20 Tips to Dress for Success

Posted by admin | Posted in Interview Tips And Suggestions, Personal & Self-Marketing | Posted on 30-08-2010-05-2008

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Do you possess the look of a professional? Do you look incredibly smart? Are you confident enough to take charge and get the job that you applying for?

Consider the fact that your resume is quite impressive and the employer can’t resist to have the audacity to ask you to come for an interview. But after the all the preparations, your final problem will surely comes up right after you realize and ask yourself ” what should I wear?” These things are actually important for the job hunters; people tend to have a systemic problem nowadays regarding what they should wear on a job interview. Honestly I’m wired toward automatically seeing the person in these kind of situations because I also had the same experienced when I was hunting for a right job. However many take these for granted, with the eloquence of having an “impressive resume” they forgot that applicants will not only be examined based on the job experience and personality but also with how they present themselves professionally.
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Here are the top 20 tips in dressing for an interview

1. Research if the company or your potential employer has a specific dress code.
2. If your planning to buy new clothes, get good advice from sales persons.
3. Have the clothes altered to fit and accent your features.
4. Select an outfit that you have worn before and are comfortable wearing
5. Your hair should be clean and neat.
6. Do not wear a strong perfume or cologne, scent must be low key or absent.
7. Cover any tattoo and limit pierced jewelry to ears only.
8. For men – Wear a suit or sports jacket that is color coordinated with your trousers.
9. For men – You should have clothes in Neutral or dark colors such as blue, black or gray.
10. For men – Wear a conservative and low key tie. Avoid ties with flashy patterns.
11. For men – Keep your sneakers away. A clean, polished black leather shoes is highly recommended.
12. For men – Don’t forget to trim and clean your nails.
13. For men – White socks are definitely NO! Use dark socks.
14. For men – Use dark suit and light colored shirt.
15. For women – Wear a classic suit or simple dress paired with a jacket.
16. For women – The appropriate colors are navy blue, black, dark green, dark red, burgundy or gray.
17. For women – Don’t be too provocative or sexy.
18. For women – Trim your fingernails and use a polish that complements your clothes and would not distract the interviewer.
19. For women – Choose a moderate shoes which is clean and with heels that makes you comfortable.
20. For women – Use a tan or light hosiery.

Clothing will play a role in your career so you should continue to pay attention to your wardrobe. Add pieces made of high quality that will match to what you already have. Buy separates that can be mixed and matched. Dressing is not everything but it will definitely add up to your overall impression that you will make on. http://www.careerberg.com

These are some advices and the right tools that I can give to someone on their job hunting, but I have to leave it here. Because as we all end up with reality, applicants must not look good with their own respective dress but might as well have the confidence to make them qualified enough for the job. Job hunters should think first all the requirements before going to an interview, from the resume to his/her diploma. They must be ready to answer the question exquisitely. So if you want to have a job career in the future, you should consider these suggestions for you to succeed.

Job Interview Hints and Tips

Posted by admin | Posted in Interview Tips And Suggestions, Miscellaneous, Self Improvement | Posted on 23-08-2010-05-2008

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Your first real job interview can be a terrifying experience. Interviewees stress themselves out over what to wear and especially what to say. My experiences with job interviews have taught me not too take them too seriously. My first job interview after graduating college was with an insurance agency for a position that I was not at all interested in. Some people would consider going a complete waste of time but knowing that I would never take the position allowed me to approach the job interview as a learning experience.
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I used that first interview to get a better idea of what to say and hone in on what employers were looking for. I did go out and get myself a great job interview outfit and I went in there with all the confidence in the world. One way to communicate your confidence to the interviewer is to give them a good, strong handshake. Where I come from, handshakes are a tradition when meeting a new person. Look the employer in the eye and give them a firm hand. This is a quick and simple way to assert yourself as a confident and self-assured applicant.

Always bring a copy of your current resume with you to a job interview. Be open and honest about your work experience but do not feel like you must be modest. Show them that you are a rare find who has qualities they will not find in anyone else. I feel more comfortable when I can throw in a bit of humor into a job interview. Without being too casual or laid back, I like to ease myself into the interview and help give a more human feel to the experience.  http://www.careerberg.com

It is easy for a job interview to feel forced and unnatural and I find that a touch of humor can ease those feelings. I think that it is very important to be yourself in an interview. You would not want to have to keep up a fade once you have the job and you want the employer to know what kind of person they are really hiring.

