You won't get promoted looking like that

Technology specialists are unlikely to be promoted into the senior hierarchy based solely on their technical skills. That's usually because their personal brands leave much to be desired, says image expert Tessa Hood.

A simplistic look at most medium to large companies yields two distinct groups. Let's call them sales and techies. Both sides often feel unloved and underappreciated.

Both groups reach points in their jobs when career progression becomes an issue. For those on the tech side those points are the moment to remove pens from the top pocket and start wearing a suit jacket to meetings.

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But how do you move from being seen as the techie in the corner to become the technical guru with the knowledge, vision and strategy to guide the business?

The question is: how are you currently perceived, what is your personal brand? Are you considered decisive, professional, proactive and keen? Or potentially sloppy, disinterested, overly techie?

The pitfall of many technology specialists is being tarred with the techie brush and not being seen as the person with the skills and ability to entrust the future of the company.

The situation in technology-led companies is slightly different but there still remains a clear requirement to establish a personal identity or brand. You are certainly less likely to be promoted into the senior, C-level, hierarchy based solely on basic technical competency.

Why is this? Could it perhaps be anything to do with your non-verbal communication? Your personal brand? If you think that people choose to interact with others through logic, then think again.

People prefer to work with those they like, trust and respect. If the wrong messages are being received through something as simple as your overall appearance or attitude, then you won't be bought, you will not be in the loop, and your chances of being noticed and promoted will be strongly reduced.

One of my clients came to see me with a dilemma. He was a self-confessed techie and rightly proud of what he had achieved. He had set up his own software company and now had 50-plus employees.

Yet he still perceived himself as a techie rather than a businessman. He had just won a substantial contract with a household name company and had to start being the managing director.

He couldn't care less about how he looked. His wardrobe contained one pair of jeans, two pairs of chinos, half a dozen shabby polo shirts, a pair of trainers and one tired leather jacket. He rarely shaved and he hadn't seen a hairdresser for months.

Extreme example? Perhaps, but not that unusual in the IT and creative sectors, where people think they don't need to bother much about how they look.

He needed a wake-up call. After some home truths about how he was being perceived, he emerged, not suited-and-booted, but business-ready in smart clothes appropriate for his particular industry.

He felt he now looked like the managing director and not the van driver. The result was he was taken much more seriously and contracted more work and further product development with major clients.

Understanding your personal brand is not simply a matter of how you look. It demands attention at a much deeper level to understand what people are seeing in you and how your reputation is being affected at work.

Take a good look at yourself. Are you seen as a quality individual? Does your look match what you promise to those around you? Are you presenting yourself overall to your optimum capability?

Imagine someone doing an audit on Brand You. Would you like the answers? Take a good look at the way you interact with others, how well you network and also your wardrobe.

People make instant judgements about what they see, so chuck out any tired and shabby garments and invest in some smart-casual items.

A quality casual jacket, a few button-down shirts worn without a tie, and some polo shirts with no large logos. Invest in quality belts - if you've got belt loops, fill them - and elegant shoes.

Choose good wool-mix trousers or chinos and only wear jeans of the smart variety if you are absolutely sure they are acceptable in your arena.

If you want to be more formal, a lighter rather than a darker suit is more approachable, and a well-cut shirt with a fashionable tie - no cartoons please - will say more about you than a dated, shabby suit, and a tie that finishes at half-mast.

The aim is not to look like you've moved over to sales and marketing but rather that you're dressing for your next promotion.

To generate a positive response, the key elements are:

• Your ability to interact and network with others.
• Your ownership and resolution of problems.
• Your contribution to the overall experience of doing business with you and your company.

Of course your traits and attributes are the foundation of your personal brand and help to develop your reputation. So position yourself and build your brand using an honest and strong message about yourself.

You are your own product. Understand the concept and communicate yourself more effectively to enable you to:

• Target certain areas of your job to develop your skills, how others see you and to fit the requirements of those above you.
• Attract people rather than chase them down.
• Avoid pitfalls because the focus will be on your strengths and attributes no matter what is happening in the business.
• Be seen as creative, proactive and most of all, memorable, for all the right reasons.

Create the snowball effect and keep it rolling - exhibit clearly that you are on the cutting edge of what is hot and that you have a clear vision as to where you and those around you should be going.

Care about what people think about you. Like it or not we all have a unique personality and a personal brand. The question is, do you work at making yours the best you can, or do you ignore it and just hope for the best?

Tessa Hood is managing director of Changing Gear, a UK reputation and personal brand consultancy based in London and Surrey. She is a recognised expert in the field and has an international portfolio of clients including banks such as HSBC and The Clydesdale, airlines such as British Airways and a variety of City companies. She lectures on Masters courses and is a regular media contributor. Her book,The Personal Brandwagon - and how to jump on it was published in March 2006.