the higher ups where you work you can get a good idea of how to dress and present yourself. Oh yeah, it’s not just the clothes but how you wear them too! Don’t give a boss any reason to need to hide you from clients.
- Speech - How is your language? No, I’m not talking about what language you’re speaking (though that could come into play). I’m talking about how well you use language. Is it business appropriate? Is it too “colorful?” (You know, those less than creative four letter words and such). Can your boss put you into a board meeting with CFO’s, CEO’s, and VP’s and not worry about what comes out of your mouth? There are times when a word or phrase can add an important emphasis but if foul language comes out of your mouth too often it can hold you back.
- Writing - In today’s workplace email rules. Most days I find myself in contact with people more through email than actual talk. But I see so many emails that have very poor writing be it spelling, grammar, structure…hell I’ve seen emails that I couldn’t even answer because I didn’t know what was being said! Take your time writing emails. Before you hit send make sure you do a spell check. Make sure you read through the email and it makes sense (even more so if you have to CC people in higher positions). Check the tone of the email. Can what you wrote be taken out of context easily?
- Conversation - What are you talking about? Not only is your speech important but you’re saying is important too. I’ve heard some interesting stuff in the elevator from people who didn’t realize I work in the same company. Do you really want people you work with hearing about how you got trashed last Saturday night at the club? I’ve heard people get into full-on arguments with significant others over the phone. And I’m not talking people I sit next to either. Know what a manager hates? Drama! By all means talk with your co-workers but keep the real personal stuff personal.
- Workspace - What does your desk look like? I’m no poster boy for neatness but I try to keep my mess organized at least. Some people look like they just got hit by a tornado. When a manger sees disorganization they think mistakes. How can this person possibly be doing their job correctly? Something is getting missed! Clean up the clutter even if it means dumping it into a desk drawer for no one else to see (unless your boss checks those too). It’s one thing to look busy it’s another to look like you don’t know which way is up! Also, what’s around your desk? Do you have every Harry Potter toy that came in a McDonald’s Happy Meal lined up along your desk? Think that impresses the boss? A few personal items are ok but keep it professional looking.
When I was young I was all for self expression. I was the one in high school with long hair and ripped jeans. But that doesn’t work in a business environment. I’m not saying any of this is fair. But if you want people to take you seriously then you have to give them reason to. As unfair as it may be sometimes looking and acting the part can be more important than knowing the work itself.
By what cover is your book being judged?
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photo by Aaron Jacobs
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9 Responses to “By What Cover Is Your Book Judged?”
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Great tips!
I’m going to link to this
Much appreciated! Let me know when it’s up.
Email is a big one for me. So many people come across as one big jumble of thoughts instead of a well-thought out idea. It’s terrible! At least I know when I write an email that people will understand it and will listen to what I’m saying. But most other people out there, yikes! They need some help. Aren’t there HR seminars or something that offer company help on this type of thing?
@Writer’s Coin - Some companies probably so have courses but my guess is that many do not. It’s amazing what some emails can look like.
Here’s another tip - Work email is not your personal email. A company has a right to go through your work email. You can get fired for inappropriate emails. In this day there’s no reason not to have a personal email address.
I’m all about the frugality, but it’s good to have a reminder that where office clothes are concerned, it’s an investment in your career to be neatly and correctly dressed.
I’m not going to go out and buy Prada, but a wardrobe spruce up is in order.
@ Karla - I agree about clothes being an investment in your career. It’s just easy to go overboard and spend too much. The idea is to have appropriate clothes not necessarily high-end clothes. This reminds me that I need to update my shoes. I tend to beat them up bad!