By Nicholas Proch
In my last column, I wrote about how certain students at this university don’t act or dress professionally, with a focus on the latter. It was an essay from which I expected to receive comments that were in defense of putting giant gages and plastering your body with tattoos.
As a matter of fact, the only person who commented on my previous column was a person who was criticizing questions of fact surrounding policy and cautioning to be careful at putting too much blame on the university.
I wasn’t directly trying to put blame on the university, but my full intentions may have not come through in the piece. Alternatively, I suggested that it should be the students responsibility and goal to become more professional. I may have an opinion about what the university should do, but I’m going to continue to say that the student body is more responsible for themselves.
Students around campus are starting to think about what to do next, considering graduation is looming. Those who are smart about it are looking for a professional opinion from whoever has something valid to say.
Recently, students in the business department got the idea. Headed by Kevin Leaver, president of the International Association of Business Communicators on campus, was a workshop with tips and lessons on how to ‘dress for success.’
The talk was hosted by Mary Jones, who has her own radio show on the WDRC-AM 1360 station and Debbie Wright, who owns her own company, Project Closet, which helps individuals on professional wardrobe and appears on WFSB’s Better CT every Tuesday.
They had a lot of useful tips and tricks, as well as, guidelines pertaining to the workplace: both dress code and personal conduct.
“Education level is deduced in a first impression, whether it’s right or wrong,” according to Wright, who added, “people associate well-dressed individuals with winners.”
With that being said, if your first impression to your future boss included you smoking outside their office building and arriving with a metal-clad ear, they are instantly going to presume your education level is lower than it is.
I’m not preaching because I agree with this, but because it’s true. It’s human nature. We’re all checking each other out and sizing each other up as soon as we are introduced. If what someone, especially if this person is a potential future employer, initially notices about you isn’t a positive, you’ve failed your one and only first impression.
Mary Jones, who formerly owned a local hiring agency, had a lot of suggestions for entering an interview. Since an interview is the first time you’ll likely meet your employer, this also another chance to not make a bad impression.
Again, my criticism isn’t directed towards the university or the business department in this situation. They, along with the help of the students, put on an informative and helpful event. Unfortunately, again, students dropped the ball on this one, all except nine.
That’s right, nine people showed up for this talk. One that could have been extremely useful to several hundred, if not more, at this university. The people they were addressed, who did show up, probably already have a grasp over professionalism. They are going out and seeking advice to better their careers.