Professionalism is a key component to being successful in any work environment, but what exactly is it? In a nutshell, professionalism involves traits such as competence, reliability, honesty, integrity, respectfulness, compartmentalization, and positivity. Let’s break these traits down and evaluate what they mean in a professional capacity.
What does it mean to be competent in the workplace? Employers want to know that you will provide quality work, no matter the difficulty of the workload, and that you will work to gain skills and knowledge that will help you excel in your specific work environment. It is more than being competent in your area of expertise, but also your willingness to embrace new tasks, and take the steps necessary to accomplish them. Most importantly, it’s always providing a quality product or service that will benefit your workplace overall.
Equally as important is reliability. Employers want to know that you will complete tasks by the provided deadline, or in a timely manner. Your employer has to be able to trust you. It is not easy for employers to delegate work and trust that it will get done efficiently and effectively. Any employee who shows that they are reliable and trustworthy will be seen as more professional.
Honesty, integrity, and respect are key in putting your best professional foot forward. You are your words. Make sure to honor them. In the workplace, you should always work to keep your values in line with your words and actions, and make sure you are presenting yourself in the best way possible. The more straightforward you are, the more professional you will seem. However, it is possible to be honest and straightforward in a respectful manner. Balancing your values, thoughts, and opinions with the respect you should have for your superiors is often difficult, but vital in maintaining professionalism in the workplace.
So now that we’ve discussed some ways as to what it means to be professional in the workplace, how do you attain these skills? WVJC is here to help! At WVJC, students learn their chosen craft, while simultaneously learning how to be professional. In every course our students take, we work on basic skills that prime the students to be professional employees. As if this isn’t enough, we also offer an entire course dedicated to teaching students exclusively about professionalism before they complete their program and enter the workforce. If you’re looking for an institute that will prepare you to enter the workforce in every capacity, WVJC is the place for you!