Don't be guilty of these faux pas

Maintaining a polished and professional image requires that we avoid certain etiquette gaffes

All faux pas are forgivable unless they leave an instantly unfavourable impression. Your social image and professional credibility are, sometimes, evaluated by the little ways in which you portray yourself. It may seem irrelevant but, at times, it can make a lasting first impression. If we want our personal branding to be a polished one, these are the things to avoid:
1. Name dropping: We often come across individuals who have no qualms in advertising how many influential tycoons or politicians they are personally close to. They drop these names in every conversation that involves a related subject. One should always maintain the privacy of the people they know. It's not nice to drop names of people of influence, as he/she would never be comfortable being talked about in situations that don't require them. Public figures value their privacy. Also, if someone hobnobs with people of influence in the business or political world on a regular basis, they may not even mention the fact that they are friends with a particular person of influence unless absolutely necessary. Whether it's a movie star or a member of the royal family, a person's privacy should always be protected.
2. Wearing luxury brands with prominent logos: It may come as a surprise to some that avoiding designer brands with logos attracting too much attention is a sign of real sophistication. The trick is to choose rare, niche brands without a logo being the focus. For example, a Patek Philippe is always a more sophisticated choice for a watch, compared to a diamond-studded gold Rolex. When in doubt, always go with understated luxury. Intentional portrayal of high fashion or luxury brands through social media is also not considered very classy, in my opinion. The opposite is what makes you more polished and credible.
3. Wearing fake luxury brands: I came across a crazy statistic that reported roughly 90 per cent of all Louis Vuitton logo bags in circulation in the US are fake. Some resort to buying imitations of luxury brands. They call it the 'first copy'. But those who understand luxury and are consumers of the same can tell almost immediately if a product is not real, no matter how marginal the difference. The person wearing the fake would immediately be classified as an aspirational social climber.
4. Oversharing on social media: We, millennials, love social media. We love to give the world minute-by-minute updates. It's a way of interacting with friends, but it's also how we measure our own value. Social media is a great tool for those using the platforms to gain personal branding traction. However, too many personal life updates would be a credibility distractor. I am not saying that we ought only to use our profiles for marketing. But it would serve us better to think twice before posting constant updates of our personal lives or content containing PDA.
Next week, we will explore five ethnic polished looks for working women. Till then #beextraordinary.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com