How Professional Are You?

1. What most closely matches how your colleagues would describe you?

Punctual, detail-oriented, honest, hardworking, pleasant, polite with a high degree of ethics and integrity.an

One of the guys/gals. A real sport and fun to be with and work with.

Annoying, demanding and unpleasant to be around but gets things done.

2. How do you react with an irate, disgruntled client?

I lose them. If I am doing my job right their custom/business is easily replaced and we don’t need the bad vibes and negativity and ill will.

I think the client is always right. I listen to them, try to understand where they are coming from and try to find the best solution for them that is also simultaneously the best solution for us.

I think the client is always right and I am always ready to apologize immediately and take full blame and responsibility for anything that goes wrong and agree with their every grievance.

3. How would you treat your co-workers?

Cordially and with genuine respect. I am able to maintain open, genuinely friendly and very constructive communication channels with them without routinely involving them intimately in my personal life during work hours and without letting my personal relationships with them get in the way of our work priorities.

They are like my family. We work together daily so we know each other intimately and also see each other after work very regularly. We always discuss personal matters in the workplace and resolve them as a team.

I keep them at arm’s length and make it known that I need my space and don’t like to get close to any of them socially or professionally.

4. How would you treat your boss?

I avoid him like the plague; he is not a pleasant person and I see zero value in interacting with him.

I like and respect him and manage him well by listening to him and keeping him informed on a regular proactive basis of what I am up to, what issues I am facing with different projects and how I am dealing with them.

I respect him and only address him when he approaches me first as I know how busy he is.

5. How would you react to criticism from your boss?

I am far too professional and competent to take criticism from my boss well; after all I am more skilled than he is and I don't like or respect him.

I hate criticism and will not tolerate it.

I realise that constructive feedback and criticism is often necessary and part of my learning.

6. What best describes your attitude towards work?

Going to work is a necessary evil; I go every day, put in an honest day’s work and leave as quickly as I can.

My career is important to me. I try to do my job as well as it can be done and better than anybody else and try to improve my own performance every single day.

I do as little as I can get away with for the money I make and am not prepared to put in extra hours or go the extra mile for anyone.

7. What would you do if you think you will not finish a major project in time?

I inform my boss of the problem immediately, propose a few solutions that include working longer and harder and delegating more and listen to his advice before implementing them.

I work longer and harder.

I quit; clearly I am not right for the job nor am I capable of it.

8. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of professionalism:

Kindness

Competency

Complacency

9. Would you compromise ethics and integrity to get ahead in your career?

Of course. All the greats bend the rules.

Only if the boss demanded it.

Never

10. Would you lie to or hide important information from your boss?

Of course. All the time; the less he knows the better.

Only when necessary to advance the bottom line.

Never. I value the trust my boss places in me and realize he/she is ultimately accountable to a considerable degree for all my actions and that my success is also his/her success so I keep them fully in the loop.