To be professional is one of the most important things you can do if you are looking to get a job in the creative industries. In fact, since the creative industries are an industry, they are by definition professional institutions, and as a result require that their employees uphold that standard. As such, the first thing one should do when thinking about how to get a job is to consider whether they are professional enough, and if not, how they can improve themselves until they are. This blog will explain how you too, can become the professional the creative industries need you to be.
What is professionalism#
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines professionalism as:
Professionalism (/prəˈfeʃ.ən.əl.ɪ.zəm/)
The conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person
Let’s break this down:
Conduct#
This applies to how you act in a professional setting. That includes how you talk to your coworkers, how you go about your work, and how you treat others in the workspace. An example of bad conduct would be talking rudely to your boss, or getting angry when someone doesn’t get their work done on time. In both of these situations, you would be liable to be referred to the companies human resources department to be reprimanded, or even fired.
Another area where professional conduct applies is in making sure you look smart. Making a good first impression on a potential employer is vital to being seen as a professional, and the first part of a first impression is how you look and how you present yourself to onlookers. Try to make sure you’re adhering to the dress code of wherever you’re applying to, as this is a good way to instantly show that you have respect for the institution. This step is often overlooked, but whether it’s business casual, or full white-collar-black-suit, it is crucial to succeeding in the world of work.
As such, having professional conduct is not only a formality, but a necessity for a healthy working environment.
Aims#
While having ambitious aims is not necessarily needed to work in the creative industries, it can help you to climb the corporate ladder quickly, resulting in you becoming one of the most professional people in a company. Having professional aims can also be a great way to signal to others that you’re serious about your job and creating a professional environment to be successful. This can also help you build your network and increase your professional influence.
Qualities#
Some professional qualities are:
- Integrity - Integrity is an essential quality for anyone looking to work in the creative industries. It is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles¹. For example, if you were put in a position where you could be paid to divulge the details of an upcoming company project, it would be up to you to have the integrity to decline the proposition in a professional manner, as selling company secrets is generally considered to be morally corrupt. As such, integrity is integral to being professional.
Calm in stressful situations - This means that when you are put under pressure to, for example, complete a project on a tight deadline, you don’t freak out or have a nervous breakdown. A true professional knows how to remain calm and carry on working until the job is done, ensuring a happy client. This is also good for your mental health, as getting worked up and stressed has been shown to increase the risk of a variety of health problems including anxiety, depression, weight gain and sleep problems. This means that staying calm is one of the most professional things you can.
Collaborative - While creatives may have a reputation for being introverts who keep to themselves, the creative industries are the opposite; unless you’re a freelancer, you need to be able to work well with other people, even if you don’t especially like them on a personal level. For example, if you’re on the 3D modelling team in a large studio, you will need to work with concept artists, other modellers, art directors, riggers, and animators to make sure that your work fits into the larger vision for the project, and that other departments can fully make use of your work further down the pipeline. If you can’t be collaborative with these people, then you probably won’t last long in your job, thus meaning that you are not a professional.
In Conclusion#
To be a professional in the creative industries, you need a wide variety of skills that are often not taught as part of an educational curriculum, but which nonetheless are essential to succeed creatively. There’s a lot to consider, but if you can uphold the tenets of professionalism, it ensures that all you need to worry about is your core skills as a creative, and opens the door to a long and successful career.
