With graduation upon us, many will be entering the workforce or going on to graduate programs. And this begs the question: Are we ready to be there?
We are qualified in terms of quality education, well-rounded experiences, involvement in organizations we are passionate about and all of the other items on the typical laundry list of preparing for the future as college grads. We have been trained and pruned and plucked and buffed. But still, many of us lack the most important thing: professionalism.
Most of us complain about our college workload, but the reality is that our huge piles of homework are preparing us for a real world that is even more difficult. Procrastination and laziness have no place in adulthood outside of college.
On Sept. 14, 2012, Temple University’s Fox School of Business published a list of the top 13 complaints employers have about recent college graduates. Among them were weakness in writing and critical thinking skills, a bad attitude, poor work ethic and a lack of professionalism.
Between social media and television, the image of professionalism presented to the public is skewed. Contrary to the message of the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy,” doctors do not actually sleep with each other in closets. If you can believe it, they are usually too busy running around on-call and taking care of the many patients they have. And despite the image of women in the workforce in the show “Numbers,” professional women dress conservatively—they do not expose their midriffs on the job.
It will take a conscious effort on our part to prepare to enter the workforce or higher education.
Dressing appropriately is the easiest to address: Wear suitable attire. There are countless articles published on the Internet with tips as to how to present the right image for the job you want. Use the resources at your fingertips.
Displaying proper etiquette is also relatively easy: Just have good manners.
Appropriate conduct manifests itself in many forms, and one such form is how you choose to represent yourself over the Internet. Many students do not know how to write emails to colleagues, professors or prospective employers in a professional manner.
Things like opening the email with a proper greeting and use of proper grammar and spelling, while taking care to avoid slang terms and inappropriate language, are hugely important. Though seemingly logical, I’ve actually had professors take time out of class to explain how to compose an appropriate email. Some professors even include this information in their syllabus.
Whether it’s an internship or a full-blown career, professionalism is the most important thing to display because it is, in essence, a show of good character. For the interview, the key is to show up well dressed, presentable, on time and ready to meet your interviewer with a notepad, resume, cover letter and references.
This kind of preparation doesn’t go away once the job has been landed; it is still expected of an employee to come to work on time, ready to work and dressed properly, with a positive attitude and good work habits.
Basically, it comes down to all of the things our mothers have ever told us to do. The oft-repeated phrase “first impressions are lasting impressions” has a foundation in the real world. Respect yourself and carry yourself well so that others, especially future employers and bosses, will respect you.
