Dine with Style: Etiquette Dinner aims to give students the skills to impress
PROMOTED POST by The Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services
March 2, 2016
Filed under Uncategorized
Etiquette. The word probably conjures images of white tablecloths and tiny, unfamiliar cutlery that you hope won’t cause you to drop saucy food on yourself in front of people you want to impress.
“For me, etiquette is so much more than that,” says Kirsten Winek, UT’s etiquette expert. “It’s making sure other people feel comfortable in professional situations, and making sure your employers feel comfortable putting you in front of other people such as clients or business partners.”
The Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services (CELCS) will bring Winek in to coach students hands-on at the “Dine with Style” Professional Etiquette Dinner April 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. in UT’s Ingman Room. The event is free and open to students who register online. Professional dress is required.
A 3-course meal is for students to learn about etiquette alongside employers and alumni from various industries. Dinner will be followed by dessert and a mini fashion show of proper professional attire, ranging from office casual to business formal.
Shelly Drouillard, director of CELCS, says this has been her most highly-requested event of the year. She’s hoping to give students a real experience with seasoned professionals, since companies expect sophistication from recruits.
“I’m hoping it will spark some interesting conversations by having the employers at the table with the students,” Drouillard says. “I’m anticipating as the fashion show goes on, that employers might say, ‘Now that’s how you come to an interview with our company,” and, ‘You would never wear that.’”
Keep in mind that etiquette isn’t just for business majors.
“It really doesn’t matter what profession you’re in or what you do,” Winek says. “We’re all professional; we’re all business people.”
It’s common nowadays for employers in any occupation to meet applicants over a meal, and there are plenty of other business interactions like company parties or professional development opportunities that make knowledge of dining and dress decorum useful.
Lauren Maleitzke, job location development specialist with Career Services, received etiquette training before a dinner job interview and found it incredibly useful to keeping her wits about her.
“In that moment, you are so nervous and you’re thinking, ‘What do I do? What if I speak with food in my mouth? What if I have lipstick on my napkin? Those were just lessons that eased the process a little bit and I was able to focus on the interaction with the person I was sitting down and eating with,” Maleitzke says.
But it’s not just a matter of knowing the basics. Winek says practicing etiquette hands-on at events like this are crucial to being eloquent while dining.
“My job is to make you feel comfortable enough with how you eat that you don’t have to worry about etiquette,” she said. “It can just come naturally.”
Some of the common questions Winek will answer include where to put your napkin if you need to be excused (crumpled up on the table, not your seat), where to put a bag (under the seat or, if it’s a small clutch, on your lap) and what to do if you don’t like something on your plate (ignore it—you should expect to eat no more than half of your meal if you’re networking).
For more information about the event or The Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services, go to utoledo.edu/success/celcs, call 419-530-4341 or visit the office in Student Union Room 1533.
