Making impact has to do with your presence, how you carry yourself and your choice of clothing, so what appears outside is a true reflection of who are you inside.

Presence Personal Power:

• Presence is the state in which we stop worrying about the impression we’re making on others, so we can bring our boldest self to our biggest challenges. It’s about having the Personal Power, the confidence to act based on one’s beliefs, attitudes, values and having the sense that one’s actions will be effective. You feel like you are being seen when you have presence.

Style:

• Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak. How you dress is a form of communication and self-expression, and it impacts heavily in interviews and even your careers, because it is one of the largest aspects we notice about someone when we first meet. It’s about being authentic, and dressing in alignment with your personal brand. You can look good even you are not interested in fashion trends. It’s about the wisdom of knowing your strengths and weaknesses in your body shape, so you can leverage it and find a style that flatters you, and express your inner qualities truly.

Key Messages to Convey at Job Interviews Through Your Appearance:

• You are pleasant and approachable
• You look neat, put-together, self-contained (because Stained, wrinkled clothes say: “I don’t care about my appearance.” “How can someone who doesn’t care for themselves care for work?”)
• You have high energy
• You are trustworthy & reliable (so you won’t experiment with your clothing styles at events like a job interview)
• Lots of potentials for future development (Like when actor or actress go for audition, they wear plain clothing to avoid being stereotyped into a certain character)

Universal Rules for Business Outfits:

• Never show too much of anything (anything too tight, too short and too sheer won’t look professional), and avoid anything you can wear to a party;
• Don’t be a walking billboard by wearing clothes or accessories with huge logos;
• No gym clothes—unless your interview involves push-ups, or it’s a sportswear company;
• Your clothes should say: I’m trustworthy, organized, responsible and professional

Formal Dress Codes:

• Companies with formal work wear are not fashion-friendly environments
• For suits, it’s Black, Dark Charcoal or Dark Navy in colours; the top and bottom pieces are using matching colours and fabrics
• For Patterns of the fabric, subtle patterns or stripe would be recommended
• For blouse/shirt underneath, use basic colours like pearl white, beige, light blue, light pink or light green. Avoid pure white (because it would resemble a student-like image)
• For leather shoes, wear simple black leather shoes with comfortable heels that you can handle. For men, black shoes for black suits; brown shoes for other colours. Remember to wear socks that match the colour of your trousers. No white socks please!
• The formal dress code will also encourage minimum skin exposure: so there will be long sleeves, and skirt length would be at the knees or slightly below
• Ultimately, the overall style would be simple and neat without too much distraction from the clothes, so people can focus on YOU as a professional
• For men, it’s especially important for you to get your business suit tailored. Wear tie with neutral colour with very subtle patterns.
• Make sure your tie is just long enough to touch your belt buckle, and tie a good knot. The Windsor knot is a good choice and you can google it for the tying method.

 Business Smart to Business Casual Dress Code:

• This is the most confusing dress code. It is a compromise between formal and comfortable or, to phrase it better, formal with some street style elements. It’s a little bit more relaxed than formal attire, but don’t relax too much! That is, no jeans nor sportswear for interviews unless they state so.
• Business casual environments allow you more flexibility in mix and matches with more colour combinations.
• Instead of wearing a traditional suit, you can pair your trousers with a blouse or a sweater. Subtle prints are welcome as well. You should still avoid vivid, neon colours and very loud prints. Dresses are also a good idea, as long as they’re not too tight or too short.
• For gentlemen, Business Smart style goes from business suits without ties, to sweaters with ties or without ties. There can be more varieties of fabric and colour. You might also roll up your sleeves.
• For interview looks, you still need to be neat and tidy. And don’t match your clothing with a street-style hair. Your goal ultimately to look SMART in a professional way!

 Finding Your Best Colour:

• With the right colours, your face will glow and you’ll appear bright and alert; On the opposite, with the wrong colours, your face would look drained, and you will fade into the background.
• When we are considering which colour type you are, we are referring to colours of your Skin, Hair and Eyes.
• The 6 dominant colout characteristics are: Clear/ Soft/ Deep/ Light/ Warm/ Cool

Cross Principle in Image Consulting:

• There are only 2 goals in image consulting:  1) Highlight your best part and 2) Balance your proportions
• Features of clothing go in 2 directions:  One direction goes from side to side. The effect it brings is to Expand, Widen and Enlarge on a horizontal level. Examples clothing style could be a horizontal striped dress, and a blazer with wide lapels, which are great for people who have narrow shoulders. Or stiff, think fabric which adds bulk if you are too thin.
• Another direction is the top-down direction. The effect it brings is to elongate and slim. Examples clothing style could be a tone-on-tone look from head to toe, vertical patterns, V shapes or vertical stripes on your clothing. Even a hairstyle that goes up would do!

Key Points When Choosing Your Interview Outfits

1. Invest in a power outfit
2. Opt for comfortable shoes
3. Ensure your outfit is washed and pressed
4. Have a dress rehearsal, with your makeup on
5. Pay attention to details
6. Choose the clothes that make you feel confident. And OWN it.

 How to be Taken Seriously With a Young, Cute Face

• Work on your manners, and commit to building your personal brand from Day 1 at work. You would like to let your intelligence, your competencies, your personality and your drive for success to be known by your colleagues. Be aware of how you talk, how you move, and ultimately how you think to show your professionalism and maturity.