Intl. Business Management Masters

Original post from www.bestcollegesonline.com

It’s not always easy to transition from the college campus to a professional environment. There’s a whole new culture to embrace, rules to follow, and etiquette to learn, and if you don’t follow protocol, you might end up in an embarrassing situation. To avoid drawing unwanted attention to yourself, check out these tips that will help you navigate the new waters of life outside of college, whether you’re looking for a job, or adapting to an office environment.

Job Seeking

Professional etiquette begins before you even have a job. Follow these tips to make sure you’re polite and make a good impression.

1. Avoid casual words: “Dude” and “gonna” are words that don’t belong in your interview, as they don’t present you as a professional.
2. Don’t forget the thank you note: In a CareerBuilder survey, 22% of employers reported they would not bother hiring someone who didn’t send a thank you note after the interview.
3. Nix email blasts: Don’t email blast every job listing that’s available in your field. Instead, carefully research companies and make a strategic approach.
4. Don’t forget grammar and spell check: Pay attention to grammar, and use spell check to make sure you’re projecting a professional image.
5. Respond to job offers: It’s hard to imagine anyone turning down a job these days, but if you find that you’re not a right fit for a position, be sure to actually let the company know you can’t take it.

Office Behavior

Campus life is not the same as office life. Follow these tips to make sure you’re on your best behavior in the office.

1. Be on time: Whether you’re going to work or a meeting, make sure you’re punctual to show others that you take their time seriously.
2. Listen to music discreetly: It may have been fine to walk around campus with your headphones turned up, but that doesn’t fly in an office when others are trying to work. Keep the noise level to a minimum.
3. Pass along credit: It’s tempting to take all the credit for a job well done, but avoid the temptation and be sure to point out the accomplishments of others. You’ll look better to your coworkers and your boss.
4. Be neat in the kitchen: Be careful not to leave spills or old food lying around in the kitchen for others to clean up.
5. Ask before borrowing: If you really need to borrow your neighbor’s stapler or other item, don’t just snatch it. Remember to ask first, and actually bring it back.
6. Pay attention when someone enters your work space: Instead of continuing to look at your computer, stop and give that person your undivided attention.
7. Don’t butt in on conversations you overhear: When working in close quarters like cubicles, be careful not to always chime in on personal conversations you may overhear.
8. Eat your lunch away from your desk: Avoid strong odors and desk germs by eating lunch in the break room or kitchen instead of your desk.

Communication

Whether you’re emailing or on the phone, communication is important. Politeness in communication is even more important, so read on.

1. Double check your emails: Use spell check and read over what you’ve written to make sure you’re saying what you mean without typos.
2. Avoid personal calls during business meetings: Be careful not to take calls during business meetings, as doing so sends a signal that you do not respect others’ time.
3. Tone down slang and lingo: Keep acronyms, slang words, and techie terms to a minimum: you can’t guarantee that the recipient of your email will know what you’re saying.
4. Get to the point: Professionals spend lots of time communicating every day. Be friendly, but don’t waste time.
5. Don’t use smiley faces: We have a hard time following this one, but it’s just unprofessional to add smileys in professional correspondence.
6. Answer calls promptly: Don’t make callers wait around wondering if you’re going to answer: pick up at least by the 3rd ring.
7. Never email angry: Cool down before sending off emails to be sure you don’t include anything you might regret later.
8. Don’t use return receipts: Most people are annoyed by return receipts, and they are not foolproof: all your recipient has to do is disregard the request anyway.
9. Send specific subjects: Carefully choose your subject line to indicate what you’d like to talk about, avoiding vagueness (or worse, leaving no subject line at all).
10. Never assume privacy: Know that anything you send over email may someday be read by more than just you and its intended recipient.
11. Be concise: Don’t go on and on for several paragraphs in an email: simply state what needs to be said and move on.
12. Ask before putting someone on hold: Be sure to ask if you can put a caller on hold before actually doing it, and give them the option to get a call back instead if you’re going to be a while.

