Which glass is mine? Etiquette Dinner teaches students business, social skills

November 26, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 7)
Article by Annie Pettit

Cindy Brown up front at podium, projection screen shows place setting, students seated at round tables

one student passes dinner rolls to her left to another student

Cindy Brown, employer development manager for the Career Center, addresses students gathered for the Etiquette Dinner November 7 at the Kirkhof Center.

Photo Credit: Gracie Roginski

Grand Valley's Career Center hosted an Etiquette Dinner on November 7 to prepare students to enter the workforce by building their social skills and developing their personal brand.

More than 110 students attended the event at the Kirkhof Center. Cindy Brown, employer development manager for the Career Center, said this has been a signature event for more than 15 years.

“A lot of business takes place while dining, whether it’s attending a conference, Economic Club lunch or meeting with a supervisor or colleagues,” Brown said. “The goal is for students to feel confident enough to engage in conversation without being distracted by which fork they should choose.”

Brown said the Etiquette Dinner is an early networking opportunity. “Students meet other students as we go over a full restaurant experience, including what to order, who pays for the meal and how to keep the conversation flowing,” she said.

For first-year criminal justice major Sadaiza Hough, attending the dinner provided an opportunity to explore a side of dining that many students don't experience until after they graduate.

“When going to a business-related dinner, you need to know how to sell yourself for the job," Hough said. "How you represent yourself shows how ambitious you are about the job.”