Does professionalism apply to creative industries and to web development within the creative industry? Yes, of course it does. As with any other industry, professionalism and codes of conduct have a big part to play in the work place. Most of them are self-explanatory and most people do them without realising as it is a necessity in life. I’ll take a look in better detail below for some of the traits of professionalism that apply to web development, all traits link with each other in some way or another.
Appearance
Every company has a dress code of some sorts and dressing appropriately to meet this dress code is being professional within that company. This can go from day to day business at the office or dressing to meet clients. My prior job within web development was to wear trousers, shirt and tie due to the nature of the business location and the fact there was always meetings with potential clients. My current job allows me to wear what I like so I tend to lean with comfort and wear joggies or jeans and a t-shirt. I am not sure which I am most comfortable in, likely the wear what I like role, but the formal attire does make you feel smarter as you are dressed smarter.
The dress code will of course vary from place to place each being different, but it is important to dress and adhere to the company’s policy of dress code. Most place within web development and the creative industries allow a laid-back approach to appearance and allow jeans and a t-shirt or casual shirt. This may change depending on the client you are meeting with where it may then become more formal but most clients that I have met are usually wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
This also extends to good personal hygiene and grooming. No-one wants to sit next to someone who smells like they have sprayed their entire bottle of perfume over themselves or someone that doesn’t know what soap is. It is everyone’s responsibility to look the part and smell good.
Reliability
This includes turning up for work on time as well as meeting deadlines day to day and setting expectations then meeting the expectations that you have set. Attendance and turning up for work on time is always a good start. If required to turn up early for a meeting then do so, nothing worse than stumbling into the middle of a meeting running late and being ill-prepared for your presentation as a result. Not only does this look negatively for the company you represent but it sets the wrong tone from the start with the client which may factor into you being rejected for your proposed project. Deadlines is a massive part of our industry, setting expectations to complete a project by x time, following up and completing within that time frame. As a professional, you are expected to finish your work on time and meet deadlines. This can be stressful, but you can ask for help meeting the deadline if there are issues within the project, a project never seems to flow as simple as you think it will anyways. Normally time is budgeted for issue that may arise. If you are going to be late or are going to miss a deadline – Set the expectation. This happens from time to time and will happen to everyone. If you set the expectation with the client that you will be delayed by x time, they might not be happy about it but at least they know about it in advanced. This is the same for being late, set the expectation, it happens. If it is not a common occurrence this should not be a problem.
Communication
Any letters or emails sent should be precise and to the point. Tone should be formal and polite, includes P’s and Q’s. Be aware of your surroundings if speaking informally with a friend or colleague. Sometimes the job will entail answering or making phone calls as well as face to face meetings. Smiling helps a lot whilst speaking and even on the phone. People can tell even though they can’t see you. It’s normally the small things, the attention to detail that people pick up on. Communication is a soft skill and this industry is mainly about working as a team so can’t get far without executing this skill (this includes freelancing). Communication is a massive part of this industry as without it there is no business. Not every client is peachy and nice, some are rude and even belligerent. It is important to speak with them the exact same as everyone else and keep yourself composed and professional.
Accountability
This one is very simple yet from experience a lot of people shy away from being accountable for their actions. If you do something, own it. Take responsibility for your own actions and if you make a mistake, own it and fix it as soon as possible. If you can’t fix it, ask for help. Learn from your mistake and don’t make it again. I have found this needs to be implemented within the company, if it is not then someone normally will get dumped with constant project fixes. Within web development the easiest way to hold each person accountable is to setup a login for everyone that works on the project for the website. So, any changes made can be tracked this way. However, this does take time to setup and is normally much easier to work as a team and admit to your own mistakes when they are made.
As shown above, professionalism in the creative industry does apply. I’m a massive fan of treating someone/something as you wish to be treated. This can be applied to all traits above. Overall, professionalism concept will differ from company to company within the creative industries. I believe however that professionalism is used in all aspects of life and not just within creative industries.
