5 Ways to Be Professional at Work

We all love to be professionals, don’t we? But believe me that can’t be easily achieved with just wearing suit every day or just completing a couple of tasks on time. To become successful at your job, professionalism is one of the most important aspects. Professionalism is very vital if you want to get ahead, be taken seriously and to become asset to your team and organisation!

The value and demand of professionals are very high, as using their ethical standards, integrity and excellence, they helps advance the business or organisation in which he/she is employed. Professionalism is rarely taught so you can learn it by observation and experience but that is only possible if you take a learning attitude! It is difficult to be professional every hour of the day but if you make a habit of it then it gets easier.

Here are few key elements of professionalism that you should master early in your career:

• Start your day on time and be on time all day: It is very basic to start with but hard to follow every day. We have to make sure we come at office before office time and start our work on time. If your starting time is 10 a.m. then be in office no later than 9:45 a.m. Also same applies to coming back from Launch time. Make these things as habit and always be on time as punctuality is a key to becoming more professional. Same applies for meeting. If you do so then it shows that you value everyone’s time.

• Dress professionally: This doesn’t mean we need to wear suit every day but you have to follow the dress code of organization. You should come to work every day clean and well-dressed to make sure you have professional appearance.

• Show respect and avoid office politics and gossip: The best way to get respect is to show respect. Show your ccolleagues some common courtesy and be polity even if you work with people you don’t like it. Don’t get involved in whispering behind anyone’s back!
  Staying out of office politics and gossip will ensure you maintain professionalism and not get involved in rumours and hearsay.

• Always follow company policies and get your job done: Company policies are framework for you to perform your job so you should have to follow it. Also at the same time it is very important to stay focused and remain productive. Create task list and to do list that you follow every day and avoid distractions. If you don’t complete your work on time then it will be considered as your incompetency.

• Feedback isn’t personal: Feedback are very important to improve yourselves. When someone gives you feedback even if negative, it is not personal. If you respond in a defensive way then you show to your co-workers that you are unprofessional and fragile. Feedback are excellent way to grow as a person.

These are very small and basic steps but help you to grow in your field so what are you waiting for? Have you started practising it or not?