Name: Nguyn Hong Anh Phng

Group: QH2013.E16
English for Business Communication Final Essay
Topic: Professionalism
Professionalism is the conduct, aims or qualities that characterise a professional person.
This concept comprises a number of different attributes such as responsibility, integrity,
accountability, and excellence. Failure to conduct oneself professionally at work may lead
to dire consequences in ones career. This essay analyses several unprofessional
behaviours of the protagonist in the movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and shows
how she can actually ameliorate the situation by a more professional approach. The
movie sets in a magazine office named Runway with the main character, Andrea Sachs,
taking the job of personal assistant to the editor-in-chief.
To begin with, specialised knowledge is a key attribute of professionalism, which is not
seen in Andrea at the beginning of her career. As Emily the first assistant says in the
movie, Runway is a fashion magazine, so interest in fashion is crucial. However,
Andreas initial performance does not exhibit any expertise in fashion. She has never
heard of Miranda Priestly, a prominent figure in the industry; she does not know how to
spell Gabbana and has no idea what a run-through is. Mastery of specialised knowledge
plays a vital role in maintaining a professional image (Mind Tools). In order to achieve
success, professionals need to acquire a stable core of knowledge in their field and
constantly keep such knowledge up-to-date. In this sense, Andrea falls short of
professional workplace expectations. The situation could be improved if she spent a fair
amount of time researching to gain a proper understanding of fashion before entering this
billion-dollar industry.
In addition, on the very first day at work, Andrea does not comply with the professional
dress code for her job. She wears a wrinkled old jacket, and her unruly hair shows a lack

of care for her personal appearance. The next day is not any better. A blue woollen
sweater and a knee-length checked skirt are acceptable to some extent, yet considering
Andreas working environment, it seems utterly inappropriate. One of the core values in
workplace professionalism is appropriate attire. According to Heathfield (2015) a
human resources expert, the dressing standard for a formal business environment is a
suit, a jacket and pants or a skirt, or a dress paired with appropriate accessories. Pressed
and unwrinkled clothing is compulsory. To judge from these rules, Andrea obviously has
misconducted herself professionally at work by failing to follow the formal dress code.
One way to redeem herself is to adhere to formal dress code guidelines and try to satisfy
the clothing requirements of such a prestigious fashion magazine.
Moreover, Andreas lack of accountability is another manifestation of her
unprofessionalism in the workplace. When she does not manage to fulfil Mirandas order
and gets scolded, she starts to complain about her efforts going unacknowledged. It is
Nigel, the magazines designer, who enlightens Andrea and convinces her to admit to her
mistake in the job. Professionals hold themselves accountable for every action that they
carry out at work, especially their mistakes (Small Business). The concept of
accountability refers to the ability to acknowledge mistakes and try to find solutions to
rectify the situation instead of whining or blaming other colleagues. In Andreas case, she
should have confessed to her incompetence and made every possible attempt to fix her
misconduct.
To conclude, specialised knowledge, formal dress code and accountability are three
important attributes of professionalism that are missing in the protagonist of The Devil
Wears Prada on her first days at work. Building a professional image is a daunting task
which takes both time and efforts. It is, therefore, recommended that young workers
begin to make professionalism a habit and concentrate on improving their own
performance at work in order to go a long way on their career path.

LIST OF REFERENCE
Frankel, D. (Director), Finerman, W. (Producer), & McKenna, A. B. (Writer). (2006).
The Devil wears Prada [Motion picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox.
Heathfield, S. M. (2015, February 17). How to Dress in a Business Formal Workplace.
Retrieved

May

04,

2016,

from

http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/dress_formal.htm
Joseph, C. (n.d.). 10 Characteristics of Professionalism. Retrieved May 04, 2016, from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/10-characteristics-professionalism-708.html
Professionalism: Developing this Vital Characteristic. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2016,
from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm