What's Holding You Back at Work - How Small Things Have a Big Impact

							What’s Holding You Back
at Work?
How Small Things Have a Big Impact
by Anita Bruzzese
brought to you by
It’s often the small things…
… that can hold you back.

  While your boss may not say it outright because he or she
  fears legal action or just isn’t comfortable discussing the
  subject, that wrinkled old pair of slacks you wear four days
  a week, tattered at the bottom from sweeping the floor, just
  doesn’t make a good impression.

  After all, how can your boss offer you a big project when
  they fear you’ll meet with important clients wearing such
  hideous attire?
It’s often the small things…
… that can hold you back.

  Or, maybe your continual conversations about all the details
  of your personal life make them wary of offering you a
  promotion.

  The boss may worry about putting you in charge when
  others are embarrassed or fed up with hearing details of
  your hernia operation or very personal extra-curricular
  activities.

  Are you clueless about how you’re unwittingly hurting your
  career? Here are some things of which you want to be
  aware:
1. Dress appropriately at all times

 If you can wear it to mow the
 lawn, to go to a dance club, or
 wear it to sleep in, you should
 never wear it to work (even if it’s
 a casual work day).

 A note to women: Cleavage is
 never appropriate at work. If you
 can see your cleavage when you
 look down, so can everyone else.
2. Watch how you sit

 Women have a tendency to tuck
 their feet into their chair, while
 men will throw their legs out in
 front of them as if they’re claiming
 their territory.

 Follow your great aunt’s advice and
 sit up straight and don’t fidget, tap
 your fingers or play with your hair.
3.Clean up your speech pattern

 There’s no greater wake-up call
 than recording yourself having a              …uh…
 phone conversation.
 If your speech pattern is full of
 “likes” (“It’s like, you know, like I
 can’t find my report”) or up-speak
 (“I can’t find my report? So I’ll be
 late?”) then you’ve got some work
 to do.
 Also work to eliminate “uh’s” or “you knows.” Talking like a
 teenager isn’t going to help the boss see you as promotion
 material.
4. Don’t have a messy space

 While it’s not necessary to have a
 pristine work space that would pass
 a health department inspection,
 having piles of papers, old coffee
 cups and a blizzard of Post-It notes
 covering your cubicle does not
 reassure the boss that you’re
 organized and ready to take on new
 challenges.

 For many bosses, a messy space
 equals a messy mind.
5. Don’t be a social media dummy

 While your boss may not have any
 formal social media policy, he or
 she is aware when you’re posting
 non-work related items during
 business hours and behaving less-
 than-professionally after hours.

 Even if your boss is very flexible
 with expectations of online
 behavior, you still want to maintain
 an aura of professionalism and
 make sure your behavior online
 could stand up to scrutiny.
6. Your cell phone should not be a
security blanket
 Holding your phone at all times,
 going to the bathroom with it and
 being glued to it during meetings
 does not reassure the boss that
 you’re capable of interacting well
 with others in person.

 One of the biggest complaints by
 managers is that employees don’t
 have enough interpersonal skills.
 Focus on eye contact and in-person
 communications, rather than your
 phone.
           For more tips and insight and the latest
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This presentation is based on an article written by Anita Bruzzese, freelance writer on
topics related to workplace & career issues.