Health and Human Services Professional Development

Doing Professionalism Author: Jill Bowers Video of professionals on, “What is professionalism?” https://youtu.be/O3BG_47ZV8E According to these professionals, being a professional means having an understanding of what is expected of you in your field and having the skills, competencies or qualities that allow you to meet or exceed expectations of those who you are working for or with. We interviewed a few professionals in various fields and asked them to define professionalism and their advice for acting the part. Here are 15 tips that summarize professionals’ responses: • Be able to demonstrate your knowledge and articulate it • Know how to dress and use the language you are supposed to use for the industry you are applying or will be working in; be able to look like you belong in that industry • Follow through; do what you say you will • Know and understand the expectations for formality (how you address professors, employers, colleagues, or those...

What are Social Skills? by   Jill Bowers   on   June 3, 2013 Social skills involve picking up on social cues, interpreting the behavior of others, and interacting with others in positive ways.  Examples of social skills may include self-confidence, problem-solving, being flexible and adaptable, displaying empathy, dealing with conflict, smiling, being polite, showing interest, actively listening, and many more. Necessary social skills can vary based on the social norms of a given culture or setting. Some social skills may be innate, but many can be learned. As Daniel Goleman noted in his book,  Social Intelligence , a crucial component to acting wisely in relationships is to develop an understanding of how our moods or reactions are influenced by our interactions (past and present) with others and equally important, how our actions, words, and nonverbal behaviors make others feel and react to us. Example of good social skills: Maintaining eye contact ...

What Do You Wish You Knew Before College? by   Mikki Sherwood   on   February 9, 2014 What do you wish you knew before you went to college? Do you have any hints for those starting an academic journey? Hannah Flom writes of the 14 things she wished she had known before college. I think her list is fun; you can go over to  Thought Catalo g to read the entire post. Some of her thoughts: • Making real friends takes time • It is hard to be away from home • Go to your professors’ office hours • Transferring schools is not the end of the world • College is a time for mistakes I especially like the fact that she allows for mistakes to be made. College is about trying new experiences. Some of those experiments are going to go very well, some….not so much. But, if you are afraid to try something new, and afraid of possible failure, you will miss so many opportunities. *Originally posted on the Career Skillet website (Permission granted by Jill Bowers).