Who said customer-facing jobs lack opportunities for employee personalization? While many stores implement some form of uniform policies when it comes to retail and customer-facing job roles, it’s still very possible for you to accessorize your way to success and portray yourself as a happy and conscientious employee.
While retail roles can be a little limiting when it comes to personalization, the right blend of accessories and personal flair can go a long way in helping you to stand out from your colleagues and become a leader in your field.
There are many factors to consider when it comes to accessorizing your working wardrobe, and much of your decisions will come down to the color of the uniform that you may be required to wear, or the perception that you want to project of yourself onto your customers and management.
It’s always essential to strike the right balance between creativity and subtlety, but there are plenty of great ways in which you can excel in delivering the perfect impression every time. Let’s take a look into some accessory ideas that can help you to succeed in customer-facing roles:
- Small Details Make a Big Difference
When working in retail or other customer-facing roles, it can feel as though you don’t have much room to make additions to your wardrobe but there’s in fact plenty of opportunities to add some customization that can bring out your personality.
Additions like tie bars, cufflinks, watches, and jewelry like earrings can be a great way to add a little detail to your outfit and make a stronger impression with both customers and management.
Crucially, adding these details in a way that complements your outfit can create the perception that you have a strong attention to detail, and that you’re more attentive to other matters about your store. For managers, this impression can help you to stand out more from the crowd and give you more opportunities for further company progression.
Likewise for customers, you may be more likely to receive a favorable response when you seek to help individuals out with their concerns due to the subconscious perception that you’re more attentive to detail and thus more knowledgeable with your responses.
- Color Coordination is a Great Asset
Again, color coordinating your work wardrobe can provide the impression that you’re organized and thus more resourceful. This can be a great asset when it comes to ensuring that your managers have a favorable opinion of your work ethic and suitability for further progression.
Spare a moment to think about how to coordinate your work attire and use accessories like earrings, shoes, belts, and other jewelry to mix and match your look to make it appear as though you were born to thrive at your job–even on days where you may not be feeling as motivated to perform at full capacity.
With this in mind, remember the key rules of color coordination, and that black attire is best matched with silver accessories–as opposed to clashing colors like blue or brown. However, blue and brown leather can form a strong combination for a work outfit–especially with gold jewelry.
However, you should always be sure to mix your accessories to form a colorful combination that can also capture your personality–as your favorite styles are indicative of how you’re best suited to dealing with customers. This means that more colorful accessories can indicate a more personable demeanor, while subtle combinations can make you appear more resourceful and reserved.
- Your Eyewear is Your Biggest Asset
If our eyes are windows to the soul, then our glasses are their frames. In customer-facing jobs, these frames will do a lot of work and provide plenty of strong first impressions–so it’s important that they’re giving individuals the right perception of who you are.
There are many ways that glasses can work to tell people about you on your behalf. While thick, dark frames can carry a degree of resourcefulness and knowledgeability, colored frames can make you appear more approachable and personable.
Here, it’s important to ensure that your choice in eyewear is not only comfortable, but that it also tells people about how you want to be perceived. So choose your type of glasses with these factors in mind.
It’s also important that you pick your eyewear in accordance with your face shape, to better ensure that you maintain a composed and confident impression for the customers you meet. Fortunately, there are plenty of guides out there that can help you to find the lenses that best suit you and your personality.
Your choice in eyewear for work can also extend to sunglasses. When out and about, you’re still very much a brand ambassador, and to look the part at all times is key. In this regard, sunglasses are a great way of appearing composed and in-control while commuting–and they can be great masks to preserve a sense of privacy between yourself and customers. There are also plenty of styles that you can embrace to suit your personality, and you can go here to view how brands like Tory Burch can offer a wide variety of shaded lenses and frames.
Although working in customer-facing roles can feel as though you’re too uniformed to express yourself, with the right accessories you can make the perfect impression for your customers and employers alike. This can not only help you to build your career progression but to also subconsciously communicate your preferred working approach.
With the right blend of colors, jewelry, and attention to detail, you can thrive in your role and even feel more confident and motivated to go to work each day.