Cherry Hill, NJ

Friday, March 02, 2012

10 Suggestions for Accessories at Work

• A manager made a presentation while wearing large, dangling earrings that swayed when she walked. She hypnotized the audience!

• A supervisor wore a bold striped shirt with suspenders, a plaid lanyard for his name tag, and a pocket protector on his shirt with numerous pens showing.

• A social media manager had both her sunglasses and her reading glasses resting on top of her head, a scrunchie holding her hair back, and a pen resting on her ear.

The above examples of recent employees' use of jewelry, suspenders, glasses, etc., illustrate the potential downside to accessories. They can become distractions and, as a result, can make or break the business meeting, the presentation, the new client relationship, or determine whether or not you're the one who leads the team or gets the promotion.

"You don't want your accessory use to detract from your professional image and from what you are saying," according to business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter, author of numerous books, including GREET! EAT! TWEET! 52 Business Etiquette Postings To Avoid Pitfalls & Boost Your Career Pachter suggests that employees consider these 10 items when choosing their accessories:

1. If one is good, ten is not better Do not let accessories overpower you or your outfit like the bank manager who wore a ring on every finger. Use accessories selectively.

2. Choose good-quality pieces Accessories need to complement your clothing. Make sure your briefcases, handbags, backpacks, ties and scarves are clean and in good condition. Don't be like the employee who arrived at a meeting with a very old and worn briefcase. He was embarrassed when he opened his briefcase and the strap fell off.

3. Be aware that an accessory can become your trademark. If you wear a particular accessory often, you may be labeled. One man wore a different set of large cufflinks every day. His colleagues started referring to him as "Link."

4. Make sure your accessories are silent additions. Your jewelry should not make noise. If you wear a number of bracelets, for instance, they can bump audibly against each other when you move your arms.

5. Don't play with an accessory This becomes a distraction to others. Don't kept turning your ring or playing with a necktie.

6. Be careful with the design of your phone cover Keep it professional. Using a cover featuring colorful polka dots or other fanciful designs can take away from your image.

7. Take your name tag off when making a presentation Though not a fashion piece, the name tag becomes a distracting accessory when you are making a presentation.

8. Choose your glasses carefully Brightly colored frames or unusual shapes stand out, and not necessarily in a good way. According to fashion designer Vera Wang, glasses are "the most incredible accessory. The shape of a frame … can change your whole appearance." Make sure it's a change you intended.

9. No baseball caps at work They are very casual hats. You are at work, not a baseball game.

10. Pay attention to your watch. When I ask the participants in my etiquette classes to name the one accessory that they notice most on both men and women, "the watch" is the most common answer. Cell phones have replaced watches for some people, but many business people still wear the timepieces because they like this accessory. If you wear a watch, choose a good-quality item. This article on Askmen.com provides some useful information about watches.



She specializes in business etiquette and communication for companies worldwide. Her client list features major organizations, including Microsoft, Pfizer, Chrysler, Cisco and Genentech.

For a review copy of GREET! EAT! TWEET! 52 Business Etiquette Postings To Avoid Pitfalls & Boost Your Career, contact: Joyce Hoff, 856.751.6141, or joyce@pachter.com

For a free copy of Pachter's communication e-newsletter, "Competitive Edge," your readers can call (856) 751-6141 (NJ) or go to www.pachter.com.

Barbara Pachter

President

Pachter and Associates

Cherry Hill, NJ

856-751-6141

First Url: Barbara Pachter's website

Second Url: Barbara Pachter's Blog