Category Archives: Marketing Yourself!

Workplace dress-codes: a win for the ladies!

20 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by in Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!, women in engineering

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Untitled design

The workplace is no safe haven from the ongoing battle between the sexes. Lets face it, in most cases (pay, promotions, team events that mostly involve drinking) the guys usually come out on top. Women are slowly closing the gap, but there is still much more to do. However, there is one domain where there is a clear advantage to being a woman in the workplace: work attire.

Whether it be business casual, business formal or any other variation of “work clothing”, I’ve observed an unmistakable edge that women have over the men in the office.

In the Summer, while my male colleagues at my Firm slog all day and night in their identical grey, blue and black suits, which grow ever more creased as the work week wears on, sweat patches expanding under their shirtsleeves and feet swelling and blistering in tight dress-shoes, I get to breeze around in sleeveless dresses and sandals.

Blue dress

This is me wearing a green dress. You may say, “No Rhea, its a blue dress!” But don’t fight me on this, just accept it. This dress is green.

In the Winter, when staffed in snow-stormy cities like Minneapolis or Chicago, I bundle up with tailored, down-lined coats that come down to below my knees, thick pants with sweaters, scarves, classy gloves and boots. My poor male teammates shiver away in their not-nearly-as-warm coats worn over thin wool suits, their feet once again blistering in frozen dress shoes and hands and faces freezing due to their macho choices to leave their gloves and scarves at home.

I also get to change my outfits every day of the week; my clothing being small in size and weight, and easy to fold. The men, however, end up wearing the same suit four days in a row, and having to carry their steam-ironed suit jackets in a separate bag on the plane.

I can express my personality with different colors and styles from day to day, choosing outfits, shoes, jewelry and accessories to match my mood or the season. The men have very little wiggle room to express themselves, although I will give credit to those who at least try and differentiate themselves with watches, cuff links, tailored suits or in some cases, embroidering their initials on the torso of their shirts. Unfortunately for them, these fancies often cost a small fortune compared with women’s clothing and accessories.

Pink and blue dress

Business meeting, conference, after work drinks or holiday party. This look is very versatile. Choose a style that suits your body shape and get it in a few colors, necklines and lengths.

Our clothing is also much more versatile, allowing us to do more with less when we travel. I’ve worn the same black shift dress with a cardigan and flats on a regular business-casual work day, threw on a suit jacket and black pointy heels for a client steering committee meeting, and swapped the suit jacket for a trendy scarf and handbag for an after-work dinner meeting. You could mix and match five tops with a pencil skirt and a pair of trousers and look completely different each day of the week!

The dress code for women is also much more fluid and ambiguous, meaning we don’t have to try as hard to conform to it. A fitted dress and low heels could pass for both business casual and business formal, while men need to swap out their suit pants for slacks or jeans to look anywhere close to business casual.

When I worked as an engineer on a construction site, I got away with a ton more than the men could, choosing a bright pink hard hat, steel-capped safety boots with pink lightning bolts along the sides and breezy, light-colored blouses over well-fitted skinny-jeans worn under my reflective vest. I was truly Engineer Chic! The men on the other hand plowed around in identical, checkered, short-sleeved shirts and baggy, shapeless jeans. I almost felt sorry for them!

Now there are those that feel that having limited choice makes things simpler in getting ready in the morning, or packing for a trip. These people are right! Still, for me, and for many women, I love that I can still be myself and let my personality shine in the workplace! I love that I get away with brightly painted nails and designer shoes and handbags at work.  Being a consultant, I spend most of my life at work, so I love that I can be comfortable wearing what I love during that time.

And if that weren’t enough proof that women definitely win work attire, consider this: women don’t have to shine their shoes!

Mindblowing

I encourage other women engineers to bring their whole selves to their workplace. If dressing up is your thing, or if you want to try something a little more daring, just go for it! Don’t be afraid to be you. Don’t be afraid that people will take you less seriously if you dress well or express your creativity. Go ahead and nurture that creativity and cultivate a sense of style. This may even help you later on in your career as a high-powered manager or executive who means business and looks the part too!

Of course there are huge caveats to this message. You may work in a setting that makes you wear a uniform, or overalls, or dressing up may just be the most terrifying or soul destroying thing you could ever think of doing, or you may have another reason for holding back.  One colleague said she dressed down to avoid another #metoo situation,  after facing one at her previous employer. I find this really sad,  and very, very real for a lot of us. In promoting gender equality in the workplace and tackling sexual harassment, we should work to build a workplace environment where everyone feels safe to express themselves.

