“We are judged based on 55 percent of our appearance,” said Arthuro Reyes “Arth” De Leon, program and training head of International Cabin Attendant Training School (ICATS).
“So it’s important for us to work on our image to become successful,” he told Manila Standard in an exclusive interview at his office in Ortigas.
Prior to becoming an expert on personal image and appearance, De Leon shared he also had his fair share of corporate dressing faux pas.
“I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know that there were actual step-by-step guides on how to dress for your corporate image, let’s just say that my first [job] interview was a bust,” he related.
“I also had the same experience,” interjected Princess Joy Garcia, who founded the training school with De Leon and Carmelita Guiao.
She recounted, “When I applied for my first job interview, I went through all the steps in the application, but in the end, there was still something lacking. Maybe looking back it had to do with my blonde hair.”
De Leon recently completed a Corporate Image Consultant Certification Course at the Sterling Style Academy in New York City. The course enables De Leon to expand ICATS’ Campus and Corporate Image Program that helps students and professionals look good and become more successful in life.
The expanded dress for success program is open to those who want to improve or enhance their corporate image, and is exclusively being offered by ICATS, the country’s premier learning institution for flight attendants that helps one of the few TESDA-accredited flight attendant schools in the country.
“Among others, I was taught how to choose the right clothes based on the color of the eyes, hair, and skin; how to select the best fabric and texture of clothes to stand out in the corporate world; and how to pick the right outfit based on a person’s body. These are just some of the things you will also learn if you study at ICATS,” shared De Leon.
De Leon was trained in Professional Degrees of Dress for Men and Women, Color Analysis, Body Analysis, Fashion Styles, Individual Personal Style Evaluations and Corporate Image Seminars, and Corporate Communication Style Development.
He expects his training to help ICATS develop a more comprehensive and effective campus and corporate branding programs.
“With this course, we can strengthen our program and become more credible. Aside from flight attendants, we like to improve the customer service of other companies like what we did for Victory Liner. By dressing right, employees can look professional and level up to the high standards of flight attendants when it comes to the clothes they wear,” he explained.
With ICATS’ Campus and Corporate Program, De Leon hopes that fresh graduates will get the jobs they deserve. Company employees will also benefit from the program since it will improve their appearance and contribute to a high degree of professionalism in the workplace.
Other companies that have benefitted from ICATS Corporate Image Program are SEAAir, Megaworld Corporation, China Bank Savings, United Pharma Plus Inc., and the Philippine National Bank Savings.
Studies show that wearing the right clothes will not only make an individual look good, they can also make them more productive and more successful in life. Scientific American said a good wardrobe can improve thinking and negotiating skills as well as boost hormone levels and heart rate to give a person the confidence to succeed.
“When you look good, you feel good and you do well,” ended De Leon.”‹
