How To Be Taken Seriously At Work
It can be hard to be taken seriously at work for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps you are or look, young, are new to the industry or are a woman working in a male-dominated industry. If you’re going to confidently deal with clients and customers, you need to be taken seriously. Here’s how you can do it.
Look professional
Start off on the right foot by presenting a professional image. If you don’t look professional and arrive at meetings dressed like a student, nobody is going to take you seriously. Dress like you’re successful so people feel confident in you. Subtle jewelry, well-applied makeup, and cheap clip on veneers to hide an uneven smile can all help you feel more confident.
Look at how your boss and the people your boss reports too dress at work and take your cues for your work wardrobe for them. Dress for the situation too. For example, if you’re going to be in your office all day, you can get away with a more casual outfit than you could for a meeting with a key client.
Act Appropriately
Watch your behavior at work. Don’t loudly tell stories about your wild weekend in the company kitchen. Don’t answer your personal phone unless it’s an emergency. Don’t air controversial opinions in the office. Don’t choose offensive decor for your desk, even if you think it’s funny.
Make sure you act in a professional manner when you’re are at work. Maintain confidentiality. Treat any email correspondence with the same respect as you would any other business letter or contact. Be aware of sharing or forwarding emails unless you have been given clear permission to do so by the original sender.
Watch Your Language
Women in management positions often have to work much harder than their male counterparts in order to be taken seriously. While this is of course very unfair, knowing this can help you to act in a way that helps you to be taken seriously.
Some young women often speak with uncertainty, raising their voices at the end of each sentence. This makes you seem unsure of what you’re saying. Try to avoid doing this, and instead try to speak with conviction, even if you aren’t feeling confident.
We listen the best to people who we perceive to be like us. This means that women may find it helpful to take some tips from their male co-workers and mimic a more masculine style of communication to help you to get your ideas across. Don’t let yourself be interrupted while you’re speaking. You could even try dropping in some sports metaphors or military lingo to your speech.
Use the right words that you need to make sure you’re being understood. Tone down your use of jargon unless you know for sure that the person that you’re speaking to knows the same terms that you do, to avoid confusion. Be clear and concise, and choose words that will mean something to your audience.