And this should go without saying, but please stay well within the boundaries of you company’s dress code and in the realm of common sense. Frumpy, torn, dirty and very revealing looks are just not professional, and also not at all chic, so do give them a skip!

And remember, in your walk, your talk, and the clothes you choose to wear, always be Engineer Chic!

Follow me on Instagram for more looks for work, travel and leisure @rhea_lism

Mentorship vs. Sponsorship for career advancement

27 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Career, Diversity, Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!, women in engineering

≈ 2 Comments

young-indian-businesswoman

As mentioned in my last post, one of the most critical factors to achieving success in the workplace is finding sponsors – the right sponsors – who will open doors for you and actively support you as you grow. Malcolm Gladwell listed this as one of the 3 critical factors for meteoric success in his book, Outliers (along with 10,000 hours of hard work and a large spoonful of luck) and Sylvia Ann Hewitt wrote a whole book about it: Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor

Until lately, this was a pretty new concept for me. Looking back at my career thus far however, I can definitely see how sponsorship has shaped my path. Let me share a bit of what I’ve learned.

What is a sponsor, and what is a mentor?

A mentor is someone who gives advice. She/he is typically a person more senior than you, who has taken an interest in your development, growth and success and tries to guide you as you define and follow your journey, sharing experiences, knowledge and suggesting course-corrections. You can think of a mentor as someone who helps you passively.

A sponsor, however, is a senior person who actively helps you follow your journey (or leap-frog into a whole new journey you never even dreamed about). They would typically hand you a challenging assignment (giving you that chance to show off your fabulous skills and get noticed), connect you to an advantageous person or opportunity or flat out “bang the table for you” when you come up for a promotion or an assignment.

Why is this important?

I know that the engineer in every one of us believes that she/he should be valued primarily on the virtue of his/her work, but that simply is not the case.

Organizations are made up of people, and despite them being governed by policies, are in the end, just a bunch of human beings being human beings. At every level within an organization, irrespective of company culture, there are “politics” at play. People build networks around their interests, gravitating towards people they get along with and people that can/will help them in some way now or in the future. Little communities emerge at the water dispensers or on the weekends. As individuals in a community achieve greater success, they tend to start creating opportunities for others in that community to also succeed, keeping their “followers” close to them at every level.

Very clearly then, in order to get ahead, you need to be doing a lot more than just showing up to kick ass at your daily tasks!

The sponsorship cards are stacked against women

McKinsey & Co. teamed up with LeanIn.org to do some killer research on Women in the Workplace, and discovered some important – and unsettling – facts.

“Women are three times more likely to rely on a network that is mostly female. Because men typically hold more senior-level positions, this means women are less likely to get access to people with the clout to open doors for them.”

 

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Although the number of senior women leaders in a typical US workplace is increasing, senior leadership is still largely dominated by men. This means that a woman is less likely to get access to senior level people who can really open doors for them. This effect deepens the more senior a woman becomes. 20170226_3 201702262

 

So what does all of this mean for you and I?

In the field of engineering, cybersecurity and others, where senior women are still very few and far between, women are even less likely to have access to senior women sponsors. In my last post I talked about how its a total misconception that women don’t sponsor each other. The truth is, they do! What we also need to start doing a lot more of, is actively seeking out male sponsors as well, with the ability to really open doors for us.

It also means that as we progress, we need to be acutely aware that younger women will be seeking us out as sponsors, and that we have the duty to create opportunities for them and connect them to a more balanced network of men and women.

My next post going to be on how to go about finding a sponsor. Stay tuned for more!

 

Interview Tips for Engineers

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in Career, Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!

≈ 3 Comments

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I recently got a comment from a reader who asked me to share some tips on what to wear for a first interview with some engineering companies.   Having a little experience in that department, let me try and offer some advice.

o-JOB-INTERVIEW-PERSONAL-QUESTIONS-facebook

1.  Be prepared

Possibly the most important thing you can do before an interview is your homework.  The interviewer wants to see that you know enough about the company, and that you really want to work for them above all other companies.  Research the core business of the company and have a good idea of what they produce or manufacture.   Know in which regions the company operates and where their head office is situated.   All of these facts can be easily found on their website or company profile.

 Also be ready to answer technically specific questions to the field you are applying to.  An operational or manufacturing company is vastly different from an engineering consultancy and the possible career-paths in each of these environments are worlds apart.  For an operational position, depending on your level of experience, you may be asked to answer technical questions, whereas in a consulting environment, they may quiz you on codes and standards related to design.   In project management, you may be questioned on schedule management and quality assurance.

Make sure you are prepared to tackle a question of a technical nature or a small, problem-solving exercise.

