A reputation is very important in a professional setting. No one wants to hire someone who gave his or her previous employers trouble or who has a bad record at their previous jobs. The way a person acts as a professional could make or break their career. If you are trying to avoid looking unprofessional to an employer here are 10 habits that can make you look unprofessional:
1. Things You Post on Social Media If your social media page has content that you would not want your grandmother to see then either make your page private or be more careful with what you post on social media.
2. Tardiness Being late in any aspect such as with an assignment or being late to work does not look good to an employer. It becomes even worse if there are multiple accounts of lateness. Always be timely.
3. Saying and Not Doing If you promise an employer you would do something or promise to get a possible employer more information, DO IT! If you say you are going to do something and you do not do it, you can appear unreliable.
4. Not Dressing Appropriately Try to be prepared with your wardrobe. For example if you work at a gym you would not wear heels to work verses if you work as a teacher you would not wear sneakers and jeans. Piercings and tattoos can appear unprofessional. You can try to hide tattoos under clothes, take piercings out, and/or cover tattoos with makeup.
5. Profanity Watch your language in your place of work. Profanity should never be used in your place of work.
6. Having Different Colored Hair Bright colors are usually frowned upon in a work environment. For some employers, if you have multiple types of colors in your hair, even if the color is natural, this may come off as an unprofessional look.
7. Disorganization Everyone can get a little flustered from a big workload. But, being organized can help you work more efficiently. If you are disorganized this quality may make it harder for others to work with you.
8. Placeholders When talking, watch the use of placeholders such as: “like”, “ah”, and “um”. These words in your speech often make the user seem inexperienced.
9. Taking Care of Personal Business While Working Any of your personal business should not be mixed into your work environment. Handle your personal business before work or after work, but never during your work. Your employer pays you to work for them, not for you to take care of your own personal affairs.
10. Using Your Phone The use of a personal cell phone should be minimal. You should not be checking social media or texting your friends. You could turn your phone off all together or only answer your phone for emergencies.