2/1/13
Professional women say gravitas (60%) is more important than communication (32%) or appearance (8%) when it comes to maintaining an executive presence, according to the Center for Talent Innovation, American Express, and Marie Claire magazine. Senior-level executive women believe that projecting an executive image accounts for 28% of what it takes to get the next promotion. The same proportion (28%) feel that good posture helps create an executive presence.
Though professional women believe appearance lags behind other factors in terms of career advancement, it does factor into corporate life. Executive women say the biggest mistakes people make in choosing what to wear at the office are forgoing bras (74%), wearing too-tight clothing (68%), having unkempt hair (67%), and wearing visible lingerie (50%). They cite bad teeth (53%), dated hair (36%), poor complexion (32%), and no makeup (17%) as beauty missteps that detract from creating an executive image.
Some 14% of multicultural employees say women of color are more likely to get feedback on personal grooming than White women are. Multicultural women are also more likely than White women to feel forced to conform to specific standards when working in finance (55% vs. 32%), pharmaceutical (37% vs. 33%), and manufacturing (59% vs. 37%) positions.
Sources: American Express, Elizabeth Crosta, 200 Vesey St., New York, NY 10285; 212-640-6557; elizabeth.crosta@aexp.com; www.americanexpress.com.
Center for Talent Innovation, Sylvia Ann Hewitt, President/CEO, 1841 Broadway, #300, New York, NY 10023; 212-315-2333; cti@talentinnovation.org; www.talentinnovation.org.
Marie Claire magazine, Leslie Smith, Managing Editor, 300 W. 57th St., 34th Fl., New York, NY 10019; 212-841-8400; lsmith@hearst.com; www.marieclaire.com.
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