2.  Practice

Write down a few questions that are likely to come up in the interview such as:

  1. Tell us a little about yourself.
  2. Why do you want to work for this company?
  3. Why should we hire you for this job?

Practice your answers, out loud, several times until you are comfortable with them.  Your answers should be short and to-the-point and should not drift from the topic.  Each answer should be no longer that about a minute long and should cover a few important things about you that you want them to know.

You can find more common interview questions on the web.

3.  What to Wear

I think that engineers get confused as to how formally to dress for an interview.  Although in most cases, an interview always calls for neat, business-formal attire, there are some engineering companies where the dress code is more relaxed.

 A good rule to follow is to rather be overdressed than underdressed.

Exactly what I would wear

Exactly what I would wear

For a female engineer, you should apply the same logic as a woman applying for a job in sales or banking.  In exceptional cases, you may be called for an interview on a site where a safety dress-code is required, but this is not the norm and they will inform you of this beforehand.  Wear neat and well-fitted clothing that is not too small or large for you.  Rather buy something new that fits well than swim in something of your mother’s.  Stick to neutral, professional colours and neat lines without distracting flourishes and detailing.  A pants or skirt suit with a crisp, white shirt is always a winner.

Wear heels!  Just don’t wear crazy stilettos or anything that you think belongs in a club.  Make sure you can walk comfortably in them.  I like a wedge heel which is far more stable for me since I don’t wear heels on a daily basis.

Try and look attractive, but don’t break the cardinal rules of showing too much skin, cleavage or being to fashionable.  The people doing the interview may not appreciate your efforts!  Check out this earlier post for more tips.

10 Wardrobe Must-Haves for any Engineer-Chic

Selling Yourself: Where Engineers get it Wrong

What Does Business-Casual Mean Anyway?

4.  Accessories, Make-up and Hair

I would encourage the use of accessories and make-up, but in moderation.  Wear small, silver earrings or a dainty pendant and stay away from anything that dangles or distracts. I have a habit of continuously removing and replacing any watch I wear so get rid of anything that could cause a similar distraction.  Carry a small handbag with only what you need for the interview.  Fumbling for documents in a large, oversized handbag may give the impression that you’re disorganised.

 Make up should be light and tasteful. Think of a classy business women going into a meeting. Use foundation and blush sparingly, stay away from coloured eye-shadows and dark or bright lipstick. A little bit of eye-liner and a tasteful lipstick which you can rely on to last the interview is almost all you need. Go all-out on the mascara (I love mascara!).  Don’t ever apply make-up in front of anyone, unless it’s a clear chapstick or labello if you absolutely need to.

This is ideal for an interview

This is ideal for an interview

 Make sure your nails are neat and clean although you should steer clear from flashy French manicures and bright, trendy colours.  I once interviewed a girl with half chipped-off, red nail polish that she chipped away at during the interview.  This did not give a god impression and was very distracting.

 Your hair should be neat and swept or pinned back. It should be professional and you shouldn’t constantly have to sweep it away from your face.  Grown-out highlights may be really hot right now in Hollywood, but simply looks trashy in a professional setting.

5.  Manners

When you walk into the room, greet everyone with a smile and a firm handshake. Especially if you are a woman, offer your own hand and make sure its firm.   I repeat, make sure you offer a firm handshake while looking the person in the eye.  As you know, this is something that is foreign to most women and certain cultures in particular. (In my industry, everyone greets everyone with a handshake every day. This is still difficult for me, but I’m getting used to it).

dreamstimeextrasmall_139463242

 Introduce yourself with your first and last name and try your best to remember theirs.  Don’t beat yourself up too much if you don’t get them right the first time.

 Sit up straight and be as relaxed and natural as possible.  Sitting in interviews can make you really nervous, but try not to be.  Try not to fidget or wobble your leg or anything like that.

 Smile!

 Look people in the eye when you talk to them and maintain good eye-contact.  This may be difficult if it’s something you don’t naturally do, but try practicing with your friends to get over the fear.  Acknowledge what they say and keep your answers and comments short and to the point.

Check out these relevant posts:

10 Wardrobe Must-Haves for any Engineer-Chic

Selling Yourself: Where Engineers get it Wrong

What Does Business-Casual Mean Anyway?

Winter Business Wear

Winter Business Wear

02 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!

≈ 1 Comment

Since IMECE is around the corner, this year being held in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, I tought I’d give you a couple of ideas on how to dress for success in Winter.  If you’re new to Engineer Chic, you might want to have a look at previous posts on What Does Business Casual Mean Anyway? and Ten Wardrobe Must-Haves for Any Engineer Chic .

