Chapter 14
Personal Hygiene and Grooming
The foundation of your image begins with the basics of personal hygiene and grooming. This should go without saying, and does for most, but after witnessing some pretty shocking mishaps in this area, it's obviously a challenge for some professionals to hit the mark of acceptability. Those who are clean, smell pleasant, and project a healthy, well-groomed image are more appealing than those who look and smell like they just rolled out of bed.
When you respect your own appearance, you will naturally seem more professional, confident, and welcoming. What shows on the outside is a reflection of what you are on the inside. What do you want your outward image to say about you as new contacts make snap first judgments? The obvious day-to-day activities that lead to a well-polished image can get lost in the midst of juggling family, friends, and career. Taking time to work on your image on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis is time well invested. Not only will you look better, you'll feel better too.
As a young professional, take an extra few minutes a day to create positive habits. I often joke that they must not sell irons to people under the age of 25. An associate of mine who works in human resources can't believe the number of young interviewees who arrive wearing wrinkled clothes. Give yourself benchmarks for day-to-day living. If an article of clothing has hit the floor or stayed in the dryer too long, unless it hits an ironing board or ...
