Preparing for the Job
Most individuals will work at a minimum of three jobs in the course of their work lives. Many will change careers altogether. Few people spend their entire career working for a single employer anymore. Employees move from company to company for career advancement, money, travel opportunities, a more pleasant work environment, location, and other benefits.
To move ahead in your career, and sometimes just to keep up with the competition, you need to know how to prepare for an interview and interview well. You also need to keep your résumé current. Naturally, your work skills will also play a vital factor in advancing your career.
ETHICS
Your personal values, and the ways in which you act according to those values, are your ethics. The standards of conduct and moral judgement you believe in and demonstrate in your actions are an integral part of getting a job and keeping it, and of living a quality life. Your ethics apply to your business and how you work and are on display in everything you do and in every choice you make.
Your reputation for exercising ethical judgement will follow you. A person will judge your business values and standards by how they perceive your ethics. Be mindful that what you say and do should be perceived by others as ethical. Your accountability, your credibility, and your truthfulness all should reflect positively on you and the way you choose to conduct business.
You should consider carefully the ways in which you are perceived by others and their judgement of your abilities. Your association with others and how you conduct yourself in business and business-related situations are observed and become part of how other people evaluate your competence and credibility. Your loyalty, honesty, commitment, values, decency, and sense of right and wrong comprise your personal ethics.
The following are some of the ways that you can demonstrate good ethics in the workplace:
Do not participate in gossip.
Be courteous and respectful to superiors and to subordinates.
Be positive and pleasant.
Accept constructive criticism.
Maintain personal dignity.
Make an effort to preserve the dignity of another.
Keep confidences and maintain confidentiality.
Show your concern for others.
Give credit to those deserving.
Be honest.
Keep your word.
Encourage and help others to do their best.
Make practical and constructive suggestions for improvement.
YOUR RÉSUMÉ (CURRICULUM VITAE)
In today’s job market a curriculum vitae (CV, c.v., or vitae) should be part of your personal portfolio. A curriculum vitae contains your personal history and professional qualifications. It is comprised of your résumé, reference letter(s), and personal information pertinent to the job you are interested in. International firms use the term curriculum vitae rather than résumé.
Because workers today change jobs frequently, you need to have a current résumé prepared at all times. Your résumé may be the most important presentation you will make in the job search; make sure it is well prepared. Like a tailored suit, a résumé needs to be slightly altered as your experiences and history change. An effective résumé is a powerful tool. It should emphasize your skills and be presented in a clean, easy-to-read format that evidences your professionalism.
Résumé formats can be functional or chronological. The most common is the chronological, arranging work experience by years with the present job listed foremost. Job seekers in the traditional fields of business management and consulting find this format works best.
Those who are returning to the workplace after a period of not working or working in a nonrelated field, may find the functional résumé format more useful. This format focuses on types of jobs and skills, usually grouping them under such headings as “employee relations,” “management,” or “sales.” The functional format is particularly effective for individuals seeking a career change and needing to highlight the qualities they bring to a new job.
To match your skills with what you believe the potential employer is looking for, create a statement of your “objective.” One or two well-stated sentences matching your skills with what the employer is seeking helps your résumé stand out.
The primary goal of a résumé is to get an interview. Your résumé will need to catch the employer’s attention.
Use a concise format that is easy to read.
Emphasize your experience and highlight your skills and qualifications.
Avoid personal details about marital status, hobbies, and vacations unless they are specifically related to the job. These may be shared in the interview if appropriate.
Show how you have used your skills and the results.
Hand address the envelope.
Use high-quality paper, in white, off-white, or a soft color.
Avoid gimmicks. Don’t send flowers or candy to get attention.
Many job seekers now consult with services that specialize in developing professional résumés. If you are unsure of how to proceed with writing your résumé, you may want to consider a résumé service, or you may consult your local library for references and how-to books. The recruiter is going to look at what your résumé says and how well the information is presented. Check the document for clean and attractive format, correct spelling, and accurate information.
Increasingly, résumés are being faxed or e-mailed to potential employers or posted with on-line services. Many résumés are scanned (copied) and retained in the computer system, filed by keywords. Employers that require résumés be submitted electronically or that plan to scan the résumé may require special formatting of the document.
INTERVIEWS
Either before or after submitting your application and résumé, gather information about the company. You may ask the company for any marketing literature or business reports they may have available for the public. An annual report can be useful to learn more about the company’s financial position and also about the company’s current plans and goals. Visit the library and check the Internet to gather information (many companies now have their own Websites). The more you learn about the company, the more interested and informed you will appear. At the same time, having that information will help you to determine whether you want to work for this company.
