The art of the meal: Proper dining etiquette is serious business on job interviews

When Racheal Culberson attended a seminar on business interviews and dining etiquette last week, it wasn't for the first time.

Before she walked in the door, the 21-year-old Southeast Missouri State University business major already knew where her flatware, napkin and elbows should be at all times.

During a business meeting, she knows to greet her guests with a firm handshake, three pumps only, please. She also knows how to dress on such interviews, which fork to use and the protocol for buttering her bread. (Butter each piece, don't smear the whole thing.)

As she prepares to begin a job search next spring, she also knows how important it is to make a good first impression.

"It could make or break you as a job prospect," she said. "Eating is kind of personal. Decision-makers want to know how you act on a personal level. So nobody wants to look like a slob."

That's why, even though Culberson had already attended one such meeting, she didn't mind when Alpha Kappa Psi, her business fraternity at Southeast Missouri State University, asked its members to attend "Protocol 101: Business Interviews and Dining Etiquette." The seminar, sponsored by Chartwells Dining and Catering, features a presentation during a meal.

This particular seminar's lecturer was Chartwells' marketing director Lydia Dewees, who started off with a stern warning.

"Make sure you turn your cell phones off," Dewees told the 26 students. "Just like in a job interview. If your cell phone rings, I will answer it."

Dewees then spoke for an hour and a half while the group ate -- properly and improperly -- a meal of salad, chicken, pasta, green beans and tea.

She shared advice that she said will help potential employees make a good impression within the first five minutes -- which is their first and last chance to do so.

'It's vital'

The rules, she said, are often forgotten. But they are still relevant.

"Just because you don't know the proper protocol, doesn't mean your interviewer doesn't and doesn't expect it," she said. "It's vital."

Dewees suggested being at least a minute or two early, but not much earlier than that. She said that women should also feel comfortable initiating a handshake. Name tags should be worn on the right side so the other person can see it as they shake hands, she said.

She said no personal items, such as purses, cell phones or pagers should be put on the table. Cell phones, she said again, should be turned off. She recalled a story of someone whose phone rang during the interview and the person answered it.

"They didn't get the job," Dewees said.

The topic of conversation can be almost anything, she said. But don't get too graphic. Avoid talk of recent medical procedures, how animals are raised and racy jokes.

"And of course," she said, "no politics or religion. And no gossip."

To avoid a mess, she said, a napkin should be placed in your lap folded into a triangle, the long edge facing you. This keeps the napkin from falling on the floor, she said.

When ordering your food, don't be too cheap or too expensive. This is telling to the employer. You don't want to appear too high-maintenance or too cheap. Another rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce it, don't order it.

A formal setting might be intimidating at first, but Dewees said forks are to the left, (fork and left both have four letters), and the drink is to the right (drink and right both have five.)

Only drink alcohol if the host does or says it's OK. Still, steer clear of hard liquor and drinks with exotic names. Dewees suggests sticking to bottled beer, with the contents poured into a glass.

Dewees also went over dress etiquette. Men should wear a well-tailored solid gray or navy suit. If the budget doesn't allow that, a navy blazer and gray trousers are acceptable, she said.

For women, it's a bit more complicated. It is estimated that women wearing the most conservative, businesslike dress will be seen as a professional by only 40 percent of the business people she meets for the first time, Dewees said. If she slips on a jacket over the dress, the number of business people who give her more credibility more than doubles.

She also cautioned against dressing too "sexy."

"If someone says you look hot, that's not what you're going for," she said.

Students who attended the seminar made jokes about some of the rules. But as the seminar ended, they said they knew the rules' significance.

"First impressions are real important," said Kathy Maher, a 20-year-old senior who is majoring in accounting. "I learned a lot about what to do with the utensils, the dishes and the cups. We need to know this. Employers will be watching."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137