I personally love dressing up in the Winter. There are so many great looks, but for business, the following tips will help you make your mark!

Winter Look 1: Go Classic

As we’re well into Spring down here in Sunny South Africa, I’ll be pulling out coats and boots from our Winter which has just passed. Our fashion follows the US by 6 months, but luckily for me, this year I wont be horribly out-of-date. The trends for this season are Classic, Classy, Sexy!   My favorite Winter items in my closet are classy and timeless which means I wont need to go running to the mall just yet.  Its a really great idea to invest in some good, classic Winter clothes: genuine leather boots and a well-fitted coat are a must! They will cost you a bit, but will be worth it in the long run!

Winter Look 2: The Coat

I am a huge fan of a cute fitted coat – and this year, the waist is back! Get yourself a coat that suits your body shape.  Remember that very long coats only look good on very tall, slim girls (you don’t want to turn up looking like a vampire). For shorter ladies like me, go for something above the knee that flares in a gentle A-line cut. This also flatters curvy hips, especially with a wide belt arouns the smallest part of your waist. Paired with straight-cut trousers (or dark skinny-jeans for business casual) this is a really hot look! For business, stay with clean lines and neutral colours.

Winter Look 3:  The Skirt

The high-waisted skirt is very much alive and kicking this winter – yay!  Wear over stockings for the cold and with boots for a really cosy feel- which brings us to the next great Winter business look… 

 

Winter Look 4: Boots

 

Again, classic high-quality leather boots will be money well-spent!
I love ankle-boots, as long as they’re not too bulky, or a simple, fitted brown/ black pair just below the knee. Beware of boots that stop mid-shin as they are the least flaterring to shorter/ curvier shapes!
 
 

I love these!

Winter look 5: Accessories

The best part about Winter clothes is that there are just so many of them! Layering is a gorgeous way to stay warm and scarves or hats in the latest styles are always a great way to spice up an outfit. This year, to add some colour, go for a long scarf in a rich, solid colour (no knits).  A deep turquoise, purple or eggshell would be the perfect glamorous finish to a classic ensemble!

Hats are also in this Winter, so keep those ears nice and toasty with these!

Do Women Make Better Marketers than Men?

09 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by in Marketing Yourself!, women in engineering

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And back to MARKETING we go.

As one reader pointed out: marketing is not advertising. Marketing is about segmeting your target market, doing research into that target market, their wants, their needs, and upon discovering those wants and needs, miraculously filling a lucrative gap in the market by developing a product tailored to meet all the needs of that target group).