Many employers now conduct preliminary interviews over the phone. Often these calls are made at unexpected times and can be after work hours. You are expected to speak intelligently, just as if you were sitting down together in a formal interview setting. You will be evaluated on your spontaneity and ability to communicate. The call may seem like just a casual phone conversation, but it is, in fact, an interview. Someone may call you to chat, ask if you are still interested in the job, and then tell you that someone will be calling to set up an interview.
There may be several phone conversations before you actually have a formal interview. The phone screening process saves hiring personnel time by prequalifying potential employees.
The personal interview normally takes place at the business offices. After the interview and before hiring, you may be invited to spend a day at the facility. There, your interview may be continued as you meet with representatives from different departments, particularly when you are given a tour of the facility where you will meet with several management staff. A meal with various members of the company may be included. Sometimes the meal is a casual cafeteria-style meeting, while other times you will be taken off site or invited to dinner after office hours. However the company conducts the interview, you are always being observed to determine if you fit the corporate image and can work with the team.
After an interview how long should I wait to before I call and ask if I am hired?
During the course of the interview ask about the hiring process and when the final hiring decision will be made. Ask if you can call and speak with a specific person. Call on the specified day. Ask if the decision has been made; request information about future available positions, if you are not hired. Always write a thank you note immediately after the interview.
When you attend the interview, dress appropriately; wear the clothes you would wear for the job or the next job up. It’s a good idea to arrive about fifteen minutes before the interview. Be prepared for the interview; know current details about the company. Use proper etiquette during the interview; you want to leave a positive impression.
Use the rest room to check buttons, zippers, teeth, face, hair, hands, and clothing for best appearance.
Get rid of chewing gum, toothpicks, etc.
Speak with confidence.
Stand to shake hands with all the persons in the room.
Sit straight in the chair.
Use eye contact and smile frequently.
Do not enter the interview with the smell of (tobacco) smoke on your clothing.
During the interview for a new position, can I tell the interviewer/HR director how difficult my current manager is and why I need the new position?
Absolutely not! Never speak negatively of anyone with whom you have worked.
You are a participant in the interview process. You will answer questions about yourself and discuss job-related topics, but the interview is also your opportunity to conduct your own interview of the company representative. In general, prepare at least five good questions about the company. You will show you have done some research and are interested in the company.
Ask about the company’s future plans.
Ask what types of people succeed at the company.
Ask whether the position has potential for growth and where it might lead.
Ask about areas of the company’s business that you found particularly interesting in your research.
Ask if the company has a code of ethics.
Ask if the company has an operations manual.
Ask if the company has a dress code.
Ask questions regarding the job description and about the specifics of the position in relation to other departments.
Just as the company is evaluating you during and after your interview, you need to be evaluating them. Did the interview begin on time? Did the interviewer answer your questions or was she vague or evasive? Did they ask you appropriate job-related questions and seem interested in you? What was the reaction of the interviewer when you asked questions from a list? If you asked questions on the annual report, what kind of responses did you receive? You have a responsibility to determine if this is a company you will be able to support and work for. For instance, if you find that your personal values and beliefs are not in alignment with what you perceive to be the company’s values, or you know that you do not perform well within their management style, you may not want to work there.
Before you accept new responsibilities or a new job, review your own internal values, expectations, and desires. Employers are looking for individuals who are committed to the improvement and production of the company. Employees should consider their family responsibilities and take only those work assignments that enable and allow them to fulfill their commitments to their family. Family discussions about job commitment may be essential to keep the family intact. New job responsibilities, which create new stress and strains on the family, contribute to strained relationships. Discussion among the family members and understanding how you can balance your job demands with family commitments is critical to having a whole and productive person both at home and at the office.
Interview Follow-Up
Proper etiquette indicates that a thank you note should be sent immediately after the interview. Acknowledge the interviewer’s time and the information you gained about the company during the interview and express your interest in working with the company. Even if you have concluded that the job or corporation is not a good match for you or your skills, send the thank you. Your graciousness will be remembered.
If you ask during the interview when the final hiring decision will be made, you may call at the agreed upon time and ask about the position. If you seriously thought you would get the job and were not selected, you may ask one of the interviewers for their suggestions about how you might better present your work experience and improve your interviewing skills. Also ask for suggestions about other positions within the corporation and any opportunities that might exist. Always be gracious and accept the suggestions even if they are critical or negative. Thank the person for their feedback.
