How to present yourself so you DON’T get laid off.
In these economical days companies are looking at their employees a bit different than what they used to. The long term investment based workers have all but disappeared, and the performance based employee is in company favor. It’s important in all careers to clearly communicate and show your worth to your employer. After all, it’s all about the dollars and cents. Here’s a few “do’s and dont’s” that you can implement into your daytime, weekday behavioral patterns that should give your boss a little boost of confidence in your company presence.
1. Let them know you see the small things. Your boss is busy, and probably getting heat for lost profits in certain areas, and very little praise for profit rises in others. Hone in on the things that seem to be functioning a bit inefficiently and engage your boss in a non-threatening conversation on possible changes. eg: “Excuse me Mrs. Honcho, I was noticing that the copy machine breaks down every week, and the repair costs are considerably higher than the cost of a new copier at XYZ store, I found this coupon for 10% off, if you’re interested in replacing it.”
Although it seems small, it lets your boss know that you are a forward thinker, and that you are doing your part to improve the bottom line of the business.
2. Listen. When Dale Carnegie wrote “How to win friends, and influence people” he really knew what he was talking about, or should I say, listening about. One of the key points in the book conveys the fact that people instinctively want to talk about themselves. Call this narcissistic or what you will, but we all do it. Try and exercise your ears a bit more. Really listen to what people are telling you, and ask a bunch of questions. Mr. Carnegie recalls a social function where, he was introduced to a female business mogul, and he began this routine of listening, and asking questions. He said that by the end of the conversation the woman had literally learned nothing about him, but when he spoke with a friend later in the week, the friend said the woman couldn’t stop saying how nice Mr. Carnegie was.
3. Dress the part. So I’m sitting at my desk yesterday, and this young gentleman comes in from Alabama. He’s down here on an internship to campaign for the upcoming elections. I say “hello” and he quickly engages me in a conversation about “suits.” Fully knowing that, as he goes from College Grad, to Young Business Man, he’s going to need to upgrade his wardrobe a bit. We talk about length, colors, stitching, good tailoring, etc. etc… but the most important part was when he said “In this economy, I’m leaving college, and competing in the workforce with people who have 30 years of experience.” And I said, “yes, but you have an edge. You’re fresh.”
*Dress as FRESH as possible. Do you remember (or remember seeing the clips) of Kennedy vs. Nixon on black and white television, Kennedy looked fresh, Nixon looked tired. Who won the presidency?
4. Be Honest. Be Realistic. Lead by Example. I bundled these three together for one reason. They’re the most important, and they don’t really work without each other. If you’re brutally honest, but don’t do the leg work you probably wont excel. If you’re too realistic, you wont strive for success. And if you only lead by example, everyone around you becomes codependent on your work ethic, and you never see all the credit. So let’s take an opposite example by playing out a conversation with a boss and an employee who, lies. exaggerates, and doesn’t do anything:
Boss: “Hey Joe, what do you think about this new bicycle designed for squirrels that we’re going to start distributing.”
Joe: “I think it’s awesome, it’s probably going to make the company a ton of money.”
Boss: “Great, since you’re so interested in it, would you be interested in putting together an outbound sales team to pitch it.”
Joe: “Sure” … {and returns to Facebook.}
Here’s the right way:
Boss: “Hey Jude, what do you think about this bicycle for squirrels idea.”
Jude: “Well ma’am, I’m failing to see how someone is going to buy a bike for a squirrel considering squirrels really aren’t domesticated animals.”
Boss: “Any suggestions, because the board of directors loves squirrels.”
Jude: “Well right off the bat, I know that a squirrel on water ski’s got pretty popular on YouTube, maybe we could play off of that success a bit, but I’ll have to take some time to research it.” … {and puts together a presentation and a package that works.}
Avoid sweating for your job interview.
With newly hatched College Grads on the loose, chiseling and refining their perfect resume to begin their new careers. And a %9.5 unemployment rate in the country, it’s safe to say that interviewing for that big job needs to be a serendipitous series of events for us this season.
In a recent study, a majority of respondents have stated they would NOT hire someone who appeared to be sweating during the interview process. Now, if you’re like us you’re thinking “It’s not our fault!” And although a good deodorant anti-perspiration agent such as Thai Salt Crystal is essential for the underarms, it doesn’t do much for the fact that you’re wearing a shirt, pants and tie that probably keep heat and moisture clamped to your body.
Lucky for us, Mother Nature has our backs. The answer: Cotton.
According to Wikipedia: “Cotton is a soft, fluffy, staple fiber that grows in a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant.” But, most importantly for us, it is a natural wicking agent (yes like a candle). It literally pulls moisture as it’s created on our skin to the surface of the garment so it can evaporate quicker. Which also means it keeps you much cooler than other fabrics.
