On Tuesday night in the ballroom, the student career services center held their annual etiquette dinner for the students of Colorado Mesa University. The event is intended to give students a real-life interviewing scenario where you are taken to out to dinner and have to handle it with etiquette while at the same time being able to sell yourself for a potential job.
Students are told to dress business casual for the event and come prepared to learn all the ins and outs of professional dining.
Students were greeted by a host and hostess as they entered the ballroom. From there they heard the music form the jazz quartet of Cal Lindberg, Nick Carozza, Blake Qualls and Mike Dackonish while the students mingled with those in attendance. From there the dinner festivities began.
“I think we had a great event,” Coordinator for Career Services Amanda Nicksic said. “Everybody came out prepared. Dressed up and ready to have a good time. I am so happy with how tonight went.”
During the evening, students are served a meal to go over all the basics to proper dining. This included which utensils are used for what dishes, how to eat each dish properly, how to set your utensils down when you are finished eating as well as plenty of other fine dining techniques.
“I think it was really professional and we will be able to apply it to the real world,” student Baylee Zobel said. “It connects with everyone in their future and well prepares us for certain events and how to be really relaxed while conversing while also being professional.”
This year was the largest this event has been in its history. There were 184 students in attendance, with a waitlist of other potential students waiting for open spots.
“It has grown every year,” Nicksic said. “So maybe next year we reserve the whole ballroom and our goal is to get an even larger group.”
Students who went to the event were given a four-course meal catered by Sodexo. The evening started with bread and a bowl of French onion soup. The soup was followed by a salad before the entrée was served. Chicken parmesan and spaghetti was the main course for the night followed by an apple crisp for dessert.
While learning the rules to proper etiquette was a majority of what this dinner offered to students, the night’s other goal was to put students in an interview situation where they have to sell themselves to the interviewees at the table.
Each table had a head who was given a list of questions to treat the night like a potential job interview. Many students used this opportunity to meet new people while at the same time learning to sell themselves to a potential employer.
“It puts you in a certain situation where you are not too sure what you are going to be getting but at the end, it is preparing you for an evolution in your processing,” student Patrice Harris said.
Career services will be hosting another dinner in the future, but look for seats to fill fast.