Networking

In the professional world, you’ll be getting to know lots of new people, whether they are coworkers or industry contacts. Use these tips to make sure you’re a polite networker no matter who you’re talking to.

1. Prepare a short introduction: Before heading out to a networking event, come up with a short script to explain what you’re all about in just a few moments.
2. Wait your turn to speak: Be careful not to cut someone of while they are speaking: it’s annoying and rude.
3. Don’t hand out your business card willy nilly: Remember quality, not quantity when exchanging business cards. Keep your card to yourself until someone asks you for it.
4. Ask about others: Don’t focus all on yourself: ask questions about others and what they do so that you’re not being self-centered.
5. Accept compliments graciously: If someone gives you a compliment, say thanks and smile rather than trying to downplay it with a negative response.
6. Stay professional online: Social networking offers great tools and opportunities, but there’s also great potential for slip ups. Keep compromising photos and opinions off of your online profile.
7. Remember to follow up: Send a nice to meet you note, quick Twitter, or a phone call to say hello and remind your new contact about meeting you within about 24 hours of a networking event.
8. Look at business cards you receive: Don’t just accept business cards with the intent of reviewing them later. Actually take a moment to read and respond to the card while you’re still with the person who gave it to you.
9. Meet in person: Although it seems like you can get connected very well online, there’s no substitute for meeting live and in person.

Dining

In a professional environment, you may find yourself going out to lunch or dinner for meetings and even interviews. Be sure that you’re acting appropriately with these tips.

1. Hide your bag: Whether you’re carrying a purse or laptop, place your bag on the floor, not on the table or even slung over the back of the chair.
2. Converse politely: Avoid monopolizing the conversation, and show genuine interest in getting to know your dining companions.
3. Sip alcoholic drinks: If you head out to a happy hour for work, be careful not to guzzle your drink. Rather, you should pace yourself and sip alcoholic drinks.
4. Remember to say thanks: A few pleases and thank yous go a long way toward maintaining a professional image while dining.
5. Avoid ordering difficult foods: Some food is just hard to eat neatly. Save yourself the trouble by just not ordering it.
6. Limit your wine intake: Drinking a glass of wine over dinner is respectable, but overdoing it like a frat party is definitely not professional.

Attire

You can’t wear sweatshirts and flip flops on a regular basis anymore. Follow these tips to make sure you’re presenting a professional image.

1. Ditch your backpack: You may have enjoyed carrying around a college logo backpack, but as a professional, now it’s time for a briefcase or handbag to carry your stuff.
2. Don’t wear tights: There are many ways to dress up a pair of tights, but that doesn’t mean they belong in the office.
3. Know the dress code: Before you start work, find out what most people wear and choose your wardrobe accordingly.
4. Avoid shorts and sandals: You may have kept it casual on campus, but in the office, avoid wearing shorts, sandals, t-shirts, and other casual attire unless you see a superior do it first.

Events & Meetings

These tips will help you ensure that you’re putting a good face forward at meetings and other important events.

1. Don’t play with your phone: Even if you’re planning to use your phone to take notes, it doesn’t look good to be using your phone during a meeting. People will assume you’re texting or playing rather than paying attention to the meeting.
2. Hang out even if you don’t drink: Even if you’re under 21 or simply don’t drink, put in face time at office happy hours and enjoy a Shirley Temple.
3. Dress professionally on the plane: It’s tempting to get casual and dress like you’re on vacation when traveling, but you never know who you’ll run into on the plane, or whether you’ll be late and have to go straight to your meeting, so stick with professional attire.
4. Be prepared: Before attending a meeting, be sure that you’ve done your homework and are ready to appear professional and prepared.
5. Remember to make introductions: At events and meetings, be sure to speak up and introduce people who may not know each other.
6. Wear a nametag if they’re provided: You’re not too cool to wear a name tag. Pick it up, write your name clearly, and put it on high and to the right.