News Highlights

Career Development Center explains basics of job-seeking etiquette

Dining, dressing for success

Deenna Latus tells student job-seekers how to dine, dress for success.

2008-11-26
By Sara Gilbert Frederick, Special to The Free Press [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 11/18/2008]

Photo by Pat Christman

Etiquette consultant Deenna Latus demonstrates how to properly hold a fork and knife while cutting food.

 

No one took a bite until Deenna Latus said it was OK.

Latus' magic words came as the salads were being served to more than 60 Minnesota State University students sitting around tables in the Centennial Student Union ballroom.

"You start with the fork farthest to the left," she said. "That's the salad fork."

Latus, the assistant director of the Career Development Center at MSU, already had explained how to tell which silverware and plates belonged to each person at the table: Make a "d" with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, she instructed the students, and a "b" with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. The d, she explained, is for drinks, and the b for bread.

"So if you're already drinking out of the glass on your left," she said, "I'm sorry, but that's your neighbor's water."

Such levity was a hallmark of the Etiquette Dinners hosted this month by the College of Business and presented by Latus, a certified etiquette consultant. The College of Business presents a pair of dinners twice each year — once in the fall and again in the spring. The goal, Latus said, is for students from all majors to learn basic etiquette and to gain confidence in professional settings where food may be served.

"I'm not preparing you for a 10-course meal at the White House here," she joked at the meal. "This will give you the basics and hopefully make you more comfortable in a formal setting."

The basics covered everything from buttering your bread (break off chunks and butter each bite) to sipping soup from the side of the spoon. "If it's hot, just wait — never blow."

Going over even elementary elements is important, Latus said, because society has changed so much over the years.

"Many of these current students grew up in a fast-food society. They have always been so busy, running between so many activities, and some of these things just haven't been discussed yet. And even if it has, this will be a good reminder for them."

In her work with the Career Development Office, Latus often has heard from employers that they want to have confidence in the social skills of the students they hire.

"I hear them say that they aren't sure if these young graduates are ready to be out there with clients," she said. "People haven't been as exposed to basic etiquette, but it does still matter."

It mattered to the students at the training dinner. Many nervously passed salad dressings and sour cream (always to the right) and asked questions about where to tuck sugar packets (under the lip of the saucer) or what to do with buttery knives (lay them across the top of the bread plate, blade side in).

Latus answered every query that came up. "I'm always impressed by how many questions they ask and how comfortable they are asking me these things," she said. "I'm glad that they do because who else are they going to ask? Their boss? I want them to know this information before they get into a situation where they need it."

That's exactly why Angela Knepprath paid the $10 ticket price for the four-course meal. A freshman planning to go into business, Knepprath decided to start preparing for professional situations now.

"I want to be prepared for whatever comes about," she said. "There was a lot that I thought I knew, but this helped. I feel much more confident than I did before."

Knepprath especially appreciated the business attire discussion that Latus offered during dessert. Besides reminding the men to invest in dark socks and the women to wear hosiery, she also gave ideas about basic pieces to look for and how to put interview outfits together.

"The clothing part was very helpful," Knepprath said. "She talked about a lot of stuff that I didn't know."

It wasn't just business students who attended the dinner, though. Latus said students from several majors, including sports management, social work, information technology and mass communications, bought tickets. One automotive engineering technology professor even required all of his senior students to attend.

"It matters across the board," Latus said. "Almost everyone will be in a situation where they need to know basic etiquette. That's what we want to give them here."

Deenna Latus' timeless tips:

• Avoid finger foods or messy meals. "Why order ribs when you're at a business function?" said Deenna Latus, a certified etiquette consultant. "Avoid anything that might make a mess and draw attention to you."
• Resist the temptation to put ketchup or other condiments on everything. "Fries are fine," Latus said. "But don't put it on everything else."
• Silence cell phones and pagers. "It's never OK to take a call at the table," she said. "If you know you have an important call coming, tell your host in advance, set your phone to vibrate and then excuse yourself to take the call."
• Use your utensils — particularly the fork. "If you can eat it with a fork, I would suggest doing so," Latus said. "Maybe not a cheeseburger, but probably the french fries."
• Order something you know you like. "An interview or business meeting is not the time to experiment," Latus said.

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