Professional image is how we are perceived in the workplace.\u00a0 Most jobs require interaction with customers, management, and coworkers. Every interaction leaves an impression, and collectively these impressions make up our professional image.\u00a0 A good professional image is important in advancing your career.\u00a0 There are several strategies in developing a professional image.\u00a0 In most cases our professional image is an extension of our personality.\u00a0 We act the same way at work as we do in other social settings.\u00a0 In observing those on the fast track to promotion, most of them place extra efforts on their professional image.\u00a0 By observing and analyzing the behavior of those who excel, you can adjust your professional image to achieve your career goals.<\/p>\n
Shakespeare\u2019s quote \u201cAll the world’s a stage,\u2028 and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.\u201d (As You Like It Act 2, scene 7, 139\u2013143<\/em><\/a>) is as true today as when those lines were first penned.\u00a0 Thinking more of how our actions are perceived and choosing our words and expressions to fit the circumstances is a life long pursuit.\u00a0 If you want proof just look at some of the careers that have been ruined by an ill time slip of the tongue.\u00a0 Training ourselves to be professional is a life\u2019s work in progress. The basics started with our parents teaching us the basic social skills to get along with others.\u00a0 In my observations, this early training forms the basis of how we act as we continue to grow.\u00a0 That does not mean that we cannot change our behavior to be more conducive to our careers.<\/p>\n Dale Carnegie is famous for his teachings of interpersonal skills and the development of professional image.\u00a0 Among his published books How to Win Friends and Influence People<\/em><\/strong> is one of the first bestselling self-help<\/a> books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie<\/a> and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies globally. The book has six major sections. The core principles of each section are quoted below.<\/p>\n Fundamental Techniques in Handling People<\/strong><\/p>\n Six Ways to Make People Like You<\/strong><\/p>\n Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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