Interviewing Over Lunch: Are You at Risk?

Sometimes a hiring process will include having lunch with the hiring manager. Despite anything said to the contrary (like "It'll just be an informal lunch so we can get to know each other."), this is a formal part of your interview!

This can be a very tricky situation.

Impressions made in a restaurant are just as important as those in an office or meeting room.

If you don't want an "eating mishap" to ruin your chances at a new job (or a promotion if you're dining with the boss), follow these tips:

1. Avoid ordering messy foods.

This includes long pasta, of course, but also anything with stringy cheese... you know, the kind that stretches up with your fork from the plate to your mouth.

Watch out for soup, anything with a sauce or other "drippable" ingredient. No matter how careful you are, you know an invisible hole can magically appear in your spoon and cause you to drip all over yourself!

Even a salad can be hazardous! Have you ever tried to spear a cherry tomato with your fork and squirted yourself, your neighbor, or watched the tomato go flying off your plate? Not impressive. Avoid cherry tomatoes.

2. Mind your manners.

First, let me say I am definitely NOT "Miss Manners." These are just common-sense tips, not something you'd learn at charm school. (So don't send me an email with the "proper" etiquette, OK?)

This may be considered old-fashioned and unnecessary by some (especially women's libbers, if there's still such a thing), but I think it's still a nice courtesy for a man to pull out a chair for a woman. Either sex can offer to take someone's coat and hang it up. In general, just be nice, thoughtful, and courteous.

Thank the servers.

If you're in a fancy place with 6 different forks, 3 knives and 2 spoons, don't freak out about which to use for what. In general, they're placed in the order in which the food that you use them with will be served... implement furthest from the plate being used first. So when the salad comes out first, grab the fork furthest from your plate. Or just watch what the big shot does and follow his/her example.

If your food comes out first, don't start scarfing it down while the other(s) wait for their food to arrive. If they're courteous, they'll invite you to go ahead before your food gets cold. Likewise, if someone else has been served and is waiting while your food is delayed, invite them to go ahead and eat.

Don't reach... ask someone to pass.

Don't use your bread to mop up sauce, soup, or anything else.

Don't slurp or burp. Ever. Yes, this may be acceptable in some countries as a way to show appreciation for good food, but if you're in the U.S., don't do it. Even if the big shot does.

3. Watch the cost.

It doesn't matter if you've been told, "Order anything you'd like, this is on me." Do not order the most expensive thing on the menu! Even if the big shot does.

4. Beer or wine?

Have you seen that commercial where several guys are at a restaurant with a big shot and he asks what they want to drink? They go around the table and all order a non-alcoholic drink except for the last guy, who orders a Sam Adams (beer). The big shot is "impressed" and orders the same.

Hah! Never fall for anything you see in a beer commercial!

Would you have a beer or glass of wine at the office? (You better say "No!") Despite the surroundings, food and drink, if this is a business function (and it certainly is if you're interviewing or discussing business with your boss), do NOT order alcohol! Even if the big shot does.

Remember, the bottom line is that it's not about the food or the drink -- it's about making a good impression!

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

---

Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!

Competency based interviews are intended to get the best from... Read More

Evaluating Job Offers -- Eleven Warning Signs You Must Watch Out For

Moving into a new job always involves some degree of... Read More

Four Important Questions to Ask Your Interviewer; Do You Really Want to Work for This Person?

Many job seekers miss a golden opportunity when they are... Read More

Layoff Survival Guide - Do You Have The Career Management Horsepower It Will Take To Survive?

In a recent survey of over 662 career seekers, some... Read More

Should You Lie On Your Resume?

Warning: Lying on your resume could cost you your job... Read More

Dont Quit Your Day Job! Convincing Your Boss To Let You Telecommute (Part 2 of 2)

Ok, so you've determined that you have the right skills... Read More

What is Contract Programming? An Alternative to the Conformity of Everyday Employment

What is contract programming, you ask? Well, when companies need... Read More

Theres No Need to Pad Your Resume

It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your... Read More

Are You Ready To Start A Business? Take This Quiz and See

Don't get discouraged! A "no" answer to any of the... Read More

Rewriting Your Resume? 7 Easy Ways To Give Yourself An Upgrade

In today's competitive job market, a first class resume is... Read More

Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement

Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can... Read More

The Perils Of Employment: Are You About To Be Let Go?

From the moment you are born and you take your... Read More

Surviving Office Politics

It's your first month in a new position and it's... Read More

Career Change: Success Tips

Successful career change is based on first making an honest... Read More

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone in the Job Search

Most everyone these days knows what a comfort zone is.... Read More

How To Ask For A Pay Rise!

Negotiating a pay rise is not something many people do... Read More

Your First Summer Work in the UK - Picking Strawberries The Right Way

Most jobs on farms in the UK involve picking strawberries... Read More

Q & A How to Find a Great Search Firm

Q & AQ: Are people sometimes cautious of 'headhunters'?A. Yes.... Read More

How to Get Hired by Being Obvious

If you want a drink of water, do you hire... Read More

Should I leave My Job?

Most of us have to work for a living. Since... Read More

Look in the Mirror

Take a moment to step outside yourself. Now, be honest... Read More

Get a Job! Tips for Organizing Your Resume

Whether you're a Vice President of Marketing or a recent... Read More

Avoid a Three-ring Circus with These New Interviewing Strategies

I referenced the circus because I just finished another interviewing... Read More

Don?t Be Too Passionate About Your Work

Of course, she then offered me a six-month process, costing... Read More

Experience Hear-See-Do

Research indicates that we retain only 10% of what we... Read More

20 Ways to Advance Your Career

To survive and thrive in today's competitive environment, it is... Read More

Ode to a Spoon

"Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what... Read More

Cover Letters

Cover Letters: Are you telling them what they want to... Read More

Change Your Career, Change Your Life

Change Your Career,Change your Life!Lots of times I see and... Read More

Technology in the Workplace - Boon or Curse?

Like all new innovations, technology in the work environment can... Read More

Simple Tips to Move Forward on the Job, Part II

After establishing a trusting relationship with the safety officer, it... Read More

Job Interview Mistakes To Avoid

By avoiding these 8 simple mistakes, you can improve your... Read More

Old Hiring Foxes vs. The Hedgehogs

You are about to compete for the best people again.... Read More