Senior Nursing student Caitlin Fry will be entering the workforce soon, and she’s interested in anything that will help land her dream position.
“If you’re trying to impress someone, you can do it in more ways than one, and table etiquette is another way,” she said.
The Career Center planned to offer two Professional Etiquette Dinners Wednesday and Thursday in the Harper Center. Jodie Beach, from The Etiquette Advantage, was scheduled to provide information on topics ranging from dining etiquette, first impressions, networking, proper business attire and strategies for successful client relations, among others.
Beach, who has presented at previous dinners, says the skills she’s teaching are important for graduates entering the workforce and students interviewing for internships.
“Social etiquette and business etiquette are very different things,” she said in a phone interview Monday. “A person needs to know that to be successful in the business world.”
Jeremy Fisher, associate director for the Career Center, helped organize the event and says it’s important for students to attend at least one dinner while at Creighton, and the earlier the better.
“Proper etiquette can play a major role in networking for career opportunities as well as assisting in the ever-important interviewing process, particularly when the job market is tight,” he said. “It will help students increase their self-esteem, enhance their image, develop communication skills, and aid in their career development and success.”
In addition to the Creighton Career Center, the Professional Etiquette Dinners are co-sponsored by Creighton Alumni Relations, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton Students Union, Ratio Studiorum Program and the Anna Tyler Waite Center for Leadership. The dinners are offered every other year and Fisher said they were expecting 50 to 100 students for each of the dinners this past week.
Fry didn’t attend this year’s event because she was scheduled to work, but she said she hopes to attend one before she graduates.
“Things you think are stupid for our age group – chewing gum, networking, dressing professional – employers are definitely on the lookout for that,” she said. “It will come down to appearance and personality. They want to know if you’ll fit into their organization.”
There is a four-course meal served at each dinner, and Beach advises students as they go through the process. The cost is $15 per person, there is a cash bar, and each event usually lasts about two hours. If you couldn’t make the dinners or want a quick refresher, Beach offered these simple etiquette tips for a business dinner.
Remember the basics. Beach only has one rule: don’t let someone go without an introduction. If there is no one there to introduce you, do it yourself, she said.
Know when to talk the talk. She said it’s important to engage in “social chit-chat” before a meal begins. After the order has been taken and the menus are cleared, you can begin to talk business. Before that, “get to know them a little bit, and let them get to know you.”
Avoid hot-button issues. “This would be common sense,” she said. Religion, political convictions and other topics you may be especially passionate about should be avoided during a business meal.
Don’t be a ball-hog. “Think back to when we were kids. There was always a ball-hog,” she said. “That transfers over to conversation.” Beach says to be a conversationalist and to acknowledge others when they are speaking. She also advises silencing your Blackberry or phone and keeping it out of sight.