Interview of the Day: ‘If you want the part, it’s critical that you look the part!’
Shital Kakkar Mehra, Corporate Etiquette & International
Protocol Consultant, Soft Skills International
Srilagna Saha, TimesJobs.com
Bureau
According to you, what is the
importance of employee grooming in an organisation?
It’s
a proven fact that better dressed employees are perceived to be more capable,
more intelligent, more desirable, hence better paid. Clearly, there is a huge
ROI (Return on Investment) if you dress better as it offers you a competitive
edge.
Does employee grooming vary
from one industry to another? Give examples.
Attire
in the corporate world is dependent upon both your industry and your
job. Attire is strictly ‘business formal’ in traditional
industries like legal, banking and professional services.
In industries like hospitality, manufacturing and medical
services, as hygiene is a critical element these industries
invariably have employee uniforms and focus more on impeccable
grooming. At the other end of the spectrum, in creative fields
(e.g. PR, fashion, publishing, media and entertainment) clothes
are distinctive as it’s all about uniqueness.
What is the relation between
getting a good job and being well groomed?
Interviews
offer a small window of opportunity to create impact. It’s a
well-researched fact that in the first few seconds 55% of
your impact is visual and as clothes cover 90% of your body at work,
they send a very powerful message. As they say “what you
wear speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say”!
What role does an HR manager
play while grooming or giving behavioural training to new joinees?
HR
managers play an extremely proactive role in offering both
grooming and behavioural courses to induction batches. As our education system
does not focus on these skills, HR manager work very hard to ensure that the
transition from classroom to cubicle is smooth.
Are organisations becoming
dependent on external agencies or are still relying on internal facilities for
these trainings?
It’s
a combination - skills which are highly specialised are outsourced
while others are provided in-house. Also, companies have started
investing in their internal trainers to better equip them
to deliver both technical and soft skills trainings, making it
cost-effective in the long run.
Today,
organisations have specialised Learning & Development
divisions which are headed by professionals who are clued in to
the best global practices.
Your grooming tips to fresh
college graduates seeking their first job.
·
Pre-meeting research: Research on the company you are
interviewing for example: What is their business? Who is their client? What
is their organisation culture? Based on these answers, dress for
the job interview.
·
Maintain highest levels of grooming and hygiene:
Polished shoes, neatly trimmed nails, well-groomed hair,
ironed clothes are important, regardless of the industry or
the job you are seeking.
·
When in doubt, dress formal.
Attire
in the corporate world is comparable to acting - if you want the
part, it’s critical that you look the part!
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