Kevin Boyle

Professor Brittney Jones

PAR-250 - Paralegal Clinic

28 February 2022

According to the U.S, Department of Labor (DOL), professionalism is defined as:

“communicating effectively and appropriately and always finding a way to be productive….

Employers want new workers to be responsible, ethical, and team oriented, and to possess strong

communication, interpersonal, and problem solving skills. Wrap these skills up all together and

you've got professionalism.” Its not merely the ability to consistently achieve high standards; it

can also be explained as the “behavior” and “ attitude” of a person in a workplace.

Simply being professional in specific areas or your job, career, or workplace does not

make you a professional, however. It involves how you behave and act with others and in

handling situations outside the workplace—as in the New York State Association of Realtors

(NYSAR) Code of Ethics. It is not about what job you do: it is about how you do it, and its

an industry-tranferrable skill. An example could be treating customers with respect before and

after the sale or interaction. However, more importantly how you carry yourself in life! Perhaps

it is something as simple as a policy for a social media platform. This is one I see violated

continually in my world, and it doesn’t appear to be enforced.

 It is important to understand that professionalism does not mean following rules and

regulations blindly. Instead, it refers to a set of values that are considered ethically and morally

correct. Such values aren’t always written down or formally expressed, but it is the duty of every

employee to understand and follow the same. Employers always seek professionalism in the

workplace; however, the actual meaning of “professionalism” seems to vary according to

industries and companies. So how does one define the term “professionalism?” It is not

something that can be quantified—instead, it could be seen as a quality that every working

professional is expected to have. Others may define professionalism as the ability to consistently

achieve high standards in their specific field of work. Others suggest professionalism refers to

specific workplace rules or policies: attire, policies on social media usage, email correspondence,

punctuality, client-interaction etc. Therefore, we can identify certain attributes, and consider

them as the “pillars” of professionalism. Let’s explore these pillars, and in detail.

Knowledge: Keeping yourself apprised with the latest up-to-date knowledge is not just a

preference; it is a necessity in today’s work-force. Employers actively seek candidates with the

latest industry-knowledge rather than qualification. This is due to the fact that relevancy has

more of a scope by comparison to qualification. Moreover, employers—as well as the employees

—need to understand all aspects of their business to ensure maximum productivity. Important

facets of services include, the latest trends and industry practices, and awareness of the

competitors and their actions.

Competence: One of the most important pillars of professionalism is competency. If your skills

and abilities match the requirements of the job, you are said to be competent. Granted,

competency does not come easy—it takes hard work and perseverance. Integrity: Integrity
prevents you from compromising values that are upheld by your or the organization. This also

implies that an employee is trustworthy and dependable.

Emotional Intelligence: Remaining calm and composed is an integral work-environment skill,

and one I’m not perfect in. I’ve been in a stressful industry for almost two-decades, but without

a composed mind, it can be difficult to make sound decisions. Work pressure can negatively

affect one’s life, and it has in mine and contributed to my struggle with alcohol. Hence, why

emotional intelligence is one of the pillars. It also allows one to show empathy (the ability to

understand how another person feels and experiences the world around them.) EI is a paramount

skill in building rapport, and gaining trust with people in your field. Simply put, professional

skills alone are not enough to grow in your filed.

Work Ethic: Employers do not typically tell you what is wrong or right in all situations. One

must possess the ablity to recognize the difference between the two. Although perfecton is

impossible to achieve, an attempt to choose the ethically-correct route is necessary—even if

doing so may not be favorable or advantageous. Research shows that employees who are

ethically positive and are driven by fairness and decency, tend to have increased morale and

perform consistently better in the workplace. In the long run, companies or firms with such type

“professionals” improve their image as well as long-term success. Generally speaking,

professionalism is an important aspect that everyone should strive to adopt. It can ensure faster

growth, richer work life and also impart important ethics and morals.

Works Cited:
“Soft Skills: The Competitive Edge.” United States Department of Labor,

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/soft-skills-the-competitive-

edge.

Professionalism in the Workplace: a Guide for Effective Ettiquette.

https://www.umassglobal.edu/news-and-events/blog/professionalism-and-workplace-

etiquette.

Pillars of Professionalism, https://www.ktla.org/?pg=PillarsofProfessionalism.

https://career.vt.edu/develop/professionalism.html.

Professionalism Worplace Definition Maintenence,

https://study.com/academy/lesson/professionalism-in-the-workplace-definition-

maintenance.html.