New brand of engineers
Last week I attended a client appreciation evening hosted by an Edmonton management consulting firm. The event was at a local art gallery, with nice ambiance and food (another reason why I love networking).
Nerdy not!
The art was great but something else stood out visually for me. The majority of the guests were in science, technology and engineering professions. What stood out was how well put together, dressed for success and comfortable with conversation they were. Nerdy they weren’t.
Fighting the stereotypes
This weekend the Edmonton Journal had a feature on fighting the nerdy image problem faced by STEM professionals (science, technology, engineering and math). The article suggests school systems change how they promote the image of STEM professions. The Conference Board of Canada ranks Canada 12th out of 16 peer countries when it comes to production of STEM graduates. There is a lot of competition for graduates, especially those who also possess good soft-skills.
The old stereotypes are falling
I was reminded of a long-time client, Ready Engineering which hires employees that reflect their brand. They believe that soft skills are essential in building stronger client relationships and send all their new hires to our Complete Professional seminars to ensure that they acquire skills to help them be better-rounded in business and life.
They understand that image plays a huge role in how they are perceived as professionals and know how to dress the part. They show up wearing current, well fitted oufits that fit the situation. Even their site-apparel projects their brand.
Chicken or the egg?
They understand that their personal brand has a direct bearing on their company’s brand. Interestingly enough Ready Engineering’s turnover is very low because they hire and nurture people that are committed to their excellence and brand. And like the “which came first the chicken or the egg” analogy, their team members attract like-minded individuals to their organization.
How to counter a stereotype?
If you want to counter a negative stereotype, our advice is to act (and dress) contrary to it.
Other Articles:
- How important is business dress to your successful personal brand
- Savvy networking skills, the key to connecting in business and life.
- Executive Image Power eBook