We all know we keep one look for our social lives and another for work, but just how important is good grooming for your career?
Early in my career, a female boss advised me, “dress for the job you want to have”. Sage advice, right? Definitely, considering I was young, eager to do well and be considered for promotion. But as we get older and have those promotions under our belt…do we forget this mantra and get stuck in a look that might not be serving us best. While it may no longer be about promotions (or maybe it is), our image underlies our professional brand and presents a perception to others about our knowledge, reliability and most importantly - being worth our compensation.
With the gender pay gap at 16% in Australia and studies showing that attractive people are paid more than their less attractive counterparts - how important is it that we are building our brand through our grooming?
According to research conducted at Boston University a direct relationship exists between make-up and the perceived ability, competence and trustworthiness of a female employee and a more recent study by sociologists from UC Irvine answers this question down to the dollars. This research supports that while attractive people can earn 20% more than their not-as-attractive peers, the scales are tipped back when good grooming is added into the mix.
The study found that average-looking, well-groomed women earned significantly more than average-looking women, with average grooming - around $6,000 more and $4,000 more than her more attractive, but less-groomed counterpart.
So with a little lippy helping us earn more is it time we considered our hair and make-up as career investments?
That is one good reason to participate in a personlised Make-up and Hair Styling lesson.