The first few months of a new year usually seem like a great time to turn over a new leaf. If you’ve decided that this year is the year you launch a fabulous new career, one of the things that might be holding you back is your look. While everyone likes to say that looks don’t matter, when you are on the hunt for a new job, they do. Your appearance is the first thing a hiring manager will see when you meet. Don’t let past choices hold you back from a new career. With a few adjustments, you can be on your way to a new professional life.
Undo Youthful Style Choices
Some professions welcome certain style choices with open arms while others don’t. If you have a number of visible tattoos, for example, it might be hard to appear in court as a lawyer, but not so difficult to work as a creative director or a manager of a trendy cafe. The same is true of stretched out earlobes. While people often go to great lengths to increase the size of the pierced hole in their ears, society for the most part still hasn’t caught up to the trend. Conservative workplaces, which often include law firms, hospitals and financial institutions, generally don’t approve of the gauged ear trend.
In some cases, the earlobes can shrink back to standard size after the gauges are removed, depending on how long a person has had them and how large they are. If yours don’t shrink back, you aren’t necessarily stuck with enlarged, floppy earlobes for the rest of time.
Earlobe repair procedures can help you get a more professional look, pretty quickly. The surgery involves cutting away the excess lobes and reshaping the remaining earlobe to create a more natural look. It’s generally a quick procedure, and usually takes less than an hour to perform. Usually, the final results are visible within six months, so you might want to schedule your surgery carefully, so that your ears have time to heal before any interviews.
Ease Lines and Wrinkles
While looking too young, with young person style choices can impact your ability to find a job in a professional setting, unfortunately, looking too old can have a similar effect, particularly if you’re a woman. A study conducted by the Center for Talent Innovation over the course of a full year found that people were judged for looking too old as much as they were for looking too young. There seems to be a sweet spot between looking like a co-workers grandmother and looking like his or her daughter, and that sweet spot can be hard to reach.
If you are worried that your older appearance is getting in the way of your professional success, one way to reduce those concerns is by exploring treatments that refresh your face and reduce some signs of aging, such as lines and wrinkles.
Perhaps your last position had you crinkling your brow a lot in a frown or made you laugh a lot, so that you’ve developed either frown lines or crow’s feet. One way to smooth those lines, at least on a temporary basis, is to have Botox injections. While the results from Botox only last a few months, it offers a few advantages over more invasive options, such as surgery. There’s no downtime, so you can receive the injections one day and be back on the job market the next. Since the results fade quickly, you aren’t stuck with them if you end up not liking them.
Look Well Groomed
How well groomed you look also plays a part in how you’re perceived. Good grooming includes having nicely manicured nails, a neat hairstyle and clothes that fit. You could also extend grooming to the area of taking care of your skin. Scheduling a signature facial from time to time can help keep your skin looking refreshed and vibrant. Although women are judged more harshly on their appearance than men, it’s also important for guys to take good care of their skin and to look polished at work. Fortunately, there are gentlemen’s facials that focus on the specific skincare needs of men.
Slim Down
Another harsh reality of the working world is that your size plays a part in how professional you look and how others perceive you. Negative stereotypes about being overweight or obese continue to this day. If you are hoping to create a more business world friendly look, you might want to consider losing some weight, if needed. Plastic surgery for after weight loss can then help you get the body you want, by removing extra skin from certain areas, such as the abdomen and thighs.
If you’re at a healthy weight already, but carry a bit of extra fat in certain areas, a procedure such as liposuction or Coolsculpting might help you achieve the shape you’re after. Whether you’ve lost the weight already or are planning to lose weight, either on your own or through gastric bypass, it’s important to discuss your plans with a doctor.
Getting a professional appearance can be difficult, but it can often be worth the effort, when you’re finally able to land your dream job. In the Washington, D.C. area, Dr. George Bitar can help you choose the procedure that is right for you to help improve your appearance and gain a more professional look. To schedule an appointment, call (703) 206-0506 today.
George Bitar, MD, FACS is an award-winning, board-certified cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon, the Founder and Medical Director of Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute in Virginia. He specializes in the latest surgical and minimally invasive techniques to scar management and reduction. Dr. Bitar is involved in groundbreaking research and education in plastic surgery and has authored numerous articles, abstracts, and chapters.