ADVANCING YOUR CAREER
Moving up the career ladder involves the constant improvement of one’s existing skills and the ability to learn new skills and put them into practice. Personal relationships are vital to business success; they are also important to your personal success in the workplace. You will have many opportunities to network and meet new people. Most people change jobs and even careers several times in the course of their work life. Developing new skills and accepting new responsibilities prepare you for these additional challenges and greater opportunities. Correct business etiquette will help move your career forward by demonstrating your professionalism and skills in working with and motivating others. Your ability to lead and influence others will further develop as you begin to manage a team and chair business meetings.
Networking
Networking is one of the most powerful business skills you can develop. When you use it well, you see the benefits. Once you start networking effectively, more than half of your business will come from referrals. The greatest business growth—obtaining information about jobs and meeting new people as prospective clients—comes as a result of successful networking. Networking is social marketing. Networking is about circulating at business functions on a social level. It is not about doing business per se, but about communicating. Networking involves our style of how we meet, greet, and keep in touch with our business colleagues.
Another definition of networking is the building of relationships through keeping in contact. This kind of networking is sometimes called self-marketing. We are always in the business of selling our skills, expertise, company, product, service, and competency.
Networking can be directly linked to promotion, advances, new jobs, new clients and, perhaps, even changing jobs. Networking, in brief, is meeting people, getting to know them, and keeping in touch. Never underestimate the power of networking. Think of the formula of ten to the sixth power. Everyone knows ten people and they in turn know ten people and so on to the sixth time. There is a saying that you are never more than six people from where you want to be. For example, when you need to find a speaker for your next sales meeting, ask your friends. Each has a thought about a good speaker they have heard or knows someone who hires speakers or plans meetings and can put you in touch with a speaker. Everyone wants to be needed and helpful. Talk to your business colleagues; tell them what you’re looking for, and you will be amazed how easily you can get what you need! Among the acquaintances, colleagues, and friends you ask, one will have the answer.
There is a flip side to this, of course. Truly successful networking is a function of reciprocation. Someone helps you; you help them in return. Always keep in mind who helped you get to where you are so that you can help them. Everyone appreciates assistance, recognition, and respect.
Networking means connecting. It is knowing where to go, how to make conversation, keeping in touch, helping someone, giving leads, and following up on leads. Networking, then, is about building and maintaining business relationships. It encompasses all the best attributes of being a friend, business associate, and colleague. It involves a personal commitment to being helpful. It involves giving your time, ideas, and help and expecting the same from others. The person to whom you gave the lead may not always be the person who directly reciprocates, but someone else will. Networking isn’t always a direct exchange of help. Courtesy, respect, and acknowledgment go further than you can imagine or measure.
The saying, “What goes around comes around,” is true. Your reputation can come around to embrace you or knock you down. You are the only one with the ability to make it happen. Years later your actions speak for and about you. People remember what you did to or for them. It has been estimated that the circle comes around every three to five years. Coincidentally, five years is the length of the business success cycle. The building and establishment of business success takes five years until fruition. Make certain that your business reputation is one of credibility and courtesy.
Where and how you network is a personal decision. You don’t need to join all the clubs, organizations, and associations. Begin with one that has special personal or business interest for you and build your networking from there. One frequently finds oneself overcommitted. Being involved in more than you can reasonably participate in is unnecessary. Occasionally we need to assess our time and how we can best use it to serve our colleagues. Participate as a contributing member by serving on committees and as an officer, if your time allows. People will see you in a support or leadership position, and you will become better acquainted with the membership.
Local chamber of commerce
Service organizations such as Rotary International or Soroptimists
Leads groups
Business clubs and associations
Trade organizations
Social clubs
Special-interest clubs (outdoors, biking, hiking, crafts, computer users)
College classes
Local charity involvement
Local fund-raisers
Follow-up or “keeping in touch” is an essential aspect of networking. Keeping in touch reinforces the desire for acknowledgment, respect, and being needed. A friendly telephone call, note, or e-mail message are ways to acknowledge your contacts and put your name in front of them. Newsletters are great connectors because they impart information and remind others of your capabilities. A contact management computer program, a tickler file system, folders, file cards, or any other system can help you keep in touch with colleagues.
When I have a question or a need I tend to go to the people whose newsletter, card, or phone call has passed my desk recently. Networking involves frequent contact to keep your name and skills foremost in others’ thoughts.
