In the plan for your new career, it’s never too early to begin putting your best foot forward. Workplace professionalism is an essential part of career success. While you’re learning the ropes of your new trade, you can also begin to act professionally.

Here are 5 ways you can practice the skills your employer will demand, while you’re still in school:

Punctuality: Show up on time! This demonstrates to your instructor and classmates that you’re serious about your career success, care about what you’re doing and you’re ready to work. This skill transfers well into the workplace where you’ll want to send your boss and coworkers the same message. Punctuality communicates a positive attitude of professionalism and helps the workplace run more efficiently.

Good Attendance: In school, your grades may suffer from repeated absences. But in the working world, those misses can have a direct impact on your paycheck! According to The Bottom-Line Killer, unscheduled absenteeism costs roughly $3,600 per year for each hourly worker and $2,650 each year for salaried employees. Absenteeism also negatively affects your ability to do your work and can have a huge impact on your company’s productivity and profitability. No-show employees are also a no-go when it comes time for raises and promotions.

Collaboration: Teamwork is imperative to the modern workplace. Few businesses survive if their employees do not know how to work effectively together. Projects you perform in the classrooms, labs and shops during your career training can offer excellent practice for this next stage of your life. The more seriously you take your role as a team member, the more seriously you’ll be taken in school and at work.

Conformity: Learning to respect the rules of your classroom, program and school can transfer to shops, labs and job sites. Many of these rules are vital to your safety and that of your future coworkers and customers. Learning to obey the rules now will help you later, when you’re out on the job.

Problem Solving: Employers like employees who use critical thinking and are resourceful enough to figure things out on their own. Your career training should give you the hands-on skills you need to learn the ropes of your new career. The more experience you get as a student, the more you’ll be able to accomplish as an employee. However, employers also expect their new hires to know when to ask for help. Learning is a lifelong process and the more curious you are, the further you’ll go in your career.

If you’re ready to train for a career at a school that uses hands-on instruction and expects the same professional behavior from you that an employer would, check out the programs at Porter and Chester Institute. We offer a variety of career programs at our nine locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts that might be right for you!