A real professional is not just intelligent, smart, well dressed and good in words. A real professional has a lot of qualities that separates him from the newbies. These qualities are not in born, these qualities were developed within a period of time. These qualities were self imposed and he knew he have to have it everyday or else his business will break down.
1. Expanding everyday. A real professional always seek for growth, He knew if he cannot learn something then his competitors might outclassed him. He is very observant and keen to details. He wants to evolve more even if he is already a professional. To him, there is so much to learn and he want to take advantage of any situation that he is in. He knew that he can learn every second, every minute he can expand. He has the mindset of a sponge, he just suck anything that he thinks is useful. For him, growth never stops and it's his responsibility to grow everyday. He always wanted to take his skill to a new level.
2. Always on time. A professional is never late. He never misses a deadline. Even if he is sick or not feeling better, he will find a way how to finish the project. If he made a promise to his client, he will never break it. He never make clients wait, he never hides from communication. He answers questions fast may it be on email or phone. He never make clients guess on what's going on. In short, a real professional values time very much. He never makes excuses, his mindset is to finish and not to delay. Even if the situation is really hard and the task seems very impossible to finish, he still finds a way. And sometimes he even look to finish the job earlier than expected.
3. Has a killer instinct. A real professional's mindset is to always to succeed and finish the task. He never put a mediocre effort. He put all his strength to the task. His movement is bold, he is very sure of what he is doing. He is so cool and has everything taken control. He always knew that he can do it just from the very beginning. He never stop until he get the job done. He is a finisher, he never leave any task unfinished.
4. Has a laser focus. He gets rid of the distractions pretty fast. All of the activities that may derail his progress, he gets rid of it. Even if he has some problems or personal issues, he never let it stop him from doing his job. While his family is watching TV, while his friends were partying... he is doing his job. It doesn't matter what time is it or if he needs to sleep, what matters to him is he must finish his job in the fastest possible time.
4. Ok in repetition. If his clients ask him to repeat the job, he will do it. Even if the request is not acceptable, he will just do it. He will repeat over and over again without complaining until the job is perfect. And sometimes, even he himself, he will repeat his job if he feels like it is not perfect. He knew that it is impossible to achieve perfect results but he strive to be at least close to being perfect.
5. Trustworthy. Every professional can be trusted. If you are dealing with a professional, you don't have to worry if he will get the job done because he will do it. All of the people he knows trusted him, all of his clients from the past were coming back because they knew he is the right person to do the job. He has a reputation of taking care of things properly and making sure that the job will not fail. His record is clean and he doesn't want to tarnish it.
6. Will just do the work. A true professional doesn't know the difference between an easy work or difficult work, he will just do the job without talking. Even if the job is really hard and taking a lot of time, he doesn't care. Once he accepted a job, he will do whatever it takes to finish it. Even if clients are making crazy request and the steps looks impossible to do, he doesn't care. He will just do the job with the best of his abilities. He will hammer it until the end.
7. Never hides from communication. Some people, if they can't show their clients some proof of progress, they will not reply, they will hide. They will just text back or call back once they have something to show. A true professional always updates his clients even if there is no progress, he never let his clients worry. He is very honest about the situation of the project, he never let the communication die. He make sure that the communication between him and his client is always alive. Even if he is sleeping he will answer the phone, even if he is taking a dump, he will stop it to answer the phone.
SOME UNPROFESSIONAL PEOPLE USE THESE EXCUSES IN COMMUNICATION:
• I don't have load that is why I was unable to reply
• Our internet connection is broken
• I am very busy doing the project, I am so tired last night (will even make the clients feel guilty)
• I am sick yesterday
Real professionals never make those excuses. They were very responsible and responsive.
8. Very flexible and can adapt to any situation. There are some instances where the agreement between the worker and the payer has to change for unknown reason. For example, changing in settings, setups, place, shortening of deadline, more revisions etc. The professional is ok with that, he can adapt to any changes. He is very flexible and can make the necessary adjustments without complaining. From the very start, he already expected that bad things may happen and he already prepared his mind to unpleasant things that may happen. He never let any changes affect his work, he is ok with any kinds of transition that may occur.
9. Admits mistakes. A real professional is not shy to admit his mistakes, he will not deny it. He knew that admitting his mistakes will make the job even better. He is not that type of person who wants to maintain an image and make people know that he is perfect. Once he made a mistake, he will correct it right away and apologize. He will make changes and will be more careful next time.
10. Not emotional. A real professional is not affected by what other people say. Even if his clients criticize him, he will not feel bad. He will even work harder and make the proper adjustments so the work will standout. He is not sensitive. For him, critics were just part of the job, he uses it as a leverage to produce better results. He also doesn't care if there is someone accidentally got hurt by his actions. If he knew that he didn't mean to hurt anyone or his intentions is for the best of many, then he will not apologize. His heart has no room for dramas, his goal is to get the job done and make it perfect as possible. He doesn't take anything personal, for him a job is just a job and it must be finish regardless of who has been hurt or who has been affected.
11. Understand the budget. A professional gives considerations to clients that has not a lot of money, he is not abusive. He is ok being underpaid for as long as the client is happy and he is enjoying the work. A professional is not all about money, he gives services to everyone that he thinks deserve it. He stays with the budget and not asking for more. He is considerate to people who were not rich and wanting good service that he can provide.
12. Not a crab mentality. A real professional is happy when someone with the same job as he have is also succeeding. He never pull down anyone just to get the job for himself. He even help others if he can, to him success is to be shared to people who are struggling. He even share his knowledge to someone who needs it because he knew that he can also learn from someone. He gives advice seeking for it and he is very true to his words. He is not competing with anyone, he just work and spread professionalism around the world.
13. Not needy. Some people, once they see that their client is happy with their work will ask for a lot of things. They want a special treatment. A real professional doesn't only move because there are perks waiting. He move because he is just happy doing his job. He will still do the job with his very best even if there is no extra bonus that will be given to him. A professional doesn't need a lot. He is very satisfied on what he have, he only makes request if it is really needed for the project.
14. Never crumble in pressure situations. A real professional is always calm, cool and collective. Even if the situation is really hard and the pressure can kill a soft ordinary person... he still believes in himself. He trust his skills, he never panic, he is in the moment. He loves challenges because that is where he thrives. A real professional is cool under fire and always in control even if the stakes were very high.
15. Very appreciative of his job. He never gets sick and tired of his job no matter how many times he does it. His passion never degrades. He loves his job and he is very proud of it. He always knew that life is short so he will give his very best for any single job that he is doing.
