Improving Your Professional Image!

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson

As a career and life coach my job often involves coaching clients on many issues that signal their degree of professionalism. Although that is not why my clients initially come to me, I coach them on the difference it makes in how they come across in professional encounters with others, which can often give them an edge. This list is compiled from the behaviors I see in few of my own clients, which I show them how to correct and why. By no means this list is exhaustive, but is typical of the most commonly encountered telltale signs of behavior that can come across as less than professionalor even rude. The end result is how youll suffer from your own lack of professional finesse:

1.Leaving Voicemails: The most important part of your voicemail is the callback phone number and your message. So, first announce who you are (Full name, not just, This is Jim) and your phone number. This should be followed by a brief message, which will result in that recipient calling you back, ending the call again with your phone number. The reason for the callback number sandwich is that the recipient is writing down your number, while listening to your message, and often cannot write down that fast enough. Also, with the ubiquitous mobile phones your message can be garbled. So, leaving your number in the beginning and again at the end will show your professionalism.
2. Follow-up email: There is nothing more professional than sending an email immediately after leaving that person a voicemail. Most people do emails throughout the dayeven on the move, but check their voicemails less frequently in comparison. So, sending an email (when possible) right after a voicemail can assure a faster response to you, in addition.
3.Voicemail Greetings: Nothing telegraphs your laziness or indifference more than when the canned voicemail greeting on your phone line is a robotic telephone number that comes after a few rings (job seekers beware!). So, here are two tips to watch out for: First, Make sure that no more than THREE rings will trigger you greetings, so you are not imposing on the callers time and patience; Second, have a short pleasant greeting in YOUR own voice. With the ubiquity of mobile devices most people call when they are on the movedriving, walking to their next meeting, rushing to catch their trainand when they hear a greeting with a robotic number they have no idea if that is number they dialed. If you fear being stalked, leave out your name, but assure the caller with your own voice. Nothing is more assuring than hearing the person by name when they reach their phone, but their voice can also work better than a canned message with just the numbers.
4.Introduction Requests: Most people do not appreciate that an introduction to a person who can help you in your mission is a favor you are asking someone close to that person. So, when making an introduction request make sure that you phrase that request appropriately without sounding peremptory. Remember, too, that the recipient is going to see your original request since most such requests are just forwarded to the person you want with their own few words to preface them. In making such requests make sure that your request makes its worthwhile for the person you are seeking to respond back to you with alacrity.
5.Connection Requests: This happens on LinkedIn more than anywhere else, but is equally applicable in similar situations. I get many connection requests daily. Those that merely say, I want to connect with you to increase my own network without stating why I should connect with them, I routinely ignore. But those who clearly state the reason and refer to something I have done (my recent talk, blog by title, YouTube video, etc.) and how it helped them in their life, get prompt acceptance.
6. Keeping your word: Nothing displays your commitment to professionalism when you honor your word. This means doing what you say and saying what you are going to do. People often casually say things like, Ill call you next week or lets meet for coffee sometime next week, etc. The tone in which it is said gives them the license to duck out of it and not be bothered by ducking out. Professional people do not make casual statements that they do not intend to keep and when they make them they honor them. So, next time you make a commitment to do somethingespecially to your own family or kidsmake sure you remember what you said and honor them.
7.Being on time: To me this is the SAME as keeping your word. People often excuse their tardiness by blaming traffic, an accident, or weather, among other things. With all the resources available (GPS, digital routing, ETA) there is just no excuse for tardiness. First, if you are delayed on the road call the person and warn them of your delay. Second, apologize after arriving late, even after first calling for late arrival.
8. Thank-you messages: With the etiquette of proper thank yous getting more and more rare those who practice this stand out. If you ask someone for a favor (an introduction, a meeting to benefit you, or anything that requires them to act on your behalf) you must show your gratitude. There are various ways of doing this and any one of these or the right combination of them will work magic. In the order of increasing impact they are: An email of thanks; a well-crafted note with specifics of how that persons help benefited you in an email; a Mailed Thank-you note, hand-written; a phone call of gratitude; and, finally, something that is more public if appropriate (Facebook posting, or LinkedIn Recommendation).
9.Recognition: Everywhere around us there are people working hard to make our lives better. At our place of work if you see someoneanyonedoing an exceptional job it takes very little on your part to acknowledge their great work. A simple email to their boss with a copy to that person changes that persons view of the world, making them feel worthy of the work they put in. Letting their boss know of what you think of their work will not only make their day, it will also give you visibility in the right circles, which may also benefit you.
10.Grammar and Diction: In todays harried world of tweets and soundbites most people write without caring for the words they choose or how they are spelled or put together. It is especially egregious in business emails when the writer does not use proper language or take the trouble to ensure that the message sent is clear and actionable. Learn how to write clearly, concisely, and compellingly. The art of writing well is getting increasingly more rare. So, if you write well, especially in emails and tweets you will stand out.

