Professionalism & Industry Expectations

Professionalism

Professionalism is a quality that a professional has and it allows him or her to fulfill the role to the best of their ability. It is not about the job someone is doing, it is about how he or she do the job.

It is different from occupation to occupation or workplace to workplace. Some workplaces, sectors or roles have particular rules of professionalism. From all the professions most common qualities are,

a. Strong skills and competency.

b. Good behavioral qualities

c. The way professionals conduct themselves with external parties, affairs or colleagues.

Other characteristics of professionals that may be limited to some sectors are,

1. Appearance : Whatever role we play in our organization, our appearance is critical in the way we represent the professionalism of our career. Some professions, workplaces has a chosen dress code that symbolize the professionalism.
2. Demeaner : Demeanor involves our manner and our nonverbal emotional tone. We may or may not be conscious of the overall emotional undertone that we are exuding. Good demeaner helps us to have good relationships with colleagues and external parties.
3. Reliability : Reliability is crucial to workplace success. Organizations are more efficient and effective when individuals can rely on one another to do their part. When we and our teammates can trust each other to meet deadlines, produce quality work and respond promptly to requests, it’s easier to meet organizational goals and overcome challenges.
4. Competence : The professional competence is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values, and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual, external parties and organization being served.
5. Ethics : Professional ethics are principles that govern the behavior of a person or group in a business environment. Like values, professional ethics provide rules on how a person should act towards other people and institutions in such an environment.
6. Maintaining our Poise : Poise refers to professional dress, carriage, appropriate body language, and nonverbal communication skills. Poise is critical to the job search.
   Good poise complements and supports the other good career and job search fundamentals and , while lack of poise detracts from them.
7. Written Correspondence : The ability to communicate professionally is an essential part of the job search process. All emails, letters, phone calls and thank you notes are a reflection of the employee. In order to leave the impression we must make sure we take the time and effort to properly present ourselves.
8. Organizational skills : Organization skills are those related to creating structure and order, boosting productivity, and prioritizing tasks that must be completed immediately, versus those that can be postponed, delegated to another person, or eliminated altogether. Maintaining strong organizational skills can reduce the chance of developing poor work habits such as procrastination, clutter, miscommunication, and inefficiency.
9. Accountability : Accountability is when an individual or organization experiences consequences for their performance or actions. Accountability is essential for an organization and for a society. Without it, it is difficult to get people to assume ownership of their own actions because they believe they will not face any consequences.

Industry Expectations

Employers are discovering that their workforce requires certain skills which seems to be in short supply. Rapid technological change, participative management, employee empowerment, global competition and other workplace innovations have created a demand for a higher skill level for employees or graduates. Identifying industry expectations is an important step in career development.

examples for these expectations are ,

1. Good communication skills, spoken or written : Successful communication helps us better understand people and situations. It helps us overcome diversities, build trust and respect, and create conditions for sharing creative ideas and solving problems. Communication today is very important both in the business world and in private life.
2. Innovative thinking : Innovative thinking is critical in business because the world is rapidly changing. Individuals and organizations who try to get by with simply doing the same old things in the same old ways will quickly find themselves left behind. To stay competitive, much less lead the market, organizations must foster innovative thinking in the workplace and individuals must remain open to new ideas, processes, and opportunities.
3. Ability to lead : Leaders help themselves and others to do the right things. They set direction, build an inspiring vision, and create something new. Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to “win” as a team or an organization; and it is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring.
4. positive outlook : A positive attitude is mental outlook of optimism and of expecting good things to happen. People who possess this attitude are easier to get along with, are happy, and they spread joy around them. A person with a positive state of mind does not dwell on the problems and difficulties of the past, and does not let them dictate his or her life. Such a person would rather learn from past mistakes and move on.
5. Versatility : Versatility refers to an employee’s wide-ranging skill set and their ability to perform numerous tasks or roles throughout an organization, as embodied by the generalist or all-rounder in the workplace.
6. Willingness to learn : A willingness to learn is the desire to gain knowledge and develop skills to improve your work performance. Employees who demonstrate a willingness to learn are typically always searching for new opportunities to stay ahead of modern trends, achieve professional goals and complete more challenging tasks. Showing that you’re willing to learn tells employers that you’re a hardworking, driven and motivated team member.