How to Be More Professional at Work and Make a Good Impression

Ben is a business analyst and software developer. He shares career advice on Lifehack.

Any job you do, even those where you are able to work from a home office, requires being professional, whether it’s through how you dress, how you speak, or how you act. The best way to work is by paying attention to your level of professionalism. It will earn you a great deal of positive interactions with your boss and coworkers.

Being more professional day to day in the office can help you in many ways. You can gain respect from others, and it can help with being promoted. Here are nine tips you can apply to help you be more professional in the office.

1. Consider the Dress Code

There’s usually a dress code set for a workplace. This is different for men and women, and it can be different for each company. To remain a professional person in the office, I would suggest dressing above the dress code. Let me explain what I mean by this.

If a company has a dress code that states employees must at least wear pants and a collared shirt in the office, then I would suggest wearing suit pants and a dress shirt. It meets the criteria, but it’s a little more professional.

You could add to this by even wearing a suit jacket. If the standard is suit pants and a dress shirt, add a tie or a suit jacket. This will make you stand out in a good way, as someone who is professional and respects the company they work for.

If you are a woman and the company you work for suggest a dress or skirt, you can always discuss this with your boss if you prefer to wear dress pants. Most companies will be flexible with this, so don’t be afraid to ask!

2. Work More Than the Minimum Hours

Most offices usually have a minimum working time period. This is the time that you should arrive to work by, and leave work after, at the end of the day. One way to improve your professionalism is to work longer than those hours.

The ability to do this will depend on your commitments outside of work. I’m not suggesting you need to work ten or twelve hour days. Even adding an extra ten or twenty minutes to your day will help others perceive you as more professional and passionate about your job, which is a good thing.

Arriving before the required start time and leaving after the required end time will make it seem like you’re not watching the clock and are actually trying to improve at your job. When you do arrive early or leave late, don’t spend a lot of time sitting idly. Stay productive and focus on important tasks to create an even better impression.

If you’re still not convinced, this article talks about why it makes sense to arrive early when you have the opportunity to do so: 6 Reasons Why it Makes Sense to Arrive Early.

3. Maintain a Professional Attitude

Being professional at work is not just about arriving on time and dressing appropriately. It’s also about how you act. The things you say and actions you take can define how professional you seem at the office. You can act however you like outside the office, but to remain professional at work, it’s a good idea to keep a professional attitude^[1].

This means what you think about and what you say should be considerate of your work environment. Try to refrain from offensive jokes and stories about drinking and partying on the weekend. Keep your focus on work while you’re there, and you’ll be perceived as being more professional.

Also, do your best to avoid talking down to your coworkers. If you feel they could improve or be more professional, try to suggest this in a respectful way or even through a professionally written email.

4. Arrive on Time to Meetings

Meetings at work are common. While they are often boring or seem to be useless, they still exist and can be helpful for team discussions. Meetings are scheduled for a certain time, and, depending on the subject, they can be quite important. Nobody likes to have their time wasted, and one of the biggest time wasters is not being able to start a meeting because people haven’t arrived yet.

When you go to meetings, make an effort to arrive by the scheduled start time. This is to show respect to people you’re meeting with and not to waste time. Take into account any travel time you need, and any time you need to set up in the meeting, such as with phone conferences.

To go the extra mile, arrive four or five minutes early^[2]. It will show your enthusiasm and your level of respect for your coworkers and your boss. It will also give you a moment to get yourself set up for the meeting without disturbing others.

This also applies to online meetings. If an online call is set for 3:00, enter the platform at 2:55. When the boss sees you’re early to arrive, you’ll make a great impression.

5. Separate Personal Time and Work Time

We’ve all got things happening outside of work. It’s part of keeping a healthy work/life balance. However, we should try to limit the impact that they have on our workplace in order to be professional.

Whether this is organizing an event, speaking to friends, or dealing with problems, it’s good to try and keep it separate from your work. It’s not something that other people need to see or hear you doing.

Step away from your desk if you need to make or receive a personal call. Try to limit your personal Internet browsing to lunch times, or leave it until you get home if you can. Try not to get on social media during the day if possible. If you need to print documents for personal use, try to do it at home or somewhere else if possible.

It is more respectful if you’re not wasting company time to do your own things, even if it is only for a short time. Your work space is for work.

6. Consider Your Personal Grooming

A good way to improve your professionalism at work is to be considerate of your personal grooming and how it’s perceived at the office. Regardless of your feelings and thoughts towards grooming, other people may not feel the same way, and there is a generalization or perception about some of these things.

Men should aim to be clean shaven or have a maintained beard. Messy stubble or an untrimmed beard can look unprofessional and lazy. Keeping short hair is a good suggestion, as long hair can also look lazy to other people. For women, some basic make-up and neat hair is usually ok.

More and more workplaces are relaxing standards on things such as hair length, tattoos, etc., but this doesn’t mean you should let your personal grooming go completely. Show your personal style, but do it in a way that recognizes that you know how to be professional at the office.

7. Have a Professional Phone Greeting

How you answer your phone says a lot about your attitude to work. Your greeting is the first thing that people hear when they call you, and you want to make a good impression on them. There are better ways to answer your phone than “Yeah?” or “Hello.”

Try adding your name in there, as well as a greeting. Something like “Hello, Rob speaking” or “Good afternoon, this is Sally” is appropriate, professional, and not too long.

Your outgoing phone greeting should also send a good image. When you call someone, they will greet you, and you should have some kind of greeting back to start the conversation. Starting with a “Hello” and adding a reason for the call is a good place to start.

8. Use an Appropriate Email Signature

We all use email as part of our jobs. It’s an effective form of communication if used correctly. At the bottom of any email you send is your email signature. Setting one up that is effective and professional is a good suggestion.

You should have your name, position, company, and contact details, such as email and phone numbers. This is quite common and standard for a signature.

There are other things you might see on signatures that don’t really belong there, and you shouldn’t use them either. Memorable or funny quotes, images, links to other sites, or advice aren’t necessary, and you don’t need to put anything like that on your signature.

9. Put Your Mobile Phone on Silent

Our phones are with us for most of the day, either in our pockets or on our desk. A good way to be seen as more professional is to have your phone on silent or vibrate mode at work.

You might have what you think is the greatest ringtone in the world, but others may disagree. Ringtones, especially loud ones, can be distracting and even annoying to others. Keeping it on silent or vibrate can make you look more considerate and professional at the office.

If the phone is next to you or in your pocket, turning off the ringtone will still mean you know when the phone is ringing. You can see the screen light up or hear the vibration on the desk. Having a ringtone go off in the office is just another distraction people don’t really need.

Final Thoughts

Paying attention to how professional you are at the office can go a long way in improving the level of respect your coworkers and boss have for you. Doing good work is a great start, and professionalism is the icing on the cake. Be conscientious and considerate; you’ll be amazed how far it gets you.