Food for Thought at the Interview Meal
By: Sid Kirchheimer Source: Date Posted:
That’s what can happen, says etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore, to job candidates who display improper table manners during a business meal. Whitmore, author of Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work and founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach, offers these pointers for the protocol-challenged:
Patience at the venue. Wait for your host to sit down before you do. Wait for him or her to remove his or her napkin and begin eating before you do likewise.
Hold your horses. Don’t initiate any business-related conversation until everyone present has ordered.
Ban the wolf. "Don’t go to a business meal hungry. You’re there to talk and listen.” So order a smaller entree—something that requires utensils. (Sandwiches may be cut into quarters and eaten with the fingers.)
I’ll have the cheap skate. Never order the most expensive item on the menu. It implies you’re wasteful with money.
Too much info. Don’t mention that you’re following a special diet. Instead, simply order food that conforms to your eating regimen as much as possible and “eat around what you’re served.”
KYMS. Don’t chew with your mouth open may seem to be an obvious dining decree, but Whitmore reports that it’s the pet peeve among CEOs she has surveyed. Other decorum-busters cited by executives include eating too quickly and speaking while chewing.
The Beemer mnemonic. Utensils are used from the outside in. Your bread dish is to your left, your glasses to your right. If you need a reminder, recite the initials “BMW”: B for bread (on your left), M for meal (in the middle), and W for water (on your right).
Teetotality. Never drink alcohol in the course of a mealtime job interview, even if your host is imbibing.
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