As students say goodbye to college and enter the business world, they will probably face one of the most dreaded things they can imagine: the business dinner.
On Monday night, Career Services and the Center for Student Leadership and Involvement held a business etiquette dinner in the Faculty Club to introduce student to the concept of the business interview, particularly a dinner meeting.
Students were seated at tables based on their majors and seated with an industry recruiter. This not only offered the students a chance to brushup on their interview skills, it also offered recruiters a look at the next generation of employees.
“There’s never such a thing as a practice interview,” said Michelle Lowery, assistant director of the CLSI.
Lowery warned diners to be on their best behavior for the recruiters.
The dinner featured a crash course in fine dining by Beverly Major, assistant director of Career Services. She said she wanted students to learn how to properly use the place-setting with confidence.
Major offered some tips on business dinner etiquette, from what to do with the napkin when leaving the table, to the proper way to ask for a replacement utensil.
She said it is never, ever appropriate to drink alcohol during an interview, even if the recruiter orders a drink.
When invited to a business dinner, Major said not to be afraid to ask what kind of dress is appropriate for the restaurant. She also suggested calling the restaurant and requesting a menu. Major said this is helpful because it allows you to focus on the recruiter, not the menu.
On the subject of the menu, Major cautioned participants to avoid messy items like pasta or salad. However, a fruit salad is easier to handle than its iceberg counterpart, she said. She suggested something easier to cut and handle, like chicken or fish.
Mary Belleau, associate director of Career Services, spoke to students about interview attire. She said a person can never go wrong with the dark business suit. She suggested ladies wear closed-toed shoes and use jewelry conservatively.
Mark Bounds of the Target retail stores corporation suggested that men’s ties should use a “half windsor” style with a dimple in the knot because it shows good attention to detail.
“We want you to shine,” said Belleau. “We don’t want your clothes to be a distraction to the recruiter.”
Bounds said an experienced recruiter knows within the first 25 to 30 seconds of meeting a prospective employee if they are what the company is looking for.