By: Brittany Kapps
On Monday, eight IUPUI PRSSA members attended a Business Etiquette Luncheon hosted by Anthony Cawdron. The luncheon was designed so students would learn the basics of dining and networking while showcasing their skills to employers, faculty and administrators. During a four-course meal, Cawdron shared his top 10 etiquette rules:
1. Be on time, a little early is fine. Too early shows bad time management skills and puts your hosts/interviewer at a disadvantage.
2. Be courteous to EVERYONE, hold doors, check for those running for an elevator, give up your seat, let someone in an obvious hurry take your place in line … you never know who they might turn out to be.
3. Take as little ‘baggage’ with you, the more you carry the more you’ll have to juggle while shaking hands, touring the facility, and ‘storing’ during lunch. Carry a few essentials and an easy to hold portfolio or briefcase (which can double as a smart executive purse).
4. Be open, friendly, polite, use active listening and speaking techniques, have some good conversation starters and smile!
5. When offered hospitality, accept a minimum, don’t make heavy demands on support staff. When invited to stay longer, adding a lunch or dinner to your day for example, then accept gracefully as long as it still works with your schedule. Be realistic if the timing doesn’t work.
6. At a mean, choose wisely, pick easy to eat familiar foods, nothing too pricey and something that will allow you to be poised, graceful and attentive to your hosts and not buried in your plate.
7. Err on the side of caution when it comes to alcohol, if your host offers a glass of wine with the mean and your comfort level is good, then by all means accept, but never feel pressured.
8. Watch your host for cues on when to begin eating etc. or if you’re unsure of our silverware … remember work from the outside in and break is left while beverage is right. Eat well, and look good doing it!
9. Be gracious in your thanks for a mean, but be prepared to pay your way or offer to step in and assist with the check. If you’re inviting then expect to pay!
10. Follow up promptly with requests for further information and so forth, send a handwritten, timely thank–you note.
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