To get us started we must understand
what we mean by the term professional, often it is used by people, I do it
myself. But what exactly does it mean to be a professional?
Professionalism can be defined as
one's conduct at work; this does not only relate to those with high level of
education and have high earnings.
If you want to advance in your
career, be taken seriously, and have your boss think of you as an asset to the
team, doing things in a professional way is vital. As you read through below
are things expected of you if you want to be viewed as a professional.
Be
passionate
Always take a job that you love, not
one that simply pays you good money but one that you are interested in doing.
Taking a job that you are not passionate about will make you miserable and
waste your time and talent, it amounts to being imprisoned. Take a job that
excites you, one you enjoy and challenges you to show your strengths in it.
Do
what you say
Before speaking always engage your
mind, always be commit to whatever you say, if this doesn’t happen you stand to
damage your professional reputation. Walking the talk demonstrates a value in dependability;
people can count on you and will take you serious professionally as a person of
your word.
Customer
satisfaction is paramount
For the
success of a business, customers are king. This is through understanding and satisfying your
customer's needs. Professionals identify and satisfy their customer's needs as without
the customer, there is no professional. Customers make up and bring down a
business depending on how they are treated and satisfied. They must always feel
wanted for them to identify themselves with a professional and its company.
Keep
the right attitude
Sometimes we may not be feeling our best, leave your bad mood at home when you
come to work, always stay positive and appreciate others as your attitude may
rise or bring down the morale within employees. Make sure that you have the
right attitude that will bring joy and success to the company. Respect
and acknowledge the talents of your peers. There is nothing more unprofessional
and self-serving than telling others how wonderful you are. Showing appreciation
for someone's time or effort is a quick fix to boost morale and attitude.
Be
the solution
Be someone who takes up problems and
gives solution. If the mistakes are yours own them and correct, do not hide
away from the as this will only help you not to make the same mistakes again. Never
blame others, but set an example for those who were also responsible to do as
you've done.
Never lose
control
No matter how upset you are or how
strongly you believe you are right, screaming isn't allowed, nor is name
calling or door slamming. Disagreement with your colleagues may be unavoidable
but don’t let yourself lose control. Always keep calm and explain yourself and
be ready to walk away if things get heated up. Be your own leader.
Communicate
effectively
This is the passing of message from
one person to another. Communication is important as people and departments in
a company are interrelated. Make sure you pass your message effectively and
don’t go out of your way to blame others when there is a communication
misinterpretation or breakdown. Make effective communication your
responsibility.
Final words
Acting like a professional really means doing what it takes to
make others think of you as reliable, respectful, and competent. This may
eventually lead to you being promoted and gain more respect from your peers and
senior management.
With all the above don’t forget to
always dress well.