So far, my engineer’s brain is going, “tick!” Makes sense. There is a need, there is a gap, you fill the gap and get rich.
Ok, so now I propose a shocking and totally new idea: Women are better marketers than men!
*Shock* , *Horror*, *Outrage*
Ok, actually I lied. Its not new or my idea…lets see what the experts say:
“There is, perhaps, no more important skill for a marketer than empathy. While the media and outsiders tend to perceive marketing as a matter of spin and persuasion, the reality has always been different. It is fundamentally a challenge of understanding. Yes, later on we create advertising and packaging and other rhetorical tools, but the primary issue for all marketers is to understand their consumer and bring that understanding into the organisation. Without this basic empathy for the target market, our marketing efforts are probably going to be in vain.
It’s clear, therefore, why women have such a biological advantage when it comes to marketing. Their brains are simply better at understanding others. Male marketers are more likely to make the crucial error of assuming that their own thoughts and reactions can be extrapolated to those of the market. Female marketers, in contrast, are more likely to truly get inside the head of the market and base their strategies on the real needs of consumers.”
Ok, like wow! But really, what does this mean to you and me? We’re engineers, not marketers. And we dont work in jobs where you can use these kinds of skills that we’re apparently born with…
But why not? With the dramatic rise in numbers of women in the field of engineering, surely we’ve got to see these special gifts popping up here and there at some point? You cant have a whole lot of tall, short, young, chubby, cute, fiesty, butch, emotional, strong, skinny, tomboyish, petit, girly women making the exodus onto Mars without them bringing something of their Venetian heritage along with them. So how can being naturally good at marketing help you as an engineer? Let me try and give you a few examples:
  • Starting/ running an engineering business. This week I have been going through piles of tender applications for different companies that want to be awarded various contracts for the project. An attractive package that includes all the basic information already gives a positive image of the company.  Companies that have taken the time to go through our requirements and tailor their applications to align with our needs (relevant information and personalised cover letter) really stand out. You’re left thinking-they will give us what we’re looking for! All the above things are not technical in nature-but will likely score your company higher!
  • Landing that interview. My experience on finding the right job is really, really difficult. You have to apply for a large number of positions, and have to be really good at handling rejoection! (Especially in this economy!) The first thing possible employers see is your resume and cover letter. From these few pages, they have to decide whether you are a worthy candidate and whether you will fit in with their ethos. You have to tailor each resume/ cover letter you submit according to the company you’re applying to, knowing VERY little information about the company (website/ advertisements/ meeting company ambassadors at campus)
  • Landing that job. As with the resume, during your interview, the interviewers are looking for several key things. One of them (especially in client-facing environments) is how you come across. Another is if you are a good fit for their company. Marketing yourself appropriately for different posts and different companies is key to success. For example, I was offered jobs for a engineering (mining) firm and a marketing (fast moving consumer goods) firm. Both interviews were tough, but each were looking for totally different things! I had to adapt not only what experience I chose highlight, but also the way I spoke, dressed, answered questions based on the values of each company.
  • Networking. Marketing yourself is in incredibly important aspect of your career. You need to firstly make an effort to look prefessional-clean and neat. See my post Selling Yourself-Where Engineers Get it Wrong. Who knows? That person you impressed at that conference/ cocktail event may end up being your next interviewer, or even employer! (or boyfriend for that matter)
  • Blogging/ Website design. Need I say more? Ok, ok. The fact that you’re reading this right now shows that I’m doing something right. My passion is outreach. I just enjoy sharing a little bit of my world with others, and hope it inspires others to reach for their dreams. Blogs are a great way to make money though, and if you can write about something technical, you may just find a market for it! But take it from a blogger who has been through the gauntlet with readership-marketing is a huge part of it.
  • Selling inventions to clients/ your boss. I recently met someone who worked in the IT wing of a major bank. He had a young team under him that was made up of computer sciece majors, engineers and business science majors. One thing that he mentioned was that the engineers in his team consistently came up with great ideas, but really struggled with convincing others it was a good idea at all. Their presentation skills were poor, and they lacked the ability to sway the team’s opinion on things. Whether you are selling an invention, idea in a brainstorming session or just a minor change to the way a process works on your plant, good marketing is imperative!

And one more from EcoHawk-which I completely hadn’t thought about:

  • Getting involved in a project/ out of it. If you want to be moved onto a project you like, you can sell the team leader the idea that more people would be advantageous, or that your skills could be beneficial to them. Similarly, you can weasel your way out of one using the same skill-set.

Sneaky EcoHawk-very sneaky! But I like the idea of taking the initiative to make sure you are enjoying what you do!

Wow! All of these points are really critical to your success in a career. And we’ve read how women have a natural, phisiological advantage in these spheres which require good marketing skills. I do believe that there are a great number of women out there who are already tapping in to this.

Isn’t is time you do to?

If you have used your feminine gift of intuition and empathy to market your way to success, write to me and tell me how you did it. I’d love to post it.

Selling the Sizzle-Not the Steak

03 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Marketing Yourself!

≈ 2 Comments

Something that has been a hot topic recently at my engineering society has been MARKETING.  I’ve posted before about the fact that engineers are particularly bad at this, but I think its worth mentioning again. A common misconception made by engineers is that an idea itself being really good should be reason enough for others to buy into it. We completely fail to understand why the way we package that idea can be sometimes be even more important than the information itself…

Just take a look at this website:

 

That was ASME’s website a year ago.  Now, if you had no idea about who or what ASME was all about, what would your impression of the society be? Having been introduced to ASME about a year ago, being the engineer I am, I decided to go check it out online. What I found was an un-navigatable mess of data and text that gave me no clear indication of what they actually did! And boy, was it ugly!

(Note: if anyone from ASME is reading this and think I’m being harsh-don’t hate, you know I’m right!)

 

Now I know a lot of engineers out there are sitting there saying, ‘Hey now, whats the matter if its unattractive? Its meant to communicate information, and thats what it does-all the information is there!” But you have to also realise that engineers are naturally programmed to be adverse to marketing. Just type in Engineers and Marketing in Google and see what pops up! This blog post put it particularly well:

Why Do Engineers Hate Marketing?

 

I just love the writer’s ten reason’s engineers don’t respond to regular marketing ploys.