Being yourself in a job interview will ensure that you end up in the right place and working at the right place makes all the difference in the world. The more natural and honest you are the better. I like to really put myself out there because I figure that it is important that they like me for who I am so that there is no confusion later as to what they can expect from me and what compromises I am likely to make.

Careers in Entertainment Production

Posted by admin | Posted in Career Development, Planning Your Future | Posted on 23-08-2010-05-2008

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A career decision requires a lot of research and contemplation. You need to assess yourself and your interests in order to make the right decision, as there are many career options available today. However, if you are creative and you have a desire for a strong career option then you may give the entertainment industry a try. People have always amused themselves through various forms of entertainment and this industry has been growing exponentially. In the United States, this industry has been more about ‘industry’ and less about ‘entertainment’, as any project is a combined effort of a large number of people.

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The entertainment industry holds opportunities for everyone. There are many career choices available in this industry, which offer an excellent chance to satisfy your creative urge and put your talent to optimum use. There are options for people who want to work behind the scene as well as those who want to be in the limelight. You can take part in creating good entertainment in any way you want, as there is place for all. The only factor you need to have is a creative bent of mind and a strong inclination towards art and entertainment.

Television And Movies: If you always dreamed of becoming popular and being in the limelight, then you can try for a career in this industry. If you have a penchant for acting, you can act in movies or television, or you can also work behind the scenes. You can become a part of the makeup and costume department if you are interested in dress designing and make up. You can also work on building movie sets or writing scripts for movies and television.

Music: This industry can help you in making a promising career in this field. All you need is talent along with a passion for music. You can either work for distribution or production. On the production side, you can work as a music director, playback singer, songwriter and composer, musician or technician. Production is for those who want to be involved directly in making good music. You can also work for music stores and radio stations in the distribution of music.

Designing And Animation: A creative hand and interest in designing can open up a career option for you in the entertainment industry. So if you are interested in creating characters through animation, computer graphics and web designing then a good opportunity is waiting for you in this industry. A good knowledge of digital graphic packages like Flash and Photoshop may land you in an animation studio where you can make the most of your creativity.

Dance: Dance and music are inseparable part of entertainment. This field has a lot of appeal and importance in this industry. You can be a choreographer or a back up dancer for any music group. If you have an interest in making costumes and equipment related to dance, then you can also make a career out here.

Print Media And Books: The opportunities that are available in print media are diverse. You can aspire to be a publisher, writer, reviewer or editor. The process that is involved in this media ranges from writing to publishing to printing and reviewing. Each process needs people who are not only talented but people who are creative and can deliver their best.  http://www.careerberg.com

So if you thought that the entertainment industry had a place just for people who are vying for the limelight then it is advisable that you give it a second thought. This industry not only provides you career options directly related to entertainment business, but also presents many indirect opportunities as well. You just need to have talent and dedication.

Know Your True Self – Relationship Between Values And Goals

Posted by admin | Posted in Miscellaneous, Planning Your Future, Self Improvement | Posted on 19-08-2010-05-2008

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It is very important that you know yourself and what you want in life. Choosing what you want in life can only happen when you create a life based on your own particular design. This design reflects your own personal growth and the way you make them fall into different choices made by you in life, i.e. in relationships, career and jobs and so on.

Right Values, Right Goals
As mentioned, your first necessary step towards your personal growth should be to identify yourself and your likes and dislikes. You should clearly demarcate a line between your needs and wants in life. For your personal growth, it is very necessary that you strengthen your strong suits and talents, a gift which you can identify yourself best. Everyone wants to achieve the best in life, give a push to their career as well as personal life. This can only be realized when you strengthen your core abilities and achieve a higher personal growth in life.
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You attitude towards life and society in general is based on some values. Your values automatically are reflected in the way you present yourself to others. This forms an important aspect of your personal growth. When you as an individual contribute more towards your society and community, inspire others through your learning and values, admire beauty and stay connected, you already achieve a different position for yourself, a position, which is unique, and a position that contributes to your emotional, mental and personal growth.

