Dinner Interview Etiquette 101

Last week, our class was required to attend Westminster College's annual, "Dine 'n Shine," hosted by the school's Career Center. This dinner and presentation for senior students gave us some tips on how to conduct ourselves during a job interview over a meal, whether it's dinner, drinks, lunch, etc.

During the event, we enjoyed a delicious meal, while also listening to Dr. Cary Wecht Horvath, assistant professor and chair of the Communication Department at Youngstown State University and former Westminster professor. I never realized how many second or follow-up interviews are conducted during some type of meal. According to Horvath, 80 percent of all second interviews happen at the dinner table.

This kind of scared me...it adds so much extra pressure and so much else you have to worry about when trying to impress a company. However, I got plenty of advice on what to do and what not to do during a dinner interview.

While many of the tips seemed like common sense, one thing I didn't realize was never ask for a "doggie bag." I don't like wasting food, but Horvath said that by taking back leftovers, it makes you look gluttonous...just like ordering too much food. I normally don't order a whole lot of food to begin with when I go out to restaurants, but Horvath even suggested eating a little before you go to an interview over a meal, so that way you can focus more on the interview itself, instead of what you want to eat.

Also, she suggested, it's not a good idea taking awhile to figure out what you want to eat...that makes you look indecisive as a person, and companies want employees that make good, but quick decisions. This is especially true in the broadcasting business.

However, I think the most important valuable information I took away from the night was when the Career Center put on their talent show to demonstrate the difference between business casual and business professional...as well as which was appropriate for each particular setting.

I guess I just didn't think there was that much of a difference; but by watching the show, I learned that business casual is a more relaxed look, often appropriate to wear to work, while business professional is more conservative and clean-cut looking, more appropriate for an actual interview or a special presentation. For example, a business casual look for women may be black dressy pants or a skirt with a nice blouse or sweater, while business professional would be more like a suit pant set that is bought together.

Horvath also stressed that you should dress to fit your company...if they tend to be more casual, you don't want to overdress for the environment, but being too under-dressed is also not a good idea. Overall, this experience was rewarding, and I will definitely take this advice with me when I graduate and continue my job search!