Etiquette Tip of the Week: Dude, Where’s My Salad?

We are so used to having a salad before our entrée, but in a formal dinner the salad comes after the main entrée. Since you start with the utensils on the outside and work your way in, the salad fork in a formal dinner is closest to the plate.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Interview Questions: What Are Your Personal Strengths?

Personal strengths, self-management skills, transferrable skills – it’s all getting at the same thing. In addition to possessing the technical skills for the position, you need to have the skills required to show up, do the job, and get along with others. These are the skills that make you a good employee no matter where you work. Can you think of any skills or qualities that have been noted by your current or previous supervisors? Are there skills or techniques that you have utilized to produce quality work for your course assignments? Use short examples to help demonstrate your skills in these areas. As always, think about the type of work you will be doing and how your personal strengths will be an asset in that work.

DON’T DO DUMB STUFF

You remember when you were little and you would do something that mom, dad or grandma thought was inappropriate. They would call you on it. For me I can still hear my Mom saying “Steven (it was Steven back then), don’t eat with your fingers”, “Steven, tuck in your shirt”, “Steven, don’t use that word, it’s not nice” and on and on. Some of those reminders stuck with me and others didn’t. No, I don’t eat with my hands (well maybe French Fries) anymore and I do know when it’s appropriate to dress up and tuck in my shirt tails. The occasional off color word does slip from my lips when I want to emphasize a point but never in public. These rules for life become part of your makeup, your personality. They define you in many ways. What are yours?

Let’s take it to the next level. Bring it to today and apply the same guidelines. You are now in college and more mature than you were in your formative years. As each semester passes you are closer to graduating from ISU and eventually you will be seeking your first job or going on to grad school. There will be ample times and situations where you hope that all those manners and “good behaviors” kick in. Where you say the right thing in the right way to make your point, where you are dressed appropriately for the situation, where you are confident in your ability to make your point and hopefully impress an interviewer and an employer. Well what we hear from employers is that there are a bunch of students whose instincts betray them just when they need them to kick in. Maybe it’s nerves. And maybe it’s not reading the signals the right way. Whatever it is it can make things difficult. Be sure you make that mental transition to the career world where you are being held accountable for everything you do, where someone is paying you a salary to perform. I heard one of the employers say “just tell students not to do dumb stuff”.
Here are some true life examples of inappropriate behavior during the all important first few months on the job.
• An employee fell asleep at a day-long training program during the first week on the job. His supervisor was the person doing the training.
• A new recruit was sighted texting extensively at their desk.
• Inappropriate dress seems to be a big one: one person was called into her/his bosses office for wearing flip-flops to work; another was wearing a visible thong; yet another was sent home for wearing low cut “hip hugger” pants and revealing to much stomach; other were sighted for wearing shirts with “messages” on the front (favorite saying; music groups, political preference, etc.) Employers expect you to wear clothing that reflects their work environment, that doesn’t draw attention to you, which does not offend customers or the public. Use common sense when dressing for casual Friday or blue jean day.
• A new recruit was seen repeatedly monitoring their Facebook account during work time
• Many stories were relayed of new employees coming in late to work in a very unconcerned manner. It’s true that some work environments have very relaxed policies but make sure you know your employers expectations.
• Many new employees found it perfectly acceptable to surf the net on work time. NOT!
Well by now you get the point. “Don’t do dumb stuff” at work. Remember there is only one time to make a good first impression and that first impression will stick with you like fly paper, good and bad. You don’t want to be the organizations joke of the week. If any of these stories hits you to close to home or is a concern let me suggest that you see a professional career coach in your Career Services office on campus, take a mock interview, register for LAS 201or Bus Ad 301:Professional Employment Preparation, sign up for an Etiquette Dinner or any of the other similar workshops and programs run by clubs, student orgs, fraternities and sororities on campus and in the community that will assist you in getting off on the right foot during that critical first year on the job. But the best way to “get your act together” is spend a moment and let your mind drift back to your childhood and listen to those words of wisdom from mom. “Steven, clean your fingernails and polish your shoes, you look a mess”.

Etiquette Tip of the Week: The Switch

When you are at a networking event or a cocktail party, hold your drink in your left hand so your right hand is free to shake hands.

If your beverage is in your right hand and you suddenly have to switch it to your left to shake a person’s hand, then your hand will be cold, wet and clammy from the beverage glass. A cold, wet and clammy handshake does not leave a good impression.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Interview Questions: What Two or Three Accomplishments Have Given You the Most Satisfaction? Why?