We always, as individuals, set some priorities and goals for ourselves. We lead our lives based on these priorities. However, it is very necessary that these goal oriented priorities do not off sync with our values and ideas. Try not to pursue goals for the sake of pursuing it. This stagnates your personal growth. Therefore, it is always better to write down your goals, which you yourself can identify with and match it up with your values that define your true self. By focusing yourself to a particular set of goals, you can really motivate yourself to achieve what you want in life. It allows you to stay focused, clear in life, and identify your true self in the pursuit of personal growth.

Experiment with Life:
Achieving your goals require commitment and a desire to work on those goals and spend time on them. Change can only take place when you are prepared to undertake certain risks and experiment with different aspects of life. This really shapes and contributes to one’s personal growth. Experimenting with one’s life is very important as it helps you in discovering many facets of life and simultaneously designs your life according to these experiences.

Remove the roadblocks that come on your way when you are designing your life according to your values and goals. Often people are unaware or unable in identifying and removing these blocks. They seek the help of a Personal Coach who helps them in exploring their opportunities, outside perspective and the possibilities of achieving their goal. They guide you through the necessary tools and structures that leave a profound and ever lasting impact on your life. In the long-term, you would reach the higher echelons of your personal growth.

Changing Careers

Posted by admin | Posted in Career Development | Posted on 19-08-2010-05-2008

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Are you changing careers? If answering this question is irritating, equally exciting is the joy of starting a new job. With every career change, you hope to move up and on to new responsibilities. If some want job stability and its benefits, it is not paramount for others; they have a brain full of ideas. Welcome to the exiting world of changing careers!

Changing careers need not necessarily mean switching employers. You can change careers with your current employer, if they are open to such a change.
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Changing jobs
You are either bored in a job after having worked for the same employer for long time or you feel you are stagnating with no growth opportunities. Whatever the reason may be, you are most likely to join your competitor. You will most likely negotiate for a raise or a higher position with more responsibilities and challenges. It won’t take very long for you to get used to the new position, as you will feel at home at least with your field. The new environment and responsibilities may pose a challenge or two to you. This job change may, at times, backfire if either the new employer is reluctant to incorporate your suggestions or if your subordinate staff is uncooperative.

Changing careers
You are a restless and an industrious guy. Moving up in the same job or hopping companies for a promotion or a raise no longer excites you. You know that you are capable of chewing more than the best of them. Though you are not highly skilled in something interesting, you are confident of finding your way to success working hard. Some specialized fields may call for a short duration of training. The knowledge you have gained over time about the new profession and the drive that you have to create something is driving you to change professions altogether. For example, if you are a professor of economics teaching at a university you will change careers to a top ranking finance management position of a big corporation. Your finance background will assist you in making the change successfully.

New career options in six sigma methodology have opened up more opportunities for those who excelled in their previous careers. As more and more companies are discovering that implementing six sigma helps them break barriers that they always thought were insurmountable, people with brilliance written on their foreheads are finding new and fulfilling careers. To enter a career in six sigma implementation, you should have well-rounded experience in various management positions and mastery in at least one of them.

Changing careers is not for the faint of heart. It is no fun unless you eat challenges for breakfast. You must like what you are doing and must possess the desire to excel.

How To Have A Successful Interview

Posted by admin | Posted in Career Development, Interview Tips And Suggestions | Posted on 18-08-2010-05-2008

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You want the job, but there are 30 candidates competing with you. How do you ensure that you are ahead of the pack? Sometimes, it all boils down to the very crux moment: Interview. Presenting yourself well in an interview can boost your chances of getting a job.

Here are some important things to note

Know about the company’s culture. It can make a decision whether to go casual or conservative and you may decide to go with colored paper for your resume to attract more attention. For example, if you are going for a creative job in an advertising agency and knowing that the company emphasizes on creativity, you may want to be a little creative in your resume to display your skills. Use good quality paper and envelopes.
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Remember to proofread your resume for grammar, spelling and punctuation. Make sure your resume copies are clear and clean. Don’t print a resume for every job. Each should look like an original.