Working a Room
Working a room is a networking skill involving how you move about a room to make the most contacts and best use of your time. Sometimes we refer to networking or working a room as the way in which we move within a group of people to benefit and build business. Working a room can be fun or it can be intimidating. Many people dislike entering a room of strangers and finding someone and something to talk about. Practice moving about the room making contacts and being comfortable while gathering information, building new business associations, making business contacts, getting known, and having fun. The two keys to successfully working a room are planning and preparation.
If you are required to attend an event because the boss decided you were the best one to represent the company, mark your calendar and get ready. Establish goals for attending the event. This involves several of the business tools you need every day: business cards, a ready smile, interesting conversation topics, a concise self-introduction, and a goal. It is easier to work a room when you have a purpose such as to meet five new people, to find a graphic artist, or to meet a product supplier. Purpose helps you focus your efforts.
Plan your wardrobe well in advance so that you have appropriate clothing for the occasion with easily accessible pockets, an interesting accessory to make you memorable (necktie, vest, brooch, scarf), polished shoes, well-groomed hands and hair, and a smile. It helps to have an “in” pocket for the business cards you are given and an “out” pocket for your own business cards. Having the out pocket on the right side is easier because you can shake hands and immediately have a card ready to offer.
Where do you put your nametag?
A nametag is put on the right shoulder where it can be readily seen. The nametag’s purpose is to reinforce your name. When you meet someone and shake hands, their gaze will automatically follow your right arm up to your shoulder and then to your face. Place the nametag high enough on your right shoulder to be easily seen.
Keep your hands as free as possible. Avoid carrying heavy items such as a handbag, shoulder bag, briefcase, or folders. Hold food in your left hand to keep your right hand free for hand shaking. If you are in a setting where there are appetizers or other nibbling types of food to eat and beverages to drink as you circulate, feel free to partake. Just remember it is difficult to balance both a glass and a plate. Eating minimally or not at all is recommended at a business networking event because your purpose is not to eat, it’s to circulate.
Some behaviors can undermine even your best networking efforts. For best results avoid drinking more than one glass of any alcoholic beverage. Be careful not to eat, drink, and talk all at the same time. Monopolizing one individual or group of people will keep you from meeting others and may annoy those monopolized. Complaining about almost any subject, but especially about the room, food, or attendees will leave a negative impression with those you meet.
Networking is an opportunity to meet people and sell your business and services. Be careful not to push your business too hard as you may alienate more people than you impress. I met a man who had such a polished self-introduction that it was a huge turnoff. He was excited about his multilevel marketing program. His introduction was an invitation to join him and make lots of money and on and on he went with the dates of the next meetings and other information. In the few seconds he spoke, he alienated people all over the room! People avoided talking to him after his introduction because it sounded canned and phony. That reaction carries into perceived ideas about how you do business.
To successfully network a room you need to Plan, Prepare, and Participate.
Plan
Mark your calendar.
Develop your purpose.
Select your clothing.
Plan your self-introduction.
Replenish your business card supply.
Prepare
Scan newspapers and magazines to prepare interesting conversation topics.
Prepare your small talk topics.
Since conversation is critical in making the networking connection, it is beneficial to prepare topics to talk about. These topics benefit you in any conversation. Your skill at conversation demonstrates that you are not one dimensional about your career.
To identify and learn more about topics for conversation, read at least one newspaper each day. Clip and collect articles that interest you. Read newsletters, professional journals, and periodicals of interest to you. Take note of interesting comments, stories, and quotes. Read book and movie reviews. It will also be helpful if you are knowledgeable about community happenings. Most people enjoy humor; use humor that is appropriate, tasteful, and timely.
Review how to make proper introductions. (See Chapter 1, The First Impression.)
Review and practice your self-introduction. (See Chapter 1, The First Impression.)
Learn about the sponsor organization and/or purpose of the event.
Participate
Enter the room with poise and confidence.
Orient yourself to the room. Look for interesting people.
Seek out people who appear uncomfortable or are standing alone. They will welcome your conversation and may be good business contacts as well.
Make the most of nametags. Use people’s names to greet them and start conversations.
Deliver your conversation opener with a smile.
Manifest a positive attitude.
Move in and out of conversations.
Ask questions of others.
Ask for business cards from those you want to contact.
Stand tall.
Smile.
Listen and pay attention. Use eye contact.
Develop active listening skills. Listening actively involves providing feedback as the other person speaks. Nod in agreement, maintain eye contact, comment, and repeat key points that the person makes so he will know you are listening closely.
Follow Up
Deliver what you have promised (i.e., send the article, brochure, reference).