Highlight accomplishments that can help you demonstrate the skills needed for the position for which you are interviewing. These could be from the classroom, internships, work experience, volunteer work and so forth. Describe the situation or task, the actions you took and skills utilized then the results you achieved. Give thought to potential red flags. For instance, you became a single parent shortly after high school but still completed college. This is an accomplishment to be proud of however it could lead to a concern about attendance due to issues that might arise with your child’s care. Try to stick to professional or educational accomplishments that do not overlap your personal life.

Etiquette Tip of the Week: Death by Breath

In the event of bad breath, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling… if only. When your breath stinks, it’s hard to do business.

Remedy garlic breath or bad breath during a business meal by chewing on parsley, drinking lemonade or taking advantage of the restaurant’s after dinner mints. Chewing on coffee beans is a quick fix, although this might be followed later by coffee breath. Chewing gum is unprofessional, unless you are a football coach.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

What is this LAS 201 career class all about?

It started off as just another e-mail.  Just one of those e-mails I get from different organizations and departments on campus telling me about events, courses and other opportunities…those e-mails I usually don’t have time to care about.  This particular e-mail though I did care about.  I wanted to know more about LAS 201 and how it might prepare me for my future.

The e-mail about LAS 201 told me I would learn to develop my resume, write a cover letter, learn job searching skills, learn how to dress for success and have the opportunity to attend an etiquette dinner and an employer panel.  As I registered for classes in the spring and thought about how I still didn’t have an internship lined up for the summer, I decided why not? I had already developed a resume and sent off some cover letters, but thought this class could only benefit me.

And oh how it did! I perfected my resume and learned how to create several different ones to use when applying to different types of jobs.  I also learned how to write a cover letter to fit each specific job I was applying for.  I think my favorite part of the class was participating in the etiquette dinner.  I had a great time with the other students and an employer learning all the dos and don’ts of dining in a professional environment.  Although I realized I still had a lot of practice ahead of me (especially when eating soup), I felt much better about the idea of dining with employers.

Also, it was very beneficial to learn more about ISU CMS.  I had only been on there a couple times to look at companies coming to the career fair, but I finally learned how to use it to search for jobs and apply to jobs. After months of searching and applying for internships, I came across the perfect one on ISU CMS and applied.  Within a week, I had interviewed for this internship and got the job.  My summer internship was one of the best experiences of my life and I am so glad I found out about it on ISU CMS.

I can’t say enough about this class.  It taught me so much about the professional world that I never would have learned in any other class or from my parents.  These skills are not only important when looking for a job, they are vital. Without this class, I also would have never found out about the opportunity to work as a public relations intern at Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Services.  I wanted to apply for this job so I could help other students become aware of Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Services and reap all the benefits I have been able to reap.  So if you’re hesitant about taking this class, don’t be! It’s a great experience and you’ll learn more than you ever expected to.

Interview Questions: What Would Your Last Boss Say About Your Work Performance

Most of us have experienced a variety of managerial styles and personalities. Sometimes we have a good fit and our supervisor recognizes and utilizes our strengths, other times well…let’s just say the fit is not so good. Here are a couple of possible answers depending on that experience.

“All of my supervisors have complimented me on my enthusiasm and willingness to learn. In my current position, my boss asked me to take on some additional duties and research and organize a career workshop for the College. She was very pleased with the event.”

“My last boss was unhappy with my attendance, I realized I was late more often than I thought so I have made this a priority and implemented some organizational techniques, I can honestly say that I haven’t been late to any of my classes (or work) since then.”

Etiquette Tip of the Week: Superinfo Highway Rage

If someone sends you an incendiary or insulting email, do not respond immediately. Do not dwell on it. Do not read it over and over, which will just make you angrier. If you can, let it sit for a few hours or even overnight. If the one who sent it is sitting on top of his/her computer waiting for a response, this will drain some of the steam out of that person like a bag of microwave vegetables.

When you do respond, respond in a calm and professional manner. Avoid arguments over email and especially “Reply to all” arguments.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Interview Questions: Why Do You Want to Work Here

Don’t bring up salary or how this position benefits you. The hiring manager or team is evaluating your skills and “fit” for the organization and is primarily concerned with how you will contribute to the team. They are not interested in knowing their flexible work schedule helps you accomodate your passion for surfing or their continuing education benefit will be accessed immediately so you can go to graduate school.

Demonstrate your research and build the employer’s ego by discussing something positive you learned. “While completing my internship here, I was impressed by the working environment and loyalty of your employees.” “I’m very proactive in supporting clean environment initiatives and I was impressed by a project or demonstrated commitment.” “Your work in research directly corresponds to the research I have been conducting throughout my graduate work.”