Why Does It Matter?

            Why is it so important to be professional as an employee? By showing employers that you possess certain professional characteristics, you prove to them that you are worth having around. These characteristics include being action-oriented, being positive, and, most importantly, being passionate about your work. If you can master these characteristics, you will be considered a professional employee and be open to endless opportunities. 

            The first characteristic is being action-oriented. This is a person who is willing to take chances and not afraid to take some risks. Not every chance taken ends in a success and can be risky, but they can lead to confidence-building experiences and produce new ideas (Sundheim, 2013).  Each time an employee takes action and puts his/her ideas on the table, for all to see, they are learning and building their confidence.

            The second characteristic is being positive. A positive enviroment is what makes a business a great place to work. Negativity spreads like a virus and makes people hard to work with. Employers are looking for happy people who work well with others and are willing to do any task assigned to them (Turck, n.d.).

            The final characteristic that defines you as a professional employee is being passionate about your work. Forbes magazine describes someone who is passionate about his/her job as someone who never actually works a single day of the year (Sundheim, 2013). If you are passionate and enjoy what you do, it comes across in your work.

            A professional employee is one who is willing to fail, is positive, and is passionate about his/her work. These characteristics create not just professional employees but team members who are assets to the companies they work for. Why does professionalism matter? It matters because it’s what makes you an employee worth having. 

References

Sundheim, K. (2013, April 2). 15 Traits of the ideal employee. Retrieved September 25, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensundheim/2013/04/02/15-traits-of-the-ideal-employee/

Turck, J. (n.d.). Ten traits of a valuable employee. Retrieved September 26, 2014. http://realtruth.org/articles/100108-004-society.html