For many seniors, job searching and interviewing are the next steps in their career paths. In preparation for this, the Career Development Center is hosting the 11th Annual Senior Etiquette Dinner.

The event, which will take place Nov. 9, 2010, from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. in the Upper Convocation Center, will be free of charge and is exclusively open to students with senior status.

Lauren Bernath, a student affairs marketing intern for the CDC and one of the individuals organizing the event, feels that students will learn a great deal at the etiquette dinner, not just on how to present oneself during an interview, but in any professional setting or even eating with one’s family.

Primarily, table manners will be discussed at the dinner, including which way to pass the bread, how to enter one’s chair, which foods should be ordered in consideration of cost and whether or not you or your potential employer should pay.

“It’s the little things that you definitely want to know when you’re going into an interview,” Bernath said. “It could be very ambiguous at times.”

Tom Thomas, a professional speaker on etiquette who travels to a variety of campuses, has attended the etiquette dinner for the past several years and will be speaking at the event again this year. Thomas will incorporate a PowerPoint presentation into the event which includes fun facts such as why one should always pass the salt and pepper together.

“He makes it very interesting…we always get good feedback from everyone that they really like him,” Bernath said.

Thomas enjoys others’ participation and students are welcome to ask questions at any time during the dinner.

There will be no particular seating order at the event and the students will all wear name tags. Some Ashland University alumni will also join, sitting at the tables with the seniors so that they are able to network and discuss various questions that Thomas poses.

Bernath believes that each of the seniors will benefit from the event, especially business students due to the large possibility of conducting business over lunch or dinner in their careers.

“You’re going to know that you’re coming off in a confident and well-mannered way, rather than just going through and not really thinking about how you’re coming across,” Bernath said. “It can play a big role in whether or not they’ll say, ‘yeah, we want to hire you.'”

Students who attend this event should dress in business casual clothing, which according to Bernath, is specifically not jeans, but anything that would be worn to a nice event.

Bernath added that this event will not be stuffy, but rather a fun, educational event and a great opportunity for students.