Becoming a Professional
Dr. Diane Finley
Diversity 2000 and Beyond
Washington DC
April 2004
What Does Professional Mean?
• Of, relating to, engaged in, or
suitable for a profession:
lawyers, doctors, and other
professional people.
• Conforming to the standards
of a profession: professional
behavior
Professional refers to
• How you present yourself
• Dress, hair, comportment
• How you present your accomplishments
• Vita, transcripts, portfolio
Professional Dress
• Dress is important because it is a silent
introduction to you. First impressions are
primarily nonverbal and dress and hair is a
large component of that impression.
• Professional dress conventions are
governed by the industry being discussed.
• Professional dress projects an image of
confidence and success.
Dress, Hair, Comportment
• Why is this important?
• What does this include?
Do’s and Don’ts of Dress and Hair
• Don’t wear clothes that are soiled, not pressed,
or in bad condition and shoes that are scuffed
and unpolished.
• Don’t wear clothes with messages such as Tshirts and ties.
• Don’t wear heavy makeup or too much cologne.
Be cautious about body piercing beyond one
pair of earrings and tattoos that show.
• Don’t wear ungroomed or extreme hair styles
and colors.
More Don’ts
• Don’t wear clothing too casual for a business
environment, such as T-shirt and jeans, halter
top and Capri pants, skorts, sweat pants, bare
midriffs, etc.
• Don’t wear pants and skirts that are too tight or
too short.
• Be cautious about bare skin (arms and legs),
low-cut blouses, stretch pants, sexy heels and
open sandals and shoes, no hose
Do’s of Professional Dress
• Dark color suits (for women, a knee-length skirt
is safest) in solids or small patterns; colorcoordinated shirts, blouses, shoes, scarves,.
• Men wear socks that match the hem of their
trousers. Women wear natural color hose.
• Shoes, purses and briefcases are well-polished.
Everything should be in perfect condition.
• Jewelry should enhance, not overwhelm.
From http://careerfair.georgetown.edu/wear.html
Websites about Dressing for Success
• http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/user_home
/?view=cooped&page=dress
• http://www1.appstate.edu/~clarkhm/ethics_0
31/student_pres/workforce/dress.htm
• http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/user_home
/?view=cooped&page=dosdonts
• http://www.blackcollegian.com/career/dress2001-2nd.shtml
• http://www.careerservices.swt.edu/Student_
Alumnus/JobSearchManual/How_To_Dress_
For_Interviews.htm
Vita, transcripts, portfolio
• Why do I use a vita instead
of a resume?
• What about a portfolio?
What is a Resume?
• Resume comes from the French word for
summary.
• It is a summary of your educational history,
your work experience and your skills.
• Resumes are usually one page.
• They are used in the business
environment
What is a Vita?
• Vita comes from the Latin word for life.
• In academic environments, the curriculum
vita takes the place of a resume.
• The C.V. or vita is a written record of your
educational life.
• The vita is always longer than one page.
What goes in a vita?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Educational history
Professional positions (teaching/research)
Memberships in professional organizations
Professional activities
Grants
Conference Presentations
Publications
Papers submitted but not published/presented
Technology Skills
Academic References
Cover Letters
• When you send a vita or a resume, you
always include a cover letter.
• The cover letter should be addressed to a
specific person.
• The cover letter should be targeted toward
the job or opportunity. It is NEVER
generic.
• Cover letters should be one page.
Do’s and Don’ts
• Always be sure there are no typographical errors and
that your writing is clear and concise. Every word should
count.
• Make sure the font is readable and spacing is visually
pleasing.
• Use good paper to print it on and use a laser printer.
• Make sure the staple is neat and in the upper left corner.
• Have someone proofread your vita.
• Don’t be creative – the vita should follow conventions.
• Don’t pad the vita by using wide margins, high school
accomplishments or irrelevant items.
• Don’t list irrelevant personal information.
• Keep in mind that this is a living document and you will
add categories are you go along.
Transcripts and Portfolios
• You will get your transcript from your
college. Get an unofficial copy to submit
with your applications. Check it out for any
errors or omissions.
• Portfolios are more detailed presentations
of your experiences. They include sample
papers, syllabi and evaluations.
Advice
• Begin to build your vita – participate in psychology
organizations at school, volunteer in psychology related
organizations.
• Seek out opportunities – conferences, research,
speakers.
• Keep a journal, listing what you have done, where and
who supervised and what you learned that was relevant
to psychology
• Learn to network – the contacts will serve you well.
• Practice writing a vita – do it on a computer since you
will revise it yearly.
• Enjoy the journey!