Do You Have These Positive Traits Of Professionalism?

Many bright students find the gulf between the academic world and the professional sphere to be rather large. When I finished my MBA in marketing with a gold medal, I was confident of bringing my brilliance in a seamless manner to the company where I had been placed. Things did not turn out to be that easy though, and I had to go through a rigorous corporate training course – to become really ready to face the challenges of the professional world. Some of the basic tenets of professionalism that I learnt were:

1. Making myself reliable – Employers hire candidates, and invest time and money to provide technical and soft skill training to them – so that the latter can handle the tasks designated to them in an efficient, proper manner. I had put extra effort to grasp everything that was being taught about my work-responsibilities in the training classes. Winning the trust of my employers was important!
2. Avoid bragging – Academic knowledge was something I had in plenty, but that was far from being enough to guide me at my workplace. Even if you are confident about your knowledge-base, do not try to show off by making tall promises – which you won’t be able to keep over time. I have been working for six years now – and the policy of ‘under-promising and over-delivering’ works best for me.
3. The importance of being social – On an everyday basis, you will need to interact with members of other teams at your company, as well as your seniors and other peers. Without extensive business communication training, you won’t be able to do this effectively – and that, in turn, would thwart both personal as well as organizational goals. Even if you are of a shy demeanor (which I was not!), you will need to open up, to be easily approachable and popular at your office.
4. Level-headedness – The workplace is not a classroom – and things will not always go as planned. In case any unforeseen problem does crop up, you need to maintain your equanimity and look for viable solutions. Employees in managerial positions, in particular, require thorough leadership training – to be able to take the right business decisions, even in the face of crises. I still am not the most level-headed guy in my organization, but I am getting better!
5. Appearance and posture – When it comes to the professional world, first impressions are invariably the most important. I was not particularly finicky about the way I dressed up, or whether my hair was too long while at college – but my corporate trainer suggested that this attitude had to be changed. I took her advice, and, within a week of joining office – my colleagues started complimenting me on my neat, well-kempt appearance!
6. The importance of smiling – Coming across as frivolous is a strict ‘no-no’, but it is important to have a smile on your face – even during stressful, lengthy board meetings and client interactions. Many potentially damaging conflicts can be averted, only if you maintain a pleasant disposition at all times. Not surprisingly, the importance of having a sense of humor is emphasized upon at most well-known corporate training institutes.
7. Openness to learn – I am employed in an IT firm, and have, over the last five years, picked up on as many as seven programming languages. You should also be on the lookout for opportunities to learn new skills and acquire fresh competencies. As your domain of professional knowledge would grow, you will be delegated the charge of important projects. Promotions and increments would also be forthcoming…sooner!
8. Taking up responsibility – It is only natural for freshers to make mistakes, but I still used to be really apprehensive about committing a work-related error that might prove to be damaging for the project I was supposed to handle. That was until I learnt at my corporate training class, that there is nothing wrong in making the occasional mistake – I only needed to have the courage to own up to my follies, and had to make sure that I did not repeat the same errors. Accountability is indeed a much sought-after trait in corporate personnel.

Apart from direct interactions (verbal and non-verbal), my communication training expert also taught me the correct ways of email and telephonic correspondence. Over time, I have also learnt the tricks for organizing all my tasks in a streamlined manner. If you wish to have a rewarding career in the corporate sector, you simply cannot gloss over the importance of possessing these professional traits!