Qualities of a Professional in the Office
Being a professional is a lot more than just holding a professional degree or having several years work experience. Instead a professional in the office should show a number of characteristics. The following will list the most important characteristics common to professionals in an office environment.
Be trustworthy and reliable
A co-worker who is unreliable and who either does not complete the work within the timeframe agreed or delivers sloppy work is not regarded as a professional. A manager or colleague needs to be able to rely on the work agreed to be done to a high standard without the need to constantly check up on the progress by someone else.
It is also important that a professional can be trusted with information given and does not indulge in gossip or passes on company information that was meant to remain confidential.
Be hard working and committed
A professional is unlikely to drop his pen at 5 pm but instead stays behind or takes work home if something really needs to be done. This does not mean that a professional has to be a workaholic, but rather that a professional appreciates the importance of certain work to be completed on time and his commitment to deliver what he promised for the good of the company or department. He is able to temporarily put his own needs behind those of the business.
Be organised
Whilst a chaotic employee can be quite endearing at times it is not a common trait for a professional in the office. A professional is organised, able to manage his own workload and probably will keep a relatively clean desk together with good progress notes on his work. He will ensure that it is possible for a co-worker to pick up the work should he be unable to come to work on a day and will make it easy for the department to make sense of their work.
Have a positive can-do attitude
A positive, solution driven can-do attitude is an important trait for a professional as it will allow him to approach his manager with solutions rather than problems. This will quickly be valued by the management team, especially if this attitude is combined with innovativeness and the ability to look at things from a slightly different perspective. In order to do this it is important that a professional is able and keen to see the bigger picture rather than just his own involvement and work.
Maintain a professional appearance
No matter how good the work of an employee is, if the physical appearance is not appropriate he will not be regarded as a professional. Clean and appropriate clothes are just as important as an absence of excessive amounts of earrings and tattoos may be. This of course depends on the work environment, but if your look is scowled upon by your manager and colleagues, you will find it hard to be seen as a true professional.
Behave appropriately
Behaving like a professional covers many aspects of professionalism. It includes the ability to communicate, be on time and be polite as much as it considers telephone manners and knowing when a joke is a joke too far.
Professionals in an office need to have a number of qualities to be seen as professionals and these are all related to being regarded as someone who knows what he is doing and is committed to do it in the best possible way whilst showing behaviour acceptable to the manager and co-workers. Above qualities are some of the most important ones every office professional should have and provide a good basis to make sure that you are considered as the professional you are.
