Going into college means entering a new chapter of your life where the expectations people have for you are higher. As you go through school, you’ll find that responsibilities keep piling up, and there isn’t much you can do to slow them down. You’ll need to leave behind certain parts of your past, namely some habits you still have from when you were younger. Because college is supposed to prepare you to eventually move on to a professional job, keep an eye out for these habits that make you look unprofessional.
Not Caring About Your Appearance
Caring about your appearance doesn’t mean you have to become vain and self-absorbed. Professionals in the workforce need to look a certain way based on the jobs they hold. It shows that you take pride in your appearance, which reflects upon the work you do.
- Always wear the proper dress code for your line of work
- Keep your face groomed (hair tied back, beard trimmed, etc.)
- Avoid overly flashy accessories unless your job allows for it
- Make sure your clothes are in good condition
Arriving Late
If you have a chronic lateness problem, now is the time to work on that as much as possible. When you’re in the workforce, supervisors, managers, and coworkers will view tardiness as a lack of respect and an inability to take responsibility for your actions. How are other people supposed to trust you to do good work when you can’t even show up on time? Start arriving for appointments early whenever you can; this shows initiative and a healthy respect for other people’s valuable time.
Regularly Complaining
Being in the workforce means understanding that you can’t control everything that goes on in your job. Sometimes, you need to do things in a certain way, even if it doesn’t seem perfect to you. Complaining about aspects of your job that other people also go through comes off as entitled and arrogant. If you have a serious problem with your duties or colleagues, take it up the chain of command in the right way, but don’t just complain about everything you don’t like about the job all the time.
Interrupting Colleagues
Many people do this by accident, but the behavior never improves because no one will bring it up to them. Be very careful about talking over other people you work with. No matter how excited you may be to get your say out there, people who regularly interrupt others can seem like they don’t care what anyone has to say other than themselves. No habit makes you look unprofessional quite like coming off as self-absorbed.
