Business Etiquette

• The way one interacts with supervisors, coworkers, and clients, and clients is now considered one of the most important factors affecting one’s chances of career success.
• Poor etiquette can damage or even destroy careers.
• Employers now expect college graduates to be equipped with basic business etiquettes – both in the interview process and in the workplace.
Work Behavior
• Be on time! For work, for meetings and for deadlines
• Learn office politics- every office has a different culture, pay attention to the way that things are done.
• Appear as professional as possible – clean, neat, appropriate attire for your work setting
• Be flexible – your employer will view you as a cooperative employee
• Turn your cellphone off or put on silent
• Be willing and motivated to take on new challenges-this attitude will enhance your value in your workplace
• Watch your language- avoid profanity or slang and inappropriate conversation topics
Correspondence Etiquette
• Includes: Emails, memos, and letters
• There are often times that you will communicate with clients, supervisors, and co-workers via email or memos
• These communications are often not as formal as a cover letter but still demand a certain level of professionalism
• Save important emails
• Check for punctuations spelling, and grammatical errors
• Never use all CAPS
Telephone Etiquette
• How you conduct yourself on the phone is just as important as face to face interactions
• Some tips
- Make sure your voicemail is working properly and check it frequently
- Keep conversations to the point
- Be sure to leave your contact information if you are leaving a message for someone else
• Tone and Language:
- Professional and pleasant
- Avoid slang (“yes instead of “yeah”,”Goodbye instead of “bye bye”)
• Try not to sound abrupt

William Cayambe and Ueda Elbasani