 

1.Engineers just want the facts

2.Engineers are trained to question the “benefits” that you present
3.Engineers hate being marketed or sold to
4.Engineers like to find you through their own research (this should be a clue for marketers!) This is an incredibly interesting point. And a major difference between engineers and plant managers, I’ve noticed.
5.Engineers don’t buy on emotion Ok, I admit. Books and shoes are my one guilty weakness! I just cant help myself at a book sale…but I suppose I don’t buy because of marketing. I buy because I just HAVE to have them!!
6.Engineers won’t read direct mail (to them it is junk)
7.Engineers despise telemarketing (even more than you do!) You would not believe how true this is!!!
8.Engineers hate hyped up ad copy (even though it works on the masses)
9.Engineers don’t respond to flashy websites – bells and whistles just annoy them
10.Engineers have a sense of humor (but it does not overlap well with the human race)
Which reminds me, I think it may be time for another Engineer Joke of the Week!

 

Basically, we’re trained to quickly weade through a lot of information and extract only what is absolutely necessary. We dont see that outside technical and academic engineers circles-the real world-where selling your product/ service/ idea is the only way to succeed, the stuff that we’re programmed to see as unimportant, is actually VERY important. “In marketing we are taught to sell the ‘sizzle’-not the steak. Its what consumers respond to, its how we grab and hold their attention!

I can attest to this. The Engineer-Chic blog used to be green and had random articles that had no real theme. Once I realise who my target audience was and formed an ‘image’ suited to that, my readership increased…a lot!

 

Now, just take a look at ASME’s new website:

 

 

And? What do you think now about the society? Would you believe now that this is the largest mechanical engineering society in the world? With 120, 000 members in 150 countries worldwide?

 

  Its clean, easy to navigate and attractive without being unnecessarily flashy or fancy. Its epitomises functionality without being boring. I have to say, I love it. Wll done ASME!

(See-I wasn’t being that harsh after all-right?)

 

Take a look at another website I absolutely love. Notice how well-suited the colour-scheme is, and the use of emotive imagery and wording. What we don’t realise is the effect all of this has on us without us even realising it!

 

Engineering for Change

 

This is one area that WOMEN are naturally very strong in. Even us engineering ladies have an eye for design, colour and form. But more on this in my next post *wink*!

10 Wardrobe Must-Haves for any Engineer-Chic

24 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by in Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!

≈ 8 Comments

So my last two posts dealt with the importance of image and marketing yourself at professional engineering event such as conferences and seminars…
…and how to dress the part….
 For this post, I want to wrap up by going into a bit more detail on key items that (in my opinion) every woman needs in her closet to be Engineer-Chic!
                                                                                                                                   
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 10: Colour
The cardinal rule of professional dressing is to stick to sober colours. You can’t go wrong with black, grey, navy, beige and chocolate brown as the basis of your suit or ensemble. But its still important to let your personality shine through! This can easily be done by pairing a neutral suit with a brightly-coloured blouse or shirt. I have been quite daring with this, pairing grey trousers with a fuscia top, but if you prefer to stick to a muted colour palette that’s ok!
Try to stick to the same hue, and ensure the colours you choose always complement each other and never clash! Also, try not to mix up beiges and greys. If you’re wearing a beige suit, choose brown shoes. If you go for a grey suit, choose a daring midnight blue (matched to the same colour of blouse). Black is safest and usually goes well with everything.
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 9: Understated Accessories
Invest in a good pair of diamante earrings, a classy watch and a delicate necklace to add a timelessly classic look to your outfit. Alternatively, you could opt for just one, strategically placed fashion item such as an over-sized bangle or cute belt. Stay away from chunky or dangling jewelry that will detract from others concentrating on you when you talk.
A neat, oversized handbag could work well to keep your conference material in so you won’t have to carry papers around all day (and its always handy to keep your make-up with you in case you end up going out for an impromptu dinner with colleagues).
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 8: The Skirt-Suit
Always remember to stay feminine, no matter how submerged you are in our manly field. During the work-day, we trudge about mines and plants in our overalls, but we are equally as capable of looking fabulous in a skirt! Choose one that works for your body shape, and try not to bury it under tights or leggings. As long as it’s around knee-length, show off those gorgeous legs!
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 7: Leather Document Folder

No plastic! Leather will last you years and looks professional. Invest in something quality!
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 6: Good Maintenance!


