Business Etiquette for Job Hunting

Someday we will all go through the process of job hunting. For most people, their first job hunting experience begins in their senior year or last year in the SB/MEng program. There are many books and websites that are great resources for job hunting. Here is a list of etiquette tips to help a college graduate when he/she is undergoing the job hunting process.

• Email Etiquette

Often during a job search you are given an email address for you to directly correspond with an employment contact. Follow the general email etiquette, but also be extra careful with the following points:

• Write in business style as if you are writing a business letter.
• Pay careful attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation like any correspondence. Use your spellchecker and proofread before you send the message!
• Do not use all capital letters as that is equivalent to shouting. On the other hand, do not use all lower case letters either. Again, write the email as a business letter without the letterhead.
• Include an informative signature block, with your full name, postal mailing address, telephone number(s), and your main email address.
• Be aware of the quotations in your signature block. Think about how the employer views the quotation to decide if you want to include or change a quote.
  
  
• Telephone Etiquette
  
  
• Be prepared and ready when you call an employment contact about applying for a job. Know what you need to say during the phone conversation and be ready to expand on some of the points. You don’t want to leave the employer with a negative impression when you cannot answer his or her questions.
  
  
• Interview Etiquette
  
  
• Clothes
  
  
• Usually, dressing too formally is not as much of a problem as dressing too casually. Do your homework and find out what type of dress would be appropriate. If you are interviewing for a position in a consulting firm, a business suit is appropriate. If you are applying for a job at a startup company, business casual attire or even clean jeans and a nice shirt would be appropriate.
  
  
• The Interview
  
  
• Be on time!
• Greet the interviewer by how he/she introduces himself/herself. A firm handshake (for men and women) is a good start for the interview and it reflects your confidence. No iron grips or shaking the fingers please.
• Listen carefully and speak clearly and concisely.
• Be polite and do not interrupt or contradict your interviewer.
• Body language is important! Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Rest your arms comfortably on the armrest or fold your hands in your lap, but do not fold your arms in front of your chest. Relax your shoulders and sit in an attentive position. Do not play with your hair or tug your shirt every minute or so.
• Maintain a positive attitude. Be enthusiastic and interactive.
• Bring questions for the interviewer—it shows you are interested
• Turn off your cellular phone or pager.
• Do not complain about your former employers.
  
  
• Interview over a meal

Often companies arrange interviewers to take their candidates to lunch or dinner during a company-site visit. Your interviewer may evaluate you during the meal based on your social skills.

• Dress appropriately. Ask ahead of time to find out what type of dress is appropriate, or wear business attire if you are not sure.
• Avoid alcohol. If the interviewer asks you your preference for smoking or non-smoking section, always allow the interviewer to make the decision. Avoid smoking.
• Wait for your host interviewer to gesture seating arrangement.
• Wait for your host to open the menu before you open yours.
• Order light—your main goal is the interview and not the food. Do not be indecisive; pick something and order it.
• Avoid finger food or food that is difficult to eat such as spaghetti and shellfish.
• Remember your table manners. Do not criticize the meal or the restaurant.
• Do not fight for the check—the company will cover it.
• Do not take the leftover home.
• Contribute to the conversation but stick with safe topics. Avoid controversial topics such as politics and religion.
• Turn off your cellular phone and pagers or switch to silent vibrate mode.
  
  
• Telephone Interview

Companies sometimes arrange phone interviews. Make sure you clear your schedule for that time and be in your room before the interview to prepare.

• Turn off call waiting—there is nothing more annoying than a “click” in the middle of the conversation that goes off every thirty seconds if you don’t take the other call.
• Turn off other distracting background noise such as TV and stereo.
• Warm up your voice and avoid clearing you throat by coughing into or near the phone during the conversation.
• Have the relevant information handy, such as your resume, your notes on the company, and the questions you have for the interviewer.

• After the interview
  
  
• Call your interviewer if possible and thank you for his or her time. This ideally should be the same day as the interview. A voicemail message is also acceptable.
• Mail a thank-you letter within two days to the interviewer. Thank-you letters are short, with positive and sincere sentences.