Business Etiquette Training

The internship program recently had a training course on how to conduct yourself at the workplace and how to interview with a potential employer. The class was given by the Human Resources Director for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. He broke us up into groups and each group was responsible for giving explanations on different aspects of business etiquette. The topics were: 1) proper behavior 2) communication 3) grooming and personal appearance 4)media 5) space (personal and common).

The group I was working with covered grooming and personal appearance. We talked about the importance of having a neat appearance during an interview and how important it is to dress professionally. I personally believe a suit during an interview should be the standard for men for all office positions. It doesn’t matter if you are applying for an unpaid internship or to be CEO, you want to look your best. I feel that it has personally helped me and I’ve had a lot of success after interviews.  For women, the same professional appearance applies and also to not use too much make-up or perfume.  There were a lot of other important points discussed such as using social media at work. Some employers allow their employees to use social media accounts like Facebook. Although I can access it on my computer, I personally don’t use it at work because I don’t want to have that appearance of doing aimless things at work. I believe there was a general consensus that it should not be used while at work.