No excuses. Even if your nails are short, manicure them and make sure they’re neat and pretty. I know you don’t have time, (which is why I do my nails myself on a Friday night!) Get your hair done for the event. You need to take care of yourself once in a while – you deserve it! At the event, wear your hair clipped back or let it hang loose. Don’t be afraid to turn on that glam!
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 5: The Wedge Heel


I personally love the wedge heel. It gives your body the height and the streamlined shape without killing your feet or causing you to hobble around all day in pain! As an engineer, you will appreciate the support – simply, you’re spreading the pressure surface right? Plus, they still look great and can be very sexy, while remaining classy at the same time! Try them, you will love them!
Engineer-Chic Must Have #4: The Crisp, White Shirt

This item is an amazing must-have of every woman. Its versatility, simplicity and professional look adds style and class to most ensembles. It’s the trusty friend you can rely on when everything else fails. Choose a good, trendy fit and replace it often to avoid yellowing or fading.
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 3: The Famous Shift Dress

Now I appreciate that not all body-types look good in this style. Curvy and hourglass shapes (myself included) beware! But if you can its great – see previous post. But if you happen to be ‘gifted’ with a full or curvy figure, try a simple A-line fit that nips at the waist and flares out to the knee, or pair with a belt for a trendy look. The reason that this is #3 is that it can be dressed up or down or spruced up to go out for cocktails!
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 2: A Signature Item
Every woman is unique, so let a little personality finish of your look. My personal signature item is stone grey pendent of Africa I wear on a black string around my neck. It almost doesn’t fit in with some outfits, but in a way it works! I love it because it’s unique to me and shows where my heart is J (and I love the conversations that it sparks up)
Engineer-Chic Must Have # 1: Clothes That Fit!
And the number 1 must-have is definitely a good fit for your clothes. I know you may feel self-conscious showing your shape, but if you’re swimming in your clothes, it only makes you feel uncomfortable and look 10kgs heavier than you are! Likewise, if you’ve recently gained some due to a very happy Christmas (trust me, I know the feeling), its ok to get a slightly larger size of pants (I know you plan on losing the extra few pounds soon, but you don’t want to feel uncomfortable in clothes that are just too tight!)

What does Business-Casual mean anyway?

13 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by in Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!

≈ 8 Comments

 

 

Now this is a really tricky one because there is just so much that can fall into this category…A neat skirt-suit can be business-casual, and on the other hand, you can get away with dressing up a pair of jeans too! So let me start by describing what business causal ISN’T.
 
 
 What Business Casual Isn’t #1:    Business Formal

 

A business suit you would wear to a job interview would be slightly too dressy for the business casual look. Business-formal implies a tailored suit and tie, the type of outfit you would reserve when meeting with high-end clients or attending a technical seminar (or ASME committee meeting). Here, women have a slight advantage since items such as skirt suits and dresses can be dressed up or down to fit either category depending on what you pair them with…
 
Take a look at this classic black shift dress with a blazer. This is perfect business-formal attire…

 

 

but pair with a trendy shirt and belt and shoes, and it changes the look entirely! Below left would definitely fall into the business-causal category. Its cute but still very neat and clean-cut.

imagesCALN9AA9

 
 
and something every woman should have in her closet: a crisp, white shirt!
 
 

 

I also love the fact that you can throw on the season’s hottest accessories and wear the shift to a cocktail party! Which means you get three sophisticated looks from just one item! If you want to buy a dress to wear in both business casual and formal categories, keep to natural fabrics and sober colours: black, grey, cream and beige are good.
 
 
 What Business Casual Isn’t #2:   Casual (aka Scruffy)
 
There are plenty of occasions to wear your most comfortable pair of worn out jeans. Although I love my own pair of 100% cotton, tattered and patched jeans (ok fine, I bought them that way), they are not something I would take to a conference…at all…not even just for a conference golf day or museum tour!
 
Not business-casual!
 So you’re clued up enough to know that torn jeans are out. But can you still get away with jeans at all? Here’s the good news: yes you can! I do it all the time. But you gotta be careful to make sure they are neat, fit well and paired with a good pair of heels and a well-fitted shirt or blouse and a blazer jacket. No baggy jeans! No bell-bottom jeans! Stick to straight-cuts or skinnys. And as for tops, a neat blouse is best, but a collared polo shirt is acceptable apparently (although I wouldn’t wear it). Nothing with logos! Make sure it fits well too.
 
 

business-casual-to-business

 
As an alternative to jeans, you can try a pair of sleek, straight-cut or skinny trousers (or a slight flare of you are tall). I personally love my charcoal pair from Mango. They fit beautifully, and have the slightest sheen to them which make them also super-trendy! You can also try capris or long, flared shorts for a fashionable summer-look as an alternative to dresses and skirts. The rule with any trousers is to make sure they fit well-not too tight and not loose and bunching everywhere!
 
 
 
What Business-Casual Isn’t #3:   Too Much Skin!
 
