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Life After College

Life After College

Life After College

If you want a successful career, you must behave professionally. As you transition from a campus environment to a more formal workplace, your behavior should shift as well. Use these etiquette tips to ensure your success:

  • Email Etiquette
    • Check for spelling and grammar errors. An extra thirty seconds could save you a lot of embarrassment!
    • Get to the point. Your coworkers may read hundreds of emails daily. You can still be friendly, just be friendly and succinct.
    • Create thoughtful subject lines. Be specific – it saves time. A precise subject line also makes it easier to search for an email later.
    • Never write anything you wouldn’t want your entire company to read. Don’t assume your emails are private. Always think twice before you hit "send."
  • Dress Code
    • Every office is different. Learn your company’s dress code and follow it. When in doubt, strive to emulate your supervisors.
    • Don’t dress casually for flights. Dressing for comfort makes sense for personal travel, but on a business trip you might meet important contacts mid-flight or attend a meeting soon after you land.
    • No backpacks. A backpack suits college life perfectly, but professional life demands an equally professional bag or briefcase.
  • Shared Spaces
    • We all love the smell of freshly popped popcorn …in a movie theater or living room. Avoid preparing smelly foods in an office setting.
    • Be mindful of noise. Take personal calls, speaker calls and loud conversations away from workstations so as not to disturb your coworkers.
    • Clean up. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the office kitchen sink. Don’t litter on company property. Help your coworkers clean up after a meeting.
  • Meetings
    • Arrive on time. If you must arrive late or leave early, inform people ahead of time.
    • Be prepared. If you’re leading, prepare agendas, plan for technology failures and anticipate questions. If you’re attending, know the agenda ahead of time and be ready to take notes.
    • Contribute. Speak up at meetings when it is appropriate to do so. Collaboration is an important part of the business world and your input has value.
  • Come to Our Workshop!

    For even more valuable workplace etiquette tips, come to our workshop: “Professional Etiquette: How Not to Get Fired”

    See the workshop calendar.  

    RSVP  for the “Professional Etiquette: How Not to Get Fired". 

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