Looking and Acting the Part

Fitting into a professional setting takes more than just dressing for the part and being able to do the job.  You must also understand the culture of where you work, the norms, the social cues, and how different a professional setting can be from school or summer jobs.

Dress for Success

The main idea here is to always look your best.  You have to fit within the dress parameters of your job and be neat, clean, and respectable.  

The Basics

Uniforms/Scrubs - Make sure your clothes are clean and not wrinkled. Find out what kind of foot wear is permitted for the uniforms and make sure it's practical for the job.  Make sure shoes are in good shape, no holes and not too dirty.

Lab Coats -  A lab coat covers a lot but you still need to dress appropriately for the position you are in.  Women, watch tops that show too much skin.  Men and women, don't have clothes that are too tight fitting. T-shirts and tank tops aren't a good idea. Dress clothes - The culture of where you work may require you to dress up more than you normally would.  Basic rules still apply to cleanliness.  You want to pay attention to design as well.  Don't wear outfits that look like you are going to a club/bar.Dress casual - This is what most places of business probably steer toward.  The best way to think about this is perhaps what you would wear if you were meeting your partner's parents for the first time. Khakis are appropriate in this category.  You still want to watch the fit of your clothes.

Casual -  This may be the hardest category to judge what is or isn't appropriate.  In general, pay attention to your supervisor or colleagues.  You want to make sure that there is no offensive language on shirts.  You still want to be clean and not have tears in anything.  Show up clean, even if you know you are going to get dirty.

Behavior Check

So once you got the look down, you have to think about your behavior, including subtle body language, tone of voice, eye contact, and general appropriate behavior for a work setting.

The Dos

• Be approachable - Smile and be friendly.  Say hello to people.  

• Listen - Avoid interrupting unless you are not understanding something. If you must interrupt, do it politely.

• Make eye contact - When someone is talking to you, make eye contact so they know you are paying attention.

• Perform tasks - When you are asked to do something follow through with it.  

• Ask questions - If you don't understand something, aren't sure how to do something, ask for assistance.

• Communicate clearly - Speak in a clear, polite manner.  When you need help, communicate that clearly.  

• Follow through - Complete all tasks asked of you and follow up with people when you are finished. 

• Turn your phone off - Maybe you don't need to turn it off but make sure that you are  only using it at appropriate times, ie: breaks. 

• Problem solve - Use your critical thinking skills to solve issues as they arise or be willing to problem solve with supervisor and colleagues. 

The Don'ts

• Pretend everything is fine - Don't pretend that things are easy, or you understand something when you don't. 

• Ignore feedback - Don't ignore feedback coming from anyone.  

• Look bored or annoyed - Watch your facial expressions and body language.  Don't look at someone, with a smirk.

• Walk away when someone is talking to you - No matter who is talking to you, don't just walk away.  If you need to leave, inform the person that you need to and excuse yourself.  If it's an important conversation, ask if you can reconnect with them later.

• Show up to work hung over, high or disheveled - It may seem obvious, but...Make sure that you arrive to work, ready to work. 

• Treat your supervisor like a best friend or like an idiot - Your supervisor is there to guide you.  Treat them with respect and have good boundaries.

• Text, call friends, or use other social media while working - You are they to do a job and learn.  Stay focused.  

• Use foul language - Watch curse words and slang.  

• Blame others for you mistakes - Mistakes are a part of the process.  Own up to mistakes, take responsibility and learn something from them. 

Dealing with Confrontation and Conflicts

Conflict and confrontation is a part of life and the better you are at managing , the happier you will be and the better you will do in your placement. 

Though you may think that confrontation and conflicts are the same thing, think of a conflict as something you feel and a confrontation as an action.  Confrontation = Facing.  Conflict = Feeling. 

When you feel conflicted or have a conflict, it is important to face it as soon as possible.  The more you try to avoid it, the worse it gets. At the same time, if you are someone who tends to be sensitive, or over sensitive, you may not know what is important to face and what should be put aside. If you know you tend to be oversensitive, check in with your site supervisor or your school supervisor for support. 

Common Conflicts That Need to be Addressed

• Feeling mistreated - If you feel that anyone at your placement it mistreating you, and it is more than just a one time thing, talk about it. If at all possible, address it with the person you are feeling it from.  If you are not comfortable doing that, ask your supervisor for support and guidance.  If it is your placement supervisor that you are feeling mistreated by, ask your academic supervisor for support.

  • • Possible ways to start the conversation: "I am feeling like you may think I don't know what I'm doing or I can't do the job. Do you mind if I ask you what you think I need to work on?" "I sometimes get the feeling that I have done something to annoy you or that you feel I have disrespected you in some way. Can we talk about this?" "I sometimes feel like I am treated a bit unfairly, do you think we can meet to talk about expectations that we both have for my time here?"

• Not getting feedback or only getting negative feedback - It can be frustrating if you have a supervisor that doesn't give any input on how you are doing or only seems to focus on the negative. Discuss this with your supervisor so you can get what you need as part of the learning process. 

  • • Possible ways to address: 'I'd like to ask you for some feedback..." "I want to thank you for letting me know where I need to improve, I'm wondering if you can also share what you feel I do well?" "May we set up a time to discuss how you feel I'm doing and how you feel like my placement is going?"

• Feeling like you don't fit in - Sometimes the conflicts are more internal than external.  If you are having difficulty figuring out how to fit in or read people, talk to someone. 

  • • Possible ways to address: "I feel very supported and encouraged by many of the staff here though I am having difficulty with .... Do you have any advice for how I may be able to better build my relationship with...?" "I just wanted to let you know that I realize I have been a bit shy and withdrawn.  I sometimes get that way in new situations and I want you to know that I am working on it and feel like in a week or so I will be more involved."

• Feeling overwhelmed - It is not unusual to arrive at a placement and feel overwhelmed. There are new people, new rules, even some new ways of doing things.  If you feel like the overwhelmed feeling is lasting a bit longer than it should, seek out support. 

  • • Possible ways to address: "I notice I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed by being here.  I feel I have my footing in some areas and I'm wondering if you could offer me some suggestions for how to get better at, or how to remember...." "I'm not sure how to do....will you please show me?" 

Am I Taking Something Too Personally?

When someone is under stress, it is easy to take things personally that are not meant that way.  Part of being a professional is learning to manage feelings and figure out if someone may be having a bad day or if they are indeed taking advantage of a situation.  Below are some things to pay attention to and ask yourself in order to figure it out. 

• Is there a pattern? - Is this the first time you have ever felt like this person was talking down to you or has it happened regularly?  Do other people comment about it to you?  Do you tend to be overly sensitive to someone sharing what you need to improve? If your best friend said the same thing to you, would you be angry or would you see it as constructive feedback?

• Do you have a strong reaction? - Do you get very angry, feel hurt or defensive?  A strong reaction can often mean that someone has touched on something that you already know but don't wish to acknowledge.  If this is the case, take some deep breathes and remember that feedback, positive and negative, is a part of the process and your education.

• Is this the only person you have difficulty with? -  If this is the only person you struggle with, it may be a personality conflict.  In this case you must figure out how to manage the situation so you don't end up doing something to jeopardize your learning. Does this person act that way to everyone or just to you?  If they treat everyone the way you are feeling treated than at least you know it's not personal and you have to figure out how you will manage and respond to it.