Interview etiquette: It’s not only what you know, but how you behave that impresses employers

Minding their manners.

From college seniors about to enter the job market to experienced workers seeking new employment, mastering business etiquette can help an applicant stand out from the rest of the job-seeking pack, experts say.

“The way you present yourself is important,” said Bobbie Barnes, director of the career services center of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Etiquette — basically, a simple consideration for others — is a significant part of that, Barnes said, and that’s true “no matter what industry you’re in.”

In presentations for job hunters, Florozeen R. Gray, president of the Protocol Etiquette School of Nevada-Las Vegas, gives tips that deal specifically with matters of etiquette.

Punctuality, for instance. Gray recommends arriving for a job interview 30 minutes before the appointed time. Not only does that forestall the possibility of rudely keeping a job interviewer waiting, it offers time for the applicant to repair to the “necessary room” for a last-minute appearance check, Gray said.

Business etiquette also includes knowing how to offer a proper greeting.

“The … major components of an introduction are, you stand, you smile, you look them in the eye and you state your name,” said Daniel Post Senning, an author and spokesman for The Emily Post Institute. “Get through those four things and you’re on your way. It projects confidence.”

The use of honorifics — Mr., Ms. and Mrs. — when speaking to interviewers shows respect, Senning added.

Barnes agreed, recommending sticking with the honorific until being asked to do otherwise. “Let the person say, ‘Please, call me by my first name,’ ” she said.

Cell phones can be hazardous to job seekers. Turn phones off — not just to vibrate, because the buzzing sound might be heard by an interviewer — during a job interview.

And, while it would seem to go without saying, never take a call during an interview.

“You do hear those nightmare stories about people who will take a call during an interview,” Barnes said.

Barnes recommended turning off a cell phone before entering the interview center or the building. Sometimes, applicants become so busy texting before the interview that they don’t even hear when their names are called, she said.

The idea, Barnes explained, is to assume that “the moment you walk into that place of business … your interview has started. In the waiting area, you need to have good posture and be smiling and ready to go.”

A business lunch can be part of the interview process. Gray said some Fortune 500 companies are “now taking their potential employees out to dinner to see how they handle themselves.”

When meeting an interviewer at a restaurant, “wait in the lobby area,” Barnes said. “Don’t go ahead and take a seat ahead of the host. Don’t wait at a bar.”

After sitting down, don’t place a napkin in the lap until everyone else has been seated, Barnes said, because “you want to make sure you can stand up and shake hands” as diners arrive.

Then, Barnes said, “a lot of students will have concern with, ‘What do I order?’ I would say don’t order the most expensive thing, but don’t necessarily order the least expensive thing, either.”

Instead, ask the host for a recommendation, Barnes said. That should signal to the applicant the host’s acceptable price range.

Avoid messy dishes or foods that are difficult to eat, Barnes said. “Lobster, or you definitely don’t want to have a plate of ribs. These seem obvious. But even at something like breakfast, if you order grapefruit, you know it’s going to squirt up, and you definitely don’t want that.”

Most of all, Barnes said, remember that “anytime you have a business lunch, the primary goal is business. The meal is the secondary thing.”

In a world in which few bother to acknowledge RSVPs, don’t underestimate the power of a thank-you note.

“The final, and I think the most important, thing is that you should absolutely write a thank-you note to everybody you were involved with,” Senning said. “That’s another good way to set yourself apart.”

An applicant might consider sending an email thank-you message within 24 hours, noting that a handwritten one will follow.

“I have heard from different recruiters that a handwritten note goes a long way,” Barnes agreed.

Finally, “be very nice to everybody,” Barnes said.

“Oftentimes, the receptionist could be the gatekeeper for the office. The boss may say, ‘How were they when they met you?’ and the receptionist could say: ‘I don’t know. They showed up and sat down like I wasn’t here.’ “

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.