Tips to Help You Get Taken Seriously at the Office
As an employee, not feeling seen, heard, or valued can be crushing. In fact, feeling like we belong is essential to our wellbeing. It is largely the responsibility of employers to foster a sense of belonging and meaningful contribution among their employees, but there are also things you can do if you feel like others are not including you or taking you seriously.
Here are some tips to help you get taken seriously at the office.
1. Dress for Success
Presentation matters in many areas of life, but especially in professional roles. A more neutral, formal look can help people know that you’re serious, and it means they are not being distracted by your outfit. A carefully chosen outfit can also hint at positive qualities like attention to detail and good taste.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be wearing custom business suits. Wear something suitable for your workplace, but just smarten it up a notch or two. For example, if you work in a field like media or tech where the dress code is casual, throw on a blazer and some smart shoes to look more serious. In a traditional office, however, a tailored suit might be the way to go.
2. Be Early
You don’t need to be super-early, but arrive a few minutes before scheduled appointments or meetings. It’ll make you look good and hardworking, but it also gives you a few minutes to get into the right frame of mind and not appear flustered.
3. Stay Informed
It might be unfair, but people’s opinions about you aren’t only going to be informed by your knowledge and expertise at work. If two equally competent employees are being chosen for a promotion and one has a reputation for being well-read and well-informed, they’ll likely be the one that gets chosen.
Keeping abreast of the headlines and showing that you are tuned into the big issues of the day will help people perceive you as more intelligent and curious. In turn, they’ll value your contributions more.
4. Use Body Language
Real confidence takes time to develop, but in the meantime you can create a helpful impression of confidence by maintaining good upright posture and making eye contact when you are speaking with others.
People are also more likely to ask you to contribute your thoughts and opinions if you look like you want people to speak to you. That means using open body language when possible and avoiding uninviting behaviors like folding your arms, staring at the floor, or hunching your shoulders.
5. Choose Your Moments
If you chime in with opinions and advice on topics where you have little knowledge, people are less likely to take you seriously when you do have something valuable to add. Instead, learn to keep quiet but to assert yourself strongly when you really have something important to say.
Conclusion
While good leaders should foster a sense of belonging among their employees, it is also wise to take whatever steps you can to create the best impression of yourself. Dressing well, being timely and prepared, and exhibiting traits like curiosity and intelligence will help you be taken seriously from the day you apply for a job until the day you retire.
