Today at 4:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center, students will receive a crash course in business dining etiquette. The career center has the event twice each semester for students and is an opportunity for students to prepare themselves for the working world. Willow King Locke, the assistant director of the Career Center, will be the presenter for the evening.
"Almost all interviews involve some sort of a meal whether it's lunch or dinner and I think sometimes it's easy to forget that that's part of the interview process," Locke said.
A presentation on networking, a three-course meal and dining presentation are all included in the program. Tonight's event is the second dinner of the semester. Locke encourages all students to attend the dinner.
Because it is a business etiquette dinner, those in attendance must dress business casual, if not professionally dressed, Locke said.
"If someone has a suit and can wear it, that's wonderful," she said. "You just act differently when you are dressed up versus when you are in jeans and t-shirt. I think you carry yourself differently, you project yourself with more confidence and it lends itself to a more real-world practice."
Ball State Alumnus and employee of the London Witte Group, Chad Riethmiller, said that a business etiquette dinner is beneficial for students. He also said that since older employees are likely to make the hiring decisions, it is very important to know how to act.
"Our partners are 65 years old and they're old school. They want to see you wearing a suit and nice clothes," Riethmiller said. "They know all about the etiquette so they look for it moreso than we do today. They make the decisions in hiring."
At the dinner, students will not only learn which fork to use first and what topics can be discussed at the table; some unique tips are also included.
"If you get something in your mouth that you can't swallow, it has to go out the same way it came in," Locke said. "If you put it in your mouth with a fork, it has to go out with a fork, which is kind of weird. You don't spit it into your napkin."
Junior public relations and advertising major Katie Ingerson signed up for the last dinner because she recognized how important it could be for her future.
"I attended because I'm a junior so I'm looking for an internship and pretty soon I will be entering the professional world and with the different organizations I'm involved with, I think it's very important to know how to present yourself in a public setting," she said. "This was very helpful for me. I knew I would be getting into this setting sometime in the future."
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