Look professional for the interview, men should wear a solid color, professional suit with a white long-sleeved shirt and conservative tie (no sports team logo or cartoon characters). Wear dark socks and dress shoes and stay away from jewelries like earrings. Get a near haircut and be sure your facial hair and nails are neatly trimmed.

When you go for an interview, be sure you know who is going to interview you. If you are interviewed by more than one person, pay attention when you are introduced to the next individual, and don’t forget their name. Nothing is more embarrassing than forgetting the name of the person to whom you are talking and of course it will reduce your chances of getting the job. If you missed out the name during introduction, don’t be shy, just ask the interviewer to repeat the name again.

Get to your interview early, find the building and check in. If you are going to drive or take the train, get directions to the location and carry a printed copy for reference just in case you are lost (Don’t be surprise, it’s a corporate jungle). Plan to get there 10-20 minutes early so that you can compose yourself for the interview. http://www.careerberg.com

This is usually the touchiest moment in an interview: Salary. When negotiating salary for your new job, do not damage your relationship with the company or the boss. Be realistic. Do not ask for more than you know a company can give. Of course, do not ask for lower than what you would expect. The best way to do it is to ask for a salary that is of the market rate. If you think that you are worth it, you can ask for 10%-15% more than the market rate.

In short: know the company, know yourself, be confident and you will definitely get your dream job.

Ten Ways to Build Your Personal Brand

Posted by admin | Posted in Going One Step Ahead, Self Improvement | Posted on 18-08-2010-05-2008

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Everything you do in life — from the way you dress to the car you buy, from the friends you see to the club you belong, from the notes you write to the way you speak — either builds or diminishes your personal brand. Below are ten suggestions for building a stronger personal brand.

One: Become an expert source. Deliver a speech, write a bylined article, and become an expert source for reporters. Make sure you have a current photo, bio, resume, and speaker introduction.

Two: Become a great communicator. Research shows communications skill is the top determinant for upward social and professional mobility. Join Toastmasters or hire a communications coach to ensure that your written and verbal skills are at their best.
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Three: Draft a marketing plan for yourself annually, and review it quarterly. Include specific goals, strategies, action steps, and a timetable.

Four: Develop an ‘elevator speech.” Within the time that it takes an elevator to travel one floor — about 60-seconds — be able to deliver a succinct description of what you do, how you do it differently, and the benefit it provides.  http://www.virtual-base.com

Five: Build your Rolodex. Make new business contacts and stay in touch with them. Most people with powerful brands have powerful friends.

Six: Realize that your boss can be your most powerful ally — or enemy — in building your brand. Be loyal and never speak ill of him or her — to anyone. We should make our bosses look good, and help them build their own brands.

Seven: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Balance your individual style with clothing that will appeal to those you are trying to impress.

Eight: Become a class act. Learn good business and social etiquette. Buy elegant personal stationery and send hand-written notes. Know how to order a good bottle of wine in a fine restaurant and drink it sparingly during dinner. (Remember, alcohol and branding seldom mix.)

Nine: Select “significant” significant others. Who you date or who you marry affects your brand. John Hancock CEO David F. D’Alessandro in his book Career Warfare: 10 Rules for Building a Successful Personal Brand and Fighting to Keep It, suggests that single people not take their dates to company events. If they do, they will be judged by the outcome of every romance.

Ten: Give something back. Giving your time, talent, and money to charitable causes is a brand-builder especially when it complements your brand strategy. Find a cause you are passionate about. When I was in public relations, I wanted to be known for my creativity. By limiting my community involvement to arts organizations I was able to reinforce my personal brand. Not only did my involvement in the arts benefit my career, I enjoyed the work. I still do. http://www.careerberg.com

Your personal brand is one of your greatest business assets. Nurture your brand and you will nurture your career.

Choosing the Right Career for the Ideal Job

Posted by admin | Posted in Accounting Jobs, Career Development, Choosing a College Major, Planning Your Future, Questions to Ask Yourself!, Self Improvement | Posted on 17-08-2010-05-2008

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Many people go into careers and jobs without thinking if this is suited for me or 5 to 10 years later they realize this is not what I expected.

