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Welcome to the exciting world of image consulting. “Image” is the view of other people. It generally influences the way other people relate to us and the way we are perceived by the public.

Image consultants have some of the hottest jobs in the business world today, thanks to the world of television and shows like Extreme Makeover, Queer Eye for Straight Guy, What to Wear and What Not to Wear. Image consultants give advice to other clients advising them on their style and help them to achieve their wishes – whether it’s a new job, or simply boosting their self-esteem. In making people look good, image consultants offer services such as:

Makeover Consultant or Image Analysis

You give feedback to people and help them build or change their overall image.

Wardrobe Consultant or Fashion Stylist

This job is about reviewing clients’ current wardrobe and then sorting outfits that need to be disposed of and deciding which should be purchased; in short, coordinating clients’ outfits and wardrobe organizing.

Makeup Consultant

You would give advice to clients on their makeup as well on specific aspects of their image, such as physical appearance – colors, hairstyle, skincare, etc.

Image usually portrays a person’s appearance or looks. But beyond this, people also form impression about someone based on the way a person talks as well as their behavior. Therefore as an image consultant, it would be your job to advise clients on issues such as:

-Verbal Communication-Clear diction, voice, vocabulary and proper language.
-Body Language- Rectify the client’s body language and non-verbal cues, such as handshake, eye contact and posture.
-Etiquettes-Teaching clients business etiquette, as well as social graces such as table manners.

Other than consulting your clients, you can also form a network of all strategic partners so that you can refer your clients to, such as hairstylists, makeup artists, dentists, dieticians, plastic surgeons, personal trainers and diction coaches.

Image consultants have the chance to help anyone who needs help improving the way they are perceived.

-You can work with women who want to change their look.
-Work with job seekers
-Handle the image of corporate executives
-Handle beauty pageant contestants
-You can also handle lawyers, as well as their clients
-Boost the morale of cancer survivors
-Modify looks of the television personalities
-Work with politicians
-Work with singles who seek partners

Many people appoint image consultants, even corporate clients. Companies hire image consultants to advise new managers on how to communicate with their employees, or even coach a senior executive to leave a lasting impression during media appearances.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Now that you have a band organized and have rehearsed sufficiently or you are already very proficient in accompanying yourself with a guitar or a piano and already have a wide repertoire of songs, you know now is the time to start finding work as a professional singer. All the hard work is done and now is the time for fun and even fame! Isn’t this the glorious day you have been looking forward to?

Finding work as a singer is not as difficult as many people make out to be because there will always be restaurants, clubs, pubs, private and public functions looking for competent professional singers like you. You can either hire agents or approach the venue of your interest directly after finding out who is the person in charge for conducting auditions, hiring bands and singers.

After talking to your potential employers, you can send them your demo CDs prior to a live audition. If you are selected, they will call you and your band for a live audition. This is the crucial point where you either succeed in getting yourself hired or not.

If you are applying for a singing job at bars and pubs, your potential employer will not be interested in listening to your original material. You are not a superstar and you have yet to establish an audience who will want to listen to your original composition no matter how good they are.

What they want will be what the venue’s audience wants to listen to. Remember this, the club owners are in this for money and you will have to earn them money to justify your fee and job.

For example, if you sing with a jazz band, then obviously you cannot send your jazz demo CDs to rock clubs. It is therefore imperative that you understand the nature of the venue before sending your demo CDs.

Choose about 6-8 songs for your demo CDs for your pre-audition. This is because your potential employers will want to know that you have a wide repertoire and style. Do not attempt to showcase slow ballads unless you are very good and soulful or otherwise, you will bore your potential employers. Besides, slow songs are more difficult to sing well and mistakes are easier to spot.

If you are auditioning just for a singing job and do not have a band, then don’t clutter your songs with some amateurish accompaniment. Sing with a karaoke minus one accompaniment instead. That will make you sound more like a proficient singer instead of a fumbling wannabe amateur.

Your first singing gig is probably one of the most important miles-stone of your singing career. Do learn quickly. If you are singing in a club and no one is paying attention to your performance, then you need to quickly know why. Perhaps you are not on stage and the audience cannot see you, or you may be performing too softly or too loudly until you sound irritating. There will be plenty of tweaking to do until you get your performance just right.

If you are a solo singer and are accompanying yourself, make sure the guitar or piano accompaniment arrangements are not too complex. Your voice must come through, not the sound of the musical instrument. Your audience are there to listen to you singing and do not want to listen to the clang clang bang bang of your guitar or piano. The musical instrument supports the song, not the other way round.

For instance, listen to Dina Krall when she accompanies herself on the piano. When singing, she just plays the chords so that her voice and lyrics come across with clarity and powerful emotions. It is during the instrumental part of the song that her piano playing is more fanciful and more crescendo applied.

Finding work as a singer is easy, but the road to being a successful professional singer or to fame and fortune is another matter altogether.

Chris Chew writes regularly about music and singing. More articles at his website http://www.playmusicsing.com

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