What Happened to Professionalism?

     I went to a job interview today. During the interview, the manager I met with told me how to dress, what fabric I should wear, how to behave professionally, what to do when I am not going to make it to work, acceptable reasons for missing work, etc. I have been told by potential employers how to dress for the interview, what to bring with me (including a specific number of resumes), how to behave, and that I should make sure I am at least 15 minutes early. Being someone who comes from a professional point of view, I feel annoyed and insulted by potential employers' need to tell me this stuff that I know it is only normal behavior. I would NEVER go to a job interview wearing jeans, flip flops, or other inappropriate attire. I wear office-appropriate clothing, as a minimum standard, to my interviews. I ALWAYS bring extra copies of my resume with me. I make sure I am clean, neat, teeth brushed, not chewing gum, etc.

     Why do employers say this stuff? Because so many people have shown up to interviews wearing flip flops. Or showed up late. Or acted in some other manner that is unprofessional. Employers don't want their time wasted any more than you or I do, so they are going to make sure the people they interview are dressed and acting appropriately. The fact that employers need to do this is a sad reflection on the values that we as a society have today. Is it a sense of entitlement? I think that's part of the problem. Is it that kids just haven't learned how to dress/act? Again, I would have to say that's part of the problem. Many people today expect to be told what to do and wear, and how to act. Parents of this generation apparently did not teach their children how to dress professionally. Or how to act professionally. I think another part of the problem is the lack of accountability. Because employers assume potential employees need to be told how to dress/act, they spell it all out in detail, and don't give the employees-to-be a chance to prove their own professionalism. This assumption takes the burden off of the would-be employee and places it on the employers' shoulders.

     The sense of entitlement that is part of the problem needs to be changed. Today's employees need to take responsibility for their own actions. If you don't know how to dress or what to say, look it up! There is a boatload of advice on the Internet detailing interview components, including: what "business casual" clothing is, how many copies of a resume to bring, what to put on the resume, how early to arrive for the interview, and how to behave during the interview. Would-be employees have to prove their worth, and not wait for employers to tell them. Every business has its own specific culture and way of doing business, but showcasing a core set of standards will help the potential employee stand out and, if enough people act appropriately, business managers will eventually come to realize that the current generation is more professional and does not need to be dictated to before they are even hired.