The other day, I walked into one of those big-box department stores that specializes in electronics and computers. I needed an adapter cord to hook an old phone up to my computer to download photos of my sons that were still on there. I had an experience that is like too many encounters happening in the professional world today.

When I walked in, a young guy of around 20, with his hair unwashed and shirt untucked and nametag pinned diagonally to his shirt, greeted me. I wasn’t sure if I should go to the phone department or accessories department to find the cord. The door watcher didn’t know either and urged me to “toss a coin” which department I should visit first.

The phone was old, but not like Blackberry old. I’d guess five or six years. The person behind the counter near the smartphones couldn’t recognize the style of phone and neither could his manager, who also didn’t care. When the worker suggested I go to the phone store, the manager nodded. I asked about their accessories department.

“Oh yeah, that’s probably a better first choice,” said the manager.

After 15 minutes of waiting for somebody to help me because I couldn’t locate the adapter, I was told if I couldn’t find it, they didn’t have it and that wasn’t the kind of thing that they would locate and ship from another store.

What did I think during that half-hour I will never get back?

• The company is OK putting someone unpresentable at the door. If you can’t bother to wash your hair before work, you shouldn’t be greeting customers. And you shouldn’t be at the front if you can’t tell me where things are. You shouldn’t even want to be there.

•  The people who should be able to identify a phone, or at least know how to access the resources to discover the model of the phone, were not to be found on staff. Instead, they have a worker who urges me to shop elsewhere.

• There were no associates looking to help customers. In the 15 minutes I waited for someone to find me – after already being in the store 15 minutes at the phone counter – I could have gone to a similar store in the strip mall across the street and been served.

• A worker told me that if I can’t find it, they don’t have it, almost suggesting I had more knowledge of working there than they did. Do they have any elsewhere? It doesn’t matter because they won’t check, which most other stores do.

I left the store knowing if I can help it, I’m never returning. It’s not that they didn’t have the adapter cord. It’s that they made me feel uncomfortable in multiple ways. No client or customer should ever feel awkward. It comes down to one word:

Professionalism

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to write more about this, but for now, I want you to reflect on the times that you’ve been met with unprofessional service. It’s not just in retail either. Maybe your doctor made an inappropriate joke. Your sanitation work may have just tossed your trash can into your driveway or your child’s teacher wore clothes to teach that were too risqué. 

These are all levels of unprofessionalism you may encounter.

Also, think about your employment history. Are there times you’ve been less than professional? Do you have a bad habit that makes you unprofessional every day?

Professionalism isn’t the service. It isn’t the product. But it is what most people walk away remembering.

If you’ve been considering talking to a career development coach but feel like you may be seen as a black sheep or stick out like a sore thumb, I promise you that you’re losing valuable time. There’s a proper track and a place for you out there. The real question is if you want it enough to talk to somebody like me who knows how to help.

But before you talk to me, prove it to yourself. Check out ArnelDuvet.com and take the career satisfaction quiz. Don’t tell yourself you’re just having yet another bad day. Maybe it’s time to consider making a change. Take this quiz and we’ll calculate your score and let you know if you’re satisfied where you are or if it’s time to follow your destiny.