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Imagine you just finished a delicious meal, paid for by a prospective employer during an interview dinner, and you noticed there is still a little sauce left on your plate. Do you gracefully wipe-up the sauce with a morsel of your dinner roll? Or do you leave the sauce alone and send it off with your dirty dishes? This etiquette dilemma and many others were discussed at the KU University Career Center’s Spring 2010 Etiquette Dinner in mid-April.

As for the answer, have at that sauce. Yes, it’s up to etiquette code, according to etiquette consultant and UCC Assistant Director Erin Wolfram who lead the event, to use a piece of your dinner roll to wipe up leftover contents on your plate, but don’t forget to use a fork.

You may be shocked. I certainly was, and so were most of the other approximately 60 students at the event. I think we all knew it was impolite to lick your fork or blow your nose during professional dinner situations. However, passing the salt and pepper shakers with pronged fingers or getting in and out of your seat properly were just a few of the things we covered that myself and others had not known about before the event.

QUICK TIP – BREAD PLATES AND DRINKING GLASSES
The best way to ensure you are using the correct bread plate and drinking glass when seated at a formal table is to make the lowercase letter “b” with the thumb and first finger of your left hand and lowercase letter “d” with your right hand. This quick tip will help you remember your “b” for bread plate is on your left and your “d” for drinking glass is on your right.

“I’m a fast eater by nature, because I’m always rushed,” Sarah Gelvin, an attendee and senior in business administration and engineering, said. “So I really benefitted from the tip about keeping pace with your host when eating.”

In a business-climate like the one students are facing now, the misplacement of a fork or improper reach for a cream container in professional dinner situations could make the difference between whether you get a job or not. So it’s imperative business students like Gelvin as well as other students know how to maneuver their way around a table with three forks, two knives and the dreaded spoon at the top of the plate (dessert spoon).

QUICK TIP – UTENSIL USE
Did the waiter just walk away with your dinner fork because you used it for your salad? Have no fear, knowing which utensil to use when seated at a formal table is easy. Just work your way in. For example, if you have two forks on the left side of your plate, use the outside fork for your salad and the inside fork for your main course. The key is to not get too attached with your utensils. A round of utensils is typically taken after each course is finished.

The event taught students how to network during professional dinner situations as well. At each table approximately seven people sat with a host. The hosts were from businesses in the area and the University. My table’s host shared both successes and failures of professional dinner etiquette situations he had experienced. We all gained a lot of knowledge and laughs from his stories.

QUICK TIP – CUTTING FOOD
Networking is great. But even the best networkers can lose credibility when an improper cut of food ends up on a host’s lap. The proper way to cut food is with your knife behind your fork, or closer to you than the fork. This technique ensures you are cutting toward yourself and not preparing to flick a piece of food on the person across from you by cutting toward them.

I look forward to practicing my new etiquette skills in professional dinner situations. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get a job with my new etiquette skills. I can see myself now, telling my prospective employer, "It’s up to etiquette code to wipe-up your fettuccine Alfredo with your bread," and hopefully my future boss will say, "You’ve got the job. Now please pass the breadsticks."