Business Etiquette

The workplace has specific etiquette guidelines that you must heed. Employees are often judged not only on their work but also on their business etiquette.

Job Interviews

Good interview etiquette shows that you take the job you’re applying for seriously and that you’ll know how to behave professionally if you’re hired.

Top Five Interview Musts

Be prepared: Research the company, review your résumé, and practice answering common interview questions.
Be on time: Plan carefully so that you’ll arrive a few minutes before your scheduled appointment. Don’t arrive too early, however, because you may catch your interviewer unprepared and start the interview off on the wrong foot.
Look the part: Dress conservatively for the industry. Keep accessories and makeup to a minimum and don’t wear perfume or cologne. Make sure your hair and nails are neat and clean.
Grin and greet: Smile and make eye contact with your interviewer. Know how to give a solid handshake (see How to Shake Hands).
Be honest: Don’t pretend to know something you don’t or be someone you’re not.

Top Five Interview Mistakes

Don’t ask about salary and benefits: Save it for a follow-up meeting, most likely with human resources.
Don’t chew gum: Gum chewing will be taken as profoundly disrespectful.
Don’t be negative: Talking badly about past employers makes you look bad.
Don’t let your cell phone ring: Turn it off before you enter the building.
Don’t slouch: Sit up straight and don’t fidget.

Business Communications

To succeed at work, you must communicate effectively, and never offensively.

Addressing Colleagues and Clients

In the office: When you arrive at a new job, call everyone by their titles (“Ms. Fleming,” “Professor Terry”). If they go by other titles, or if they would prefer to be addressed by their first names, they’ll let you know.
With clients: Always use titles for clients, unless they tell you to do otherwise.

Using the Phone

Identify yourself: Whether answering incoming calls or placing outgoing ones, always begin by identifying yourself and your company.
Be polite: Don’t chew gum, eat, drink, or do other work while you’re on the phone. Treat phone conversations like face-to-face conversations.
Voicemail: Make your outgoing voicemail message clear, informative, and accurate. When leaving messages, speak clearly and slowly. Always give your name, number, and the reason for your call.
Cell phones: Turn off your personal cell phone while you’re at work.

Dressing the Part

To be taken seriously at work, you need to dress like a professional.

Wear clothes that are as formal as those of your bosses.
Don’t expose tattoos or piercings (other than pierced ears), unless you’re in a creative field in a major city.
Don’t wear anything too tight, short, or skin-baring.
If your company has a dress code, follow it.

Workplace Social Rules

It’s natural to develop relationships with your coworkers, but it’s important for legal, personal, and productivity reasons to follow certain rules of workplace social etiquette.

Respecting Boundaries

Physical contact: Contact beyond handshakes is not appropriate in the workplace.
Smoking: If you smoke, do so only in designated smoking areas.
Communal areas: Use all communal areas respectfully and clean up after yourself.
Gossip: Don’t pry into your coworkers’ private lives, and never gossip if a coworker confides in you with private or sensitive information.
Dealing with impropriety: If someone asks you an inappropriate question, say something like, “I’d rather not discuss that.”
Compliments: Limit compliments to comments about good work rather than appearance. Compliments about appearance may be taken as forward or demeaning.

Romantic Relationships with Coworkers

Dating a coworker is risky. Some companies have explicit rules against it. If yours does, honor the rules. If you’re not expressly forbidden from dating a coworker, be very aware of sexual harassment issues: if one person in a relationship is a superior or subordinate of the other, there is risk not only of conflict but also of lawsuits. If you are dating a coworker:

Don’t discuss your relationship with other coworkers.
Don’t use pet names or touch each other at work.
If you’re fighting or have broken up, act professionally—no one should suspect.

Business Meetings

Climbing the corporate ladder means attending and acting appropriately at meetings.

Meetings in the Office

Be prepared: Arrive on time, with all relevant materials, and know the agenda.
Appear engaged: Sit up straight and don’t fidget. Listen carefully and take notes.
Be involved and be positive: Speak on topics you know well, and keep your contributions concise and upbeat. If you do bring up problems, be sure to offer suggestions for solutions to each one you raise.
Don’t be aggressive: Don’t interrupt other speakers or try to hog the spotlight.

Lunch or Dinner Meetings

For business lunches or dinners, follow the rules of dining etiquette and heed these additional guidelines specific to business situations:

Keep it social at first: Don’t talk about business until everyone has ordered.
Alcohol: Don’t order alcohol unless your guest does (even then, it’s optional).
Cost: Order the same number of courses as your guest or host, and don’t pick the most expensive items on the menu.
Ordering: Stay away from foods that might be awkward or messy to eat, such as spaghetti or a hamburger. Choose something you know you can eat neatly.
Paying: If you’re paying, do so subtly.