Even with the worst parts of the pandemic seemingly in the past at this point, businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals still continue to have virtual meetings via platforms like zoom at a frequency which exceeds that of pre-pandemic levels. This means that, regardless of what part of the beauty industry you work in and regardless of whether or not the pandemic subsides completely, business dynamics and work relationships have permanently changed and virtual meetings are here to stay. Now, while certain things like the requirements that you be punctual and act professional are the same no matter what type of a meeting you are attending, other things like your makeup, hair and background will need to be taken into consideration differently in virtual meetings than they would be with in-person meetings. Here we will discuss some ways in which you can optimize your performance in virtual meetings.
BACKGROUND
Since virtual meetings will likely be taking place in your home or home office, it is important that the background being captured in this setting is professional, appropriate and not distracting. Hopefully it does not need to be said but, there shouldn’t be any dirty piles of clothes, trash, food wrappers or any other type of disorderly clutter visible in your setting. Secondly, any decorations which move, have flashing or blinking lights or make sounds should be removed since this can distract you and the others in the meeting from the task at hand. The things which are appropriate to include are any plaques that you or your business received for professional accomplishments, tasteful product placement of things that your business specializes in and lights directed in the right direction so that you and your professional adornments are appropriately highlighted.
MAKEUP
For women who are beauty professionals, using makeup which is appropriate for virtual meetings can be a little trickier. There is a general consensus that you should go slightly heavier with the makeup to account for dim screens, poor Wi-Fi connections and lackluster cameras. The idea here is that, with the various points at which visual and technological failures can take place, your features will inevitably appear duller and, therefore, you should put more (and brighter) makeup on to compensate. However, the flip side of this is that, if you are dealing with a fantastic internet connection and great cameras, you could end up appearing overdone. Therefore, it may be best to simply put on slightly more makeup than you naturally would to cover all your bases. If the technology on both sides is not superb, you will not appear washed out. If it is, you will not appear too overdone.
HAIR
Styling your hair for virtual meetings is a little simpler than doing your makeup in that there is a little bit less nuance and confusion between the difference in how you should style yourself for an in-person meeting versus how you should style yourself for a virtual meeting. In both cases, hair should be away from the face and neat to not be distracting. However, due to the aforementioned technological failures which can not only wash out facial features and makeup but can also decrease the volume and subtleties of hairstyles, hairstyles which are a little more voluminous and a little more precise may be more appropriate for virtual meetings.
CONCLUSION
One thing is for sure, virtual meetings are not going anywhere anytime soon regardless of what pandemic is or is not currently affecting society. Therefore, in order to maximize your professional appearance and effectiveness, you should remember that there are subtle differences between how you should handle the aesthetics of a virtual meeting and how you should handle the aesthetics of an in-person meeting.