This could be the difference between nailing that big interview because you feel cool and comfortable in a nice breezy cotton shirt, or asking your interviewer for a tissue so you can wipe your brow mid-sentence, and probably, inevitably, not getting a call back.
Here’s a bunch of great Cotton Shirts designed to keep you cool for your big questionnaire:
Modena Dress Shirts | Deux MEC Dress Shirts | Effetti Testardi Dress Shirts
Casual Blazers in the House
Check out the Jacket, Button Down, T-Shirt, Jeans, Runners
One button suits
These rarities have come back into fashion as a sort of rebellion for the traditionalist 2 and 3 buttoners, and as a final ‘NO’ to the newer 4-button suit jackets. They are retro, Vegas inspired. Miles Davis used to wear 1-button jackets religiously, and in fact, designed his own jackets with the help of a New York tailor. These jackets require confidence and a level of cool to wear them. They’re not necessarily for the office, either. They are definitely more of a night on the town type look. Which is cool, if you want to impress anyone that may take a gander your way.
Gio just got in a new line of suits called Red Blue International. And, yep, you guessed it, one of the suits features this chic, newly reincarnated one-button look. It’s pretty sexy.
What will be happening in the next few days
Well Nick’s putting together this new video for us, which looks pretty gosh-darn good if you ask me. I would post it now, but there’s a shot of a crazy man dancing in the background that needs to be edited out. JR is revamping our Facebook profile and page and whatnot, so keep an eye out for new pics and info. I’m trying to get us registered for Fox 29′s 2010 Best of Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast. So when I do, I need everyone’s support. I would love some more testimonials to put on our site, here on the blog and to send into Fox. It’s high time we won.
SAAAAAAYYYYYY GO TEAM FSB
Feelin Eastery yet?
Got an awesome spring time suit for you. Linnen. Pinstripe. INSERCH is the suitmaker, and they are from Italia.
Spring time suiting
This suit is what I would call perfect for all upcoming spring events. Easter is around the corner. Wedding season is soon, and you know it’s nice to have a comfortable suit if it’s outside. Babies are born in the spring. Baptisms follow. All sorts of stuff happens. Our stylists did well to pair this suit with the tie they did. The colors compliment eachother. The vertical stripes keep elongating the body. I would also reccomend picking a light colored tie, if you want to go with solid…try baby blue. It would go well with the subtle baby blue in the pinstripes on the suit. Keep the shirt white.
Here’s what you should wear today
So I’m creating a lookbook for you right now, and this is what I think you should wear today. Because I am running with the trend report and now showing you how to work with all of it. OK? OK, good.
So, remember way back when when I gave you a SS10 trend list? One of them was to buy a plaid shirt. This one is brand spankin’ new and cool.
Modern Western Wisdom, or something
And I know this plaid shirt would look good with dark denim. Because the shirt already has blue and white, making it appear to be light blue from a distance and up close, the contrast between the tones is much better to look at. Think of pairing blue and blue as always needing to contrast. The days of wearing matching denim jackets and jeans is waaaaayyyy gone, so don’t make it look like you’re not getting with the fashion program; understanding the rules of color coordination. These Justing jeans are perfect. They’re a slimmer cut, which creates a nice silhouette with the tailored fit shirt.
These are boootcut, so you can still see your shoes. And they’re on sale, which may just be a deal-maker for me. I kind of like the shoes on the model, but I can find better. Hold on. Because I think we got some new gear in.
Now as much as I wanted to find some fancy pair of Juno or Mezlan shoes, I decided upon a pair of simple yet nice slip ons. Why you ask? Because the shirt has embroidery and plaid, and could be labeled as a strong statement. The jeans are nice, and by that, I mean no holes or extra embellishments. The simplicity of smooth leather and a standard heel allow the shirt to take center stage, but are still stylish enough to be paired with the clothing. These are Giorgio Brutini.
The Color of Money
Here’s a pair of Jo Ghost, which you know FSB has exclusive rights to, that will compliment any occasion, other than a day at the beach.
Leather soles, fine imported leather upper. Sheen over-brush. Custom made in Italy, for Fashion Shoppes. Gio picked out the materials and the design. Because he knows what’s best.
Everybody loves the color green
I highly recommend looking into these shoes. They would look great with a suit, pair of slacks or even jeans, if the date’s right (and worth it).
And just so you can have your history lesson of the day and sound like a fashion bad-ass, here’s the story behind Jo Ghost, the creator of some of the finest men’s shoes in the world.
The Princes shoe factory was founded in 1965 at Montegranaro, a small medieval village in the province of Ascoli Piceno, on the passion and strength of a family that realized their dream to win over the foreign market with their own product. the family tradition is carried on today by the founders’ children, who hold positions of prominence within the company. The firm only sells abroad, with a production of no less than 200 shoes a day, which obviously states their hand-made, attention to detail and precision craft. There are no mass production scale machines here. Just the hard work of those that love the trade.
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