Check out our latest business etiquette workshop in Melbourne!
etiquette
Ten Things to do before, during and after your interview…
Before:
1. Make sure your clothes are clean and well pressed. (Really…)
2. Make sure your clothes reflect brand ‘YOU’. Notice how Donald Trump’s style differs from Steve Jobs? Lady Gaga from Celine Dion… What does your clothes say about you? At the very least, have an accessory that reflects your personality. Keep it appropriate. (Avoid Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty, Transformers…you get the idea. Unless you are going into retail selling Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty….)
3. Google the company. (Gather intel!)
4. Google the person(s) interviewing you. (Gather more intel!)
During:
5. Have a happy memory in your head. Visualize it before you enter the room. You will walk in with a genuine smile.
6. Keep good eye contact with all interviewers – equally. (Don’t stare..)
7. Prepare relevant questions to ask.
8. Gesture appropriately but keep it below your chin. (It should reinforce your statement, not take away from it)
After:
9. Send them a hand-written thank-you note. (Simple card, avoid musicals, pop-ups, scratch-n-sniff..)
10. Connect to them on ‘linkedin’ – whether you get the job or not, it is an advantage to keep in touch professionally.
P.S. Please don’t lock the door as you enter the room for the interview. At all costs, avoid double-locking the doors… (yes, it happens at interviews!!! and no, they didn’t get the job.. NO ONE negotiates with terrorists.
Phew….something smells..oops! Is that you?
We have all encountered it. The colleague with a strong body odour. Very strong body odour.. What do you do?? Who should approach the person? Should someone instigate an intervention?
Here are 3 suggestions:
- If you know the person well, pull them aside and tell them. For example, ” Jill, as a friend, I wanted to make sure that you know this. People don’t usually notice their own smell so I need to tell you that you do need to use a deodorant. I use xxx brand and find that it works fine. You can try the same brand to see if you like it. And please do tell me, if my deodorant ever fails on me!”
- If you don’t know the person well, find someone who does. Let that person be the one to speak.
- Don’t stage an intervention. Really.
In Asia, we tend to be less direct. In general, we don’t want to embarass someone with personal details and neither do we like confrontations.
In the office, if quite a few people on the team have noticed the b.o. issue, perhaps the team manager/HR Manager could issue a general grooming guide. An example of a simple list of 5 key things:
- Wear office attire at all times.
- Be aware of personal hygiene – keep your breath fresh with mints.
- Use a deodorant to keep yourself fresh throughout the day.
- Hair should be neatly groomed and away from face.
- Nails should be neatly groomed with no nail art.
Re-inforce the fact that as a professional representative of the company, everyone should follow the grooming guide . I have worked with quite a few organisations where b.o. is just one of the issues they face when it comes to getting their human resource to project an appropriate and professional image.
Sometimes, a comprehensive list or even a guide book is required to cover the do’s and don’ts. If you have a great brand and you are a high end retailer, hotel, service provider, you need to ensure that your people look and feel like your brand. Otherwise, you might find that the ‘buy-in’ is just not there..
A present? For me? Why, thank you!…and then what??
It is always lovely to get a gift. Especially when a lot of thought had gone into picking what they think you would like.
In Asia, it’s generally good manners to thank the person(s) but not open the gift in front of them. (In case you don’t quite fancy whatever it is you got and you are not exactly an award winning actor.)
In most western societies, you would usually open the present (people like to see the delight..or shock…or disbelieve..) in their presence. If the case is indeed that you already have 10 copies of the book/DVD/CD, then be gracious and thank them sincerely. I say sincerely because the thought itself is a generous gesture. The thought itself had you in it. The thought itself is ..nice.
‘Nice’ – is simply not making enough appearance in our fast paced, stressful, global warming society. Who knows? Maybe ‘nice’ has gotten itself a reality TV show and is now commanding a high fee to make an appearance…
So if I can leave you with a thought today, it will be – do something nice for someone everyday. You may want to pick up a book or a magazine for a friend, sister or brother. You may just want to give your friend a hug or a smile to a stranger who looks like they are having a bad day.
Today, I had fun playing with our dog (saliva all over my face..) and I let my kids feed me saliva covered caramel popcorns because they wanted to. Like teflon, I just let it be, when a guy sneaked into the queue right in front of me (when he thought I wasn’t looking..at least it was hygienic, after the saliva overkill..) at the shops. I am more concerned about efforts to save millions of sharks killed every year for soup..
What are you going to do today? ..and tomorrow?
It’s bad! or It’s Phat!
Slave to the weather??
What could be improved? With those shapeless pants, a nude pair of heels. A nude pair of higher heels! The stunted look is definitely not in trend. Alternatively, a pair of tights, if those are your only options for heels. 🙂 The bell sleeves are great for arms that are not so great!
So is the look bad? or is it Phat?
Cecellia's Blog 