Building a professional brand to stand out does not take ONE big thing done once, but it is collection of many small things, some of which are listed in this blog, done repeatedlyas a habitto differentiate yourself. Try embracing one of these at a time and see the cumulative difference it makes in not only how people see you, but also how they respond to you!

Good luck!

About Author

Dilip has distinguished himself as LinkedIn’s #1 career coach from among a global pool of over 1,000 peers ever since LinkedIn started ranking them professionally (LinkedIn selected 23 categories of professionals for this ranking and published this ranking from 2006 until 2012). Having worked with over 6,000 clients from all walks of professions and having worked with nearly the entire spectrum of age groups—from high-school graduates about to enter college to those in their 70s, not knowing what to do with their retirement—Dilip has developed a unique approach to bringing meaning to their professional and personal lives. Dilip’s professional success lies in his ability to codify what he has learned in his own varied life (he has changed careers four times and is currently in his fifth) and from those of his clients, and to apply the essence of that learning to each coaching situation. After getting his B.Tech. (Honors) from IIT-Bombay and Master’s in electrical engineering(MSEE) from Stanford University, Dilip worked at various organizations, starting as an individual contributor and then progressing to head an engineering organization of a division of a high-tech company, with $2B in sales, in California’s Silicon Valley. His current interest in coaching resulted from his career experiences spanning nearly four decades, at four very diverse organizations–and industries, including a major conglomerate in India, and from what it takes to re-invent oneself time and again, especially after a lay-off and with constraints that are beyond your control. During the 45-plus years since his graduation, Dilip has reinvented himself time and again to explore new career horizons. When he left the corporate world, as head of engineering of a technology company, he started his own technology consulting business, helping high-tech and biotech companies streamline their product development processes. Dilip’s third career was working as a marketing consultant helping Fortune-500 companies dramatically improve their sales, based on a novel concept. It is during this work that Dilip realized that the greatest challenge most corporations face is available leadership resources and effectiveness; too many followers looking up to rudderless leadership. Dilip then decided to work with corporations helping them understand the leadership process and how to increase leadership effectiveness at every level. Soon afterwards, when the job-market tanked in Silicon Valley in 2001, Dilip changed his career track yet again and decided to work initially with many high-tech refugees, who wanted expert guidance in their reinvention and reemployment. Quickly, Dilip expanded his practice to help professionals from all walks of life. Now in his fifth career, Dilip works with professionals in the Silicon Valley and around the world helping with reinvention to get their dream jobs or vocations. As a career counselor and life coach, Dilip’s focus has been career transitions for professionals at all levels and engaging them in a purposeful pursuit. Working with them, he has developed many groundbreaking approaches to career transition that are now published in five books, his weekly blogs, and hundreds of articles. He has worked with those looking for a change in their careers–re-invention–and jobs at levels ranging from CEOs to hospital orderlies. He has developed numerous seminars and workshops to complement his individual coaching for helping others with making career and life transitions. Dilip’s central theme in his practice is to help clients discover their latent genius and then build a value proposition around it to articulate a strong verbal brand. Throughout this journey, Dilip has come up with many groundbreaking practices such as an Inductive Résumé and the Genius Extraction Tool. Dilip owns two patents, has two publications in the Harvard Business Review and has led a CEO roundtable for Chief Executive on Customer Loyalty. Both Amazon and B&N list numerous reviews on his five books. Dilip is also listed in Who’s Who, has appeared several times on CNN Headline News/Comcast Local Edition, as well as in the San Francisco Chronicle in its career columns. Dilip is a contributing writer to several publications. Dilip is a sought-after speaker at public and private forums on jobs, careers, leadership challenges, and how to be an effective leader.

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