Professional Etiquette 101 

By Adrienne Alberts

Interim Director

Career Center

Johns Hopkins University

 

Have you ever heard the saying, “A first impression is a lasting one?” Well that holds true in all situations, but even more so in situations that may lead to internship or employment opportunities. The actions you take not only affect you and your future, but could also affect other candidates. The key to making a professional presentation and the best impression possible is to think before you act. Failure to adhere to a few very simple rules could ruin your chances for potential opportunities. Ahead you will find some tips that may prove helpful to you in the future.

· Show Up. Once you have made a commitment to attend or participate in an appointment, interview, or event, it is expected that you will show up. The best course of action is to do the right thing and show up on time. It is good to arrive 15 minutes early for an appointment. If you must cancel, do so as early as possible and no later than three days prior to the scheduled engagement. If circumstances do not allow you to cancel your engagement in a timely fashion, you should write a letter of apology and send it to the individual that was inconvenienced by your absence. It is your responsibility to follow through with your commitments. How would you feel if you set aside time in your schedule and it was not respected? Think about it!

· Be Honest. When presenting yourself on a resume, application, or in person, TELL THE TRUTH! Any information that you provide as experience may be called into question. If you have provided false information, eventually it will catch up with you. There is no faster way to destroy an opportunity than to lie about or exaggerate your qualifications.

· …Only if Interested. It is a bad idea to pursue an opportunity that you are not genuinely interested in. Prepare for opportunities by researching potential organizations. This will allow you to screen organizations and pursue only those for which you have a sincere interest. If your goal is to get practice in the application or interview process, practice with friends or see if your school's career center has a mock interview program. Your lack of interest in an opportunity shows through in the way you prepare and present yourself. You should also know that recruiters have a way of spreading the word about negative experiences. By following through with an opportunity that you are not interested in, you have taken a spot away from another candidate who may have had a shot with that organization.

· The Waiting Game . If you have made a connection with an organization and have been told you that you would be contacted within a specified period of time, WAIT until that time has passed before you try to contact them again. You never know what is going on within an organization or what may be keeping your contact person from contacting you. Once the established time period has passed, you are free to contact the organization again. Make sure that you are polite and let them know, “I was told that I would receive a call from Contact X within two weeks and that time has passed. I am calling to inquire about the status of the application process. I am also interested in knowing how long it will be before I should expect to hear something.” Calling an organization before the agreed upon time may be an inconvenience to your contact and might leave the impression that you are impatient; so be careful.

· Thank You . Thank you notes are not simply formalities -- they are necessities. Thank you notes should be sent to contacts, recruiters, and anyone else with whom you had a meaningful

 

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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