Why is it important to know what ‘professionalism’ is? Living in a world where first impressions are key to all successful interactions, professionalism is something that everyone must learn in order to be taken seriously in the “real world.” Being professional in all of your interactions will help you in the long run and will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd when communicating with your fellow students, peers, professors, and potential employers. You can improve on certain skills that will help you with your ability to demonstrate professionalism by focusing on the following three key elements:
1. Appearance
While it can be challenging to force yourself to look nice for your 8am class on a Monday morning, getting into this habit will make keeping up your appearance a lot easier later on. Leaving five minutes before your class in the same shirt you slept in will make your mornings a lot quicker, but it will also impact how you are perceived by your instructor and other students. It has been shown in many studies that dressing nicer for class actually makes you perform better, so taking the time to present yourself well can also impact how you do in classes. Keeping up your appearance for class can be a lot easier if you pick out your outfit the night before and make sure to leave yourself enough time in the morning to get ready. Your appearance shows those around you not only your style, but can also show how much time and effort you put in to representing yourself.
2. Communication
Professionalism is extremely important when it comes to communicating with others in both written and verbal interactions. Communication is often the best way to make a first impression, especially if you are sending e-mails out with your resume to potential employers. It’s important to begin your e-mails by addressing the recipient with a greeting and to end your email with a closing such as, “Sincerely, Your Name.” Addressing and signing your emails is a simple way to grab the attention of potential employers and keep your name in their head. You want to make sure that your body text is professional writing and doesn’t resemble text message-style writing. Make sure to write out all of your words and never use abbreviations when communicating with a potential employer. It’s also good to remember that using all caps in unprofessional as it implies that you are yelling what you are writing, so avoid the use of all caps.
3. Time Management
Being late is something that hardly ever goes unnoticed in the professional world. While some people might say it’s okay to a degree, they are probably slightly annoyed that you weren’t on time. A good mind-set to have is that if you are on time, you are actually late; it is important to always be 10-15 minutes early to class, interviews, meeting, events, etc. Being a bit early shows those around you that you care about whatever you are attending and that you actually want to be there. Being late or just on-time is an easy way to non-verbally tell people that you don’t care enough about whatever it is you are attending to have arrived a little early.
Your professionalism can be enhanced with these three skills with appearance, communication, and time management. Appearance is something that shows your style and willingness to present yourself appropriately; communication stands as an incredibly important skill for a first impression; and time management is an easy way to show those around you that you actually care about the event you are attending. By following these tips, your professionalism will be enhanced, and you will be taken more seriously by those around you.
By: Caiti Olberding