Many individuals spend months or even years not happy with their careers. Some may take any available job while others may follow in their parent’s footsteps. This may work out for some but many others never discover their true career skills and are dissatisfied with their jobs.

Careful career planning is essential in fulfilling one’s job search that will give years of work enjoyment and satisfaction. If you are going to work it might as well be something you like to do and skilled at doing. Knowing what your skills are and what you are good at is the starting point in choosing the right career. You will unlikely be completely satisfied in your career unless you use the skills you enjoy and are good at.

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Ask yourself some questions such as: What interests do I have? What sorts of people would I like to work with?

Don’t confuse an ideal job with a job title. You might enjoy working in one place and hate working in another. Both could have the same job title but be entirely different jobs.

Let’s say you were looking for a job as a sales person or a teacher, these would be job titles. The ideal job within the salesperson category could be in retail sales, real estate, manufacturing sales representatives, car sales, etc. A teacher might teach kindergarten, elementary, middle, or high school students. Or a teacher might teach adults or special need individuals how to read and write. So don’t choose a job just by its title but by the different job areas under the title that fits your interests and skills. People are more likely to stay in a career and be successful if it suits their interest and skills.  http://www.careerberg.com

It would be wise to spend extra time thinking about what type of work you want to do. Some key factors to consider when planning a career is your skills, interests, earnings, location, work environment, kinds of people you like to work with, etc.

You may have to go back to school for more education, but don’t let that hold you back from that ideal job. Education and earnings go hand in hand. The more education you have the more money you are capable of earning. Although earnings are important, liking your work is equally important.

Having a college degree is definitely a plus in career planning, but many trade, technical and other schools offer similar opportunities to individuals without a college degree.

A well trained electrician, plumber, police officer, auto mechanic, computer repair technician, tool and die maker among many others can do very well in today’s economy. There are many jobs that only require one or two years of training. Many companies and organizations have on the job training while paying your salary. People in sales, small business, self employment and other job areas do quite well without a college degree, although for better positions more education is often required.

Your career will most likely change over the course of your life no matter how much career planning you do. That makes it important for you to recognize what you are good at and develop those skills throughout your life. As your interests change you may want to develop new skills.

Good career planning is very important, but it should be done in the context of what you want to do with your life.

Market Yourself with a Resume That Gets Results

Posted by admin | Posted in How To Write A Cover Letter, Job-Hunting in Job Market, Resume Writing Tips, Self Improvement | Posted on 17-08-2010-05-2008

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Your resume should be like any good marketing plan — designed to sell! It needs to hook potential employers as soon as they see it, so they bypass the discard pile and take a second look. Creating a resume that accomplishes that can’t be done in just a few minutes because there’s much more to it than listing your work history and year of graduation. Try thinking of it as an art form, because it is. Great resumes get a second look and an interview, but bad ones don’t get a second thought.

If you’re serious about scoring as many interviews as you can and for the jobs you really want, then learning how to market yourself with a resume that grabs attention should be one of your top priorities. This is the only way you’ll stand out from the crowd.

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Know the Market
Advertising companies do market research before they put together an ad campaign. Why? Because they need to know who they’re selling to and what those people want. The same strategy should apply to your job search. You have to know what jobs are available to know how to market yourself to them. Scour the job boards and classifieds to see what’s out there, and know what kind of job you’re looking for — finding a job can be pretty tough if you have no goals or ideas about what you want to do.

Target Your Resume
Determine which jobs you’re interested in and target your resume to each one. Don’t submit the same version of it for every job you apply for — change words and move things around so your resume uses some of the same lingo as the job descriptions. Use keywords to highlight your experience and accomplishments that best match those sought for each job. Your goal should be to match the content of your resume as much as possible to the qualifications and duties described in each job notice.

Make It Stand Out
A visually appealing and easy-to-read resume gets attention. Skip the fancy fonts, long paragraphs, and flowered stationary. Use as few words as possible and make creative use of white space, bold letters, sectioning, and bullets. A potential employer should be able to scan over your resume quickly to determine if it deserves a longer look. You want them to notice what’s great about your resume, not the color of the paper.

