Rules on Professionalism

One thing that many recent graduates can agree on is that professionalism is a characteristic they must possess on the job hunt. One thing teachers may agree on is that students are lacking this skill. Honestly, I must agree. Now I am not saying this goes for all of the students around the world, but any student that has taken classes on campus has most likely experienced the lack of professionalism. Last quarter, I witnessed a girl walk into class EVERY morning about twenty minutes late. She was also very well dressed with a full face of makeup. Not that it really matters, but the point is that she made the decision to perfect her look rather than arrive early enough to the class so that others are not distracted by her entrance. Professionalism isn’t a skill you are born with. You have to learn it and learn it fast if you want to be successful in this job market.

What Does Professionalism Consist of?

There are many parts of professionalism, but the biggest piece has to be our attitudes. Hiring managers and those of elder generations have commented that young people looking for jobs have a sense of entitlement that turns interviewers off. While I was researching this, I had to take I look at myself. I DEFINITELY act like this. When I go to my interviews, I am truly professional. Though, in my mind I am thinking about how I have an $85,000 education and deserve way more than what I am being offered. Bad, huh? I recently had to step back and realize that I have to start from the bottom like everyone else. I can’t think that just because I got my fancy degree that I should be put in higher positions than those who have been working for years. Do any of you feel like this? Clearly, you are not alone.

Something else I read was that young people have “casual attitudes”. What exactly does this mean? It means that we are very ignorant in this whole job thing. It means we don’t have a sense of urgency when turning projects in. It also means that we are too comfortable associating with coworkers and speaking to people in higher positions. It seems as though we are all just too laid back. If you don’t believe me, let me ask you a question. Have you noticed in interview invitations that they have to remind people to dress appropriately? I used to wonder why they would tell me this, but then I walked into a group interview and saw another interviewee in jeans. Did she not read the email? Anyway, this is a big NO NO! But don’t worry new grads. There is still time to catch on!

How Can I Change?

The first thing that you need to do is determine what you are doing wrong. It is kind of hard to figure this out if nobody has told you or you have not noticed yourself. Hopefully you have someone close correct you before your interviewer does. I had gone on an interview many years ago where my interviewer said that I had a passive aggressive attitude. I can be extremely stubborn, and to this day I do not agree with him (I think he was just being rude). Nonetheless, I took this into consideration and have sense landed jobs that are more beneficial to me. So I found this article on a website called ComeRecommended. Take a look at this picture and see if you have done any of these things that irritate your management. Let’s start from there.

 

College Grads Lacking Professionalism In The Workplace
by Brittany Troyer

So did you recognize anything that you may be doing wrong? Good! Now change it. Put your phone down during your interview. Iron your clothes before your interview. And then, bring a positive attitude around with you. No excuses anymore new grads. To sell yourself, you have to come ready. So do it!

Yours truly,

      Michaela