Does the concept of professionalism apply to the creative industries?

 What is professionalism?

To understand wither or not the concept of professionalism applies in the creative industries, more specifically in the website design and development industry we first have to understand what professionalism is. Then we can figure out wither or not it applies in the industry.

So what do we mean by the concept of professionalism?

To understand the concept of professionalism we first have to understand the concept of what a professional is. A professional is someone who has spent a lot of time honing their skills in a specific trade or area of knowledge making them specialist in their respective field, this means that the job they perform requires the individual to have a certain set of skills and/or qualifications to carry out their tasks. This also means that certain standards and expectations will be expected not only in their skills but in the way that they conduct themselves alongside this they are expected to adhere to codes of conduct, and on occasion also expected to dress and act in a professional manner according to their own policies.

What are the Pillars of professionalism?

 Pillars of professionalism are the standards that professionals are expected to uphold. Some examples of the different pillars are.

• Respect – Being respectful is important for any professional, this means being courteous kind and polite to individuals, and to listen and never speak over them. Not being respectful can cause unwanted tension and the potential loss of new and current clients

• Accountability – Accountability is taking ownership of the tasks and/or issues at hand, and to accept responsibility for doing any related work. Not taking accountability can lose the trust of colleagues and clients and in turn damage yours and the companies reputation

• Initiative – Taking the initiative shows that you will get tasks done without much support, looking for opportunities to complete them more efficiently and researching information to help you with this. Not taking the initiative will not look well for clients, as it will show you reacting instead of acting.

• Integrity – Integrity is especially important for any professional, it shows clients and colleagues that you have respectable work ethics, honest, dependable, and loyal, as without these traits it will show colleagues and clients that you are not trustworthy, and will not uphold core principles of the company

• Commitment – Commitment is showing your desire to continue in your chosen profession, and to show a passion and sense of responsibility towards it This will inspire colleagues and encourage clients as you showcase your loyalty and responsibility towards your profession

For more information about what a professional is and the Pillars of professionalism Click Here 

What are professional codes of conduct?

Professional codes of conduct are documents that outline how professionals are expected to conduct themselves, these documents are written by every company so different companies may have slightly different codes of conduct set out for their employees to follow. Codes of conduct will include information on the values principles standards of practice and will also include information on what disciplinary actions will be taken if the employee doesn’t uphold these codes if conduct. For a more detailed explanation on codes of conduct and what they contain Click Here.

Why does professionalism matter in the creative industries?

The pillars of professionalism apply in every industry and should be upheld regardless of what your profession is however there are some areas that are more important to uphold being a website designer / developer. Accountability and time keeping are especially important in the Website design/ development industry as if the area of the project that you are responsible for is not completed in time it affects your entire team and the client, this will make the finished project take longer to complete and can cause a lot of financial loss for both your company and your client. Another thing that is especially important for this industry is ensuring that you are up to date with the latest versions of the code and programs that you are working with as they are constantly updating and evolving so you have to ensure that you evolve with them to keep creating the best content that you can possibly make. 

Respect towards your employer, peers, and clients – why is this important?

Respect is the most important of the pillars of professionalism especially for website development as a lot of clients will come to you from referrals from previous clients, so if you’re disrespectful to your fellow employees, clients or employers the chances of you being trusted to take on more clients will be very slim. If you are respectful to everyone your employer will entrust you with more important jobs, will trust you to work alone and allow you take on more clients. This let’s you build up a higher client base and allows you to demonstrate your skills more often letting you improve your portfolio which in turn can help you and your employer get more clients.