Shift your Priorities
For each job you apply to, shift items around on your resume so that the first thing any potential employer sees is exactly what they’re looking for. If they’re specifically looking for someone who speaks Swahili, put it at or near the beginning of your resume (as long as you actually speak it, of course!) It’s a simple strategy — the things they want go first, the things that are less appealing or less important to the job go last.

Highlight what is Important
Yes, you are multi-talented and of course, your resume needs to sum up your skills and abilities. However, you don’t need to list everything. You just need to let them know what skills you have that are assets for the job.

As far as your education goes, unless you’re right out of school, your degree doesn’t need to be the first thing people see on your resume. If you’ve been working for five years or more, list your education last and focus on your skills and accomplishments. However, if you’re just starting out, it’s perfectly acceptable to list your degrees, as well as your GPA, courses relevant to your job search, and any awards or scholarships you’ve earned.

Any special training you’ve completed should be included, so long as it’s pertinent to the job at hand (so skip the blurb about Clown School if you’re applying for an accounting job).

Share Your Story

Job history is important, but to highlight your experience that best relates to the job, a chronological rundown may not always be the best approach. You may want to consider emphasizing what you know instead of what you’ve done, although in most cases, a job timeline is more than adequate.

Accomplishments you’ve made on the job could be included in your job history, or they could be highlighted separately on your resume, along with off-the-job accomplishments and any special skills you can bring to the table. Decide how you want to emphasize these aspects of yourself so employers will notice what’s most important to them. http://www.careerberg.com

Perfecting your resume can be tough, but it really does help to think of it as a marketing tool. Know your audience and tailor your resume to them each time. If you don’t, you may not appeal to the people who are reading it. With a little time and patience — and perhaps a little extra advice — you can put together a resume that’s sure to get you in the door for an interview. The rest is up to you!

Confident Body Language: Research Shows It’s The Key!

Posted by admin | Posted in Going One Step Ahead, Personal & Self-Marketing, Self Improvement | Posted on 13-08-2010-05-2008

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It’s easy to assume that our feelings determine our behavior, and not the other way around. For example, most of us assume that if a person “acts” very confident it is because that person “feels” very confident. But there’s plenty of new research to prove that it also works the other way around. Many studies have shown that adopting confident body language can actually make you feel more confident!

Another great example of this mind-body connection is a study that showed holding a pencil between your teeth for 15-20 minutes (forcing you to smile) actually makes people feel happier. This is significant because it strongly suggests that changing what you do with your physical body will actually change your emotions too. The implications of this are huge, especially in the area of personal development.
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A Confident Posture
Just as “forcing” yourself to smile can actually make you feel happier, forcing yourself to adopt more confident body language can actually make you feel more confident. Keeping that is mind, here’s a quick list of behaviors that you can use to build feelings of confidence: http://www.careerberg.com

1. Stand up straight. This may be an old cliché, but it’s probably the number one behavior associated with confidence. Straighten out the back and push the chest out (within reason of course). Show your full height, no matter what it is and you will appear and feel more confident and powerful.

2. Chin Up! Rise your head, elongate the neck slightly and keep that chin up in the air-don’t worry, you won’t appear arrogant, you’ll appear centered and secure.

3. Smile. As we’ve already mentioned, making yourself smile (regardless of how you feel) actually changes the way you feel. Also, smiling shows confidence and an easy-going manner. If you’re someone who finds it difficult to smile, try the “holding a pencil between your teeth” technique. Do this for about 15 minutes twice a day and you WILL notice a difference in how you feel. You will also be building a new habit of smiling easily, which just broadcasts confidence.

4. Open your eyes! Opening the eyes a little wider than normal expresses openness and a strong social connection. Again, “faking” this behavior can cause you to feel these attributes, so go ahead and “fake it ’til you make it.”

5. Slow it down a bit. Slowing down your motions a little expresses confidence and a peaceful nature. Confident people rarely stress or rush. Moving in a slow, methodical manner tells others (and your subconscious) that you are confident.

You are in complete control of your posture, and by changing your posture you also take control over the way you feel. If you don’t feel like standing up straight (or any of the others), just fake it! Don’t wait to change your behavior after you feel better, change your behavior NOW and more confident feelings will naturally follow.