Response: Discussion on professionalism

At the staff meeting for VOX Magazine this week, we had a long discussion about professionalism.  At the beginning of the talk, I was expecting the same advice I have gotten since I started at the J-school, with the usual: set up you voice mail, don't work for other publications, etc.  However, when professor Jennifer Rowe started citing some specific examples of things not to do, I realized I am not quite the expert on professionalism that I like to think I am.  I have made many of the mistakes mentioned in the discussion. 

Lots of people laughed at the examples provided, but some of them really resonated with me.  I definitely need to work on being more formal in my email correspondence.  And Jen Rowe's point about making sure the subject line of emails is appropriate and descriptive is so important.  I am really bad about writing subject lines that have nothing to do with the content of the email, which can make it difficult for people to sort.  I also found Rowe's point about never leaving people with seniority waiting for a response to an email.  This makes so much sense it seemed like it almost did not need to be clarified, but having it spelled out for us made me realize I have made this mistake more often than I care to admit.  I think this is a necessary rule to adhere to.  Even if it is a two-word response like Rowe suggested, you can't leave people waiting for a response.  I think the same standard should go for peers as well.  With people who need something from you, I can see a little more flexibility, but with people at the same level and above, I agree that you should never leave them waiting for a response.  

I am glad we talked about this issue in the staff meeting.  I like to think professionalism has always been one of my strong suites, but I am still learning new things daily.  While discussions on professionalism seem so common at the J-school, I found this particular one hit home a little harder than usual.  It made me more aware of the way I am presenting myself to the world, and while things like social media seem to be making everyone a little more casual towards each other that doesn't mean I have to be.