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:
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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."
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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
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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.
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Come to Our Workshop!
For even more valuable workplace etiquette tips, come to our workshop: “Professional Etiquette: How Not to Get Fired”
RSVP for the “Professional Etiquette: How Not to Get Fired".