The point of many business-casual events you would attend is to mingle, network and conference in general. You want to give a give a good impression, and tartiness isn’t the way to do that! Make sure you never show too much skin. On the other hand, don’t be afraid of letting your femininity shine through. We are women, after all, and women have curves, women are charismatic…women draw attention. These things cant be ignored, they are part of what we are and should be embraced and used to our advantage! The idea is to use our feminine attributes with class.
 
Clothing should not be too tight. No cleavage should be revealed, stomachs, lower backs and buttocks (and that includes g-strings!). Try and avoid revealing bra-straps and panty-lines if possible. And lastly, keep the skirt-lengths around the knee  although exceptions do exist (you may be able to get away with pairing a neat mini with a suit jacket, stockings and closed, formal shoes).
 
 
 
What Business Casual Isn’t #4:   What Your Grandma Would Wear!
 
And lastly, I know many of us are students or early career engineers, new to the working world. After years of campus life in our jeans and hoodies, w may have somehow come up with this idea that ‘business’ attire means boring or old. This is the area that I think we as engineers need to work on the most. “Business attire” means neat, clean and presentable, not washed out, repressed and dull! Let your personality shine through, don’t hide it under layers or neo-feminist frump! 
 
 
 
Business casual lets you be a bit more expressive than business formal, so accessorize! Stand out, make a statement and get noticed! 
 
 My next post 10 Wardrobe Must-haves for any Engineer-Chic, will deal more about specific features – handbags, shoes, colour and cuts…So keep the suggestions rolling in! 
 

Selling Yourself: Where Engineers get it Wrong!

09 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by in Engineer Chic!, Marketing Yourself!

≈ 4 Comments

I have just returned from an ASME leadership training conference (LTC) that was held in Dallas, USA where I had the chance to meet a whole bunch of interesting people from all over the world.
I was busy talking about my bright pink hard hat, when I got a ‘OMG, are you Engineer-Chic?
This was a real treat! Noha is the president of ASME’s latest initiative, Engineering for Change or E4C. Of course, it was great connecting with other young women who are also engaged in developmental initiatives, but after exchanging business cards, the conversation drifted to lighter (yet very important) topics: clothing!
Noha is a pretty, young, middle-eastern woman who I thought looked very stylish and well put together. Iana, another awesome E4C initiator, lamented over how difficult it was for engineering women to know what was appropriate to wear to these occasions. I have to agree with her on this one.  I’ve been to a couple of engineering conferences where the dress-code was set to business-casual…and I know first hand how difficult it is to stock your wardrobe to accommodate both engineering ‘work-clothes’ and formal meeting attire and on top of all that, the elusive set of garments that fall into the ‘business-casual’ category. I think that we engineers have an even harder time of dressing for business-casual than business-women since we don’t wear business-casual clothing to work. We wear jeans and comfortable shoes, or clothes that we don’t mind getting quite dirty!
So does this mean that we have to go out and buy clothes specifically for conferences and business-casual events? 
Wait for the shocking answer…Yes it does!
I know all of your logical minds are thinking, ‘But why? Why must I spend all that cash on clothes that I will wear a few times a year? Is it really all that necessary?’

And, again, yes it is necessary! Conferences and events are amazing opportunities to network and market yourself. You are an independent, strong and smart young engineer, and others need to SEE this when they look at you. First impressions always count and you will have to dress the part to get the recognition you deserve!  But for some reason, this is something that doesn’t come naturally to engineers. Two key learnings from the LTC was that engineers are really bad at marketing ourselves, and that we tend to think that reason and logic are superior means of attaining power and influencing people agree with you.  But this is a complete myth- totally wrong! Just looking at the (soon changing) ASME website tells us how bad we are at selling ourselves and our products. I recommend the book Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, which has a whole section on the importance on MARKETING YOURSELF. There are multiple ways of getting and leveraging power, and one of the fastest and easiest is by being attractive!
“Now, don’t go hating on me, I’m not saying you have to be pretty to use this type of power, but everyone can be neat, clean and appropriately dressed”, said speaker Elaine Seat, in her talk titled: Selling Your Ideas in the Absence of Authority (aka how to get power and use it to influence others).  “Think of the money you spend on good clothes as an investment in yourself that yields unbelievably high returns!” Said Ron Rosenburg who delivered the Plenary Session: Outrageous Association Marketing.
(Hint: google this guy!)
So yes, it is extremely important to market yourselves. You will have to learn how to dress the part. This isn’t easy, but I’m here to help. In my next couple of posts, I will be exploring this in a little more detail, so stay tuned. 
Can you think of some SUGGESTIONS on what would be appropriate conferencing gear in the BUSINESS CASUAL category? Comment on this post or email me with hints, tips and PICTURES!!!!