Write a note of acknowledgment.
Write notes on the business card: reference to date and place of meeting and any particular notes about the person.
Good manners are especially good business when you are working a room. Remember to make introductions, use people’s names when speaking with them, hand out business cards appropriate to your business and conversations, and always be courteous and respectful of others. Wear appropriate clothing for the event so you look your best. First impressions are important.
Business Card Etiquette
Cards should not be given to senior executives you meet (unless a card is asked for).
Cards are given at the beginning of a meeting.
Your card is not generally given at the beginning of the conversation when networking.
Avoid scattering your cards in a large group or on a meeting table.
Give your card when you are asked for one, when you are asked to repeat your name, or when someone offers to send you something.
Be discerning about when to personalize your cards by writing on them.
Always carry business cards. Carry them in a case to keep them neat.
Ask for someone’s card if you wish to get in touch with them.
Avoid writing on the face of someone’s card in the presence of the giver because it could offend them. Take an opportunity when you are back at the office or in the privacy or your car or elsewhere to make notes on the cards. Write the date, where you met and any personal notes that will help to enhance future conversations, for example, wears hats, wears bow ties, plays golf, has a son in college. A brief comment about a person’s interests may serve to later demonstrate your personal attention. It is the acknowledgment that makes the connection stronger. For example, a woman called my office and asked if I remembered her. I referred to my notes and commented where and when I met her. She was surprised and pleased that I remembered her!
I have a banker’s card as a sample of what not to do. We were discussing business over tea and I asked for his card. He looked in his wallet and found only one card. You know, the last one seems to be the soiled one! He insisted that I take it despite my suggestion that he send me one when he returned to his office. He turned the card over to find a joke he had jotted down. He read the joke, laughed, and quickly crossed it off with his pen. Then he gave the card to me. Three years later, I still have the card and chuckle. I always forget his name but not his bank. I hesitate to invest my money in his bank or any of their community projects since his card is a strong reminder of how I perceive the bank to handle money. I think he may handle my money and our relationship the way he handled his card, without much care. My perception may not be the reality, but perception is the determinate of how we relate to others.
Managing a Team
Integrity and respect are major keys to successful management. Often we are thrust into a management position even though it’s not part of the original job description or when we least expect it. One definition of management is aiding each member of the team in such a way that their performance enhances and moves the team to the stated objective. The key issue is to manage others as you would want to be managed. Helping each person, as you would want to be helped, is the mark of a good manager. If you need help in managing skills, inquire if there is management training available. Ask human resources about any seminars coming into the area that you might attend. If outside training is not available, look around the office and find a person whom you admire. Observe their management style. Ask questions and observe them working with their team. Emulate that style with your own team, then add your personal touch.
A good manager acknowledges, respects, guides, instructs, leads, and communicates; involves the team members in projects, successes, and planning; and shares the credit for work well done.
Your first team assignment may be to solve a problem or establish a new program or project. Ask the team members for their ideas to resolve an issue or solve the problem. They will respect you for asking for their input and will work more diligently to achieve the goal. Ownership of the assignment comes from being acknowledged for contributing and from being asked for views and suggestions.
As a manager, do not ask for suggestions about how you might improve your management skills, especially at a staff meeting. You may be inviting an employee to lash out at you for reasons unrelated to your performance. It also leaves you vulnerable for others to attack you personally. Instead, ask for suggestions about how to get the job done more efficiently. Use phrases such as
“How can the company ... ?”
“How can our team work better together?”
“How can our team ... ?”
Be prepared to modify remarks to avoid personal comments about another team members.
Every manager brings her own style to the management position. Your personal style of management is evident when your team is assembled. Guidelines for managing are the core, flavored with your personal style of conducting business.
In general, management and staff work better when they do not mix their business and personal lives. Whatever you discuss with one of your staff outside the workplace could easily become fodder for gossip in the workplace and may undermine your management position with the entire staff.
Have you refused to be chair for a meeting because you did not feel comfortable or qualified? Next time, consider taking the assignment and follow these suggestions. Like any other business meeting, you need to plan and prepare for it. Courteous consideration to the details will make the meeting run smoothly and help you feel more confident about directing the progress of the meeting and completing the agenda.
Every aspect of your professionalism is evident in your association with others whether you are conducting a meeting or managing a team. The emphasis is on efficiency in completing the project while at the same time demonstrating your respect for other people, their ideas, and their work. Your colleagues are your assets, and how you relate to them affects how they work with you. The chair’s challenge is to make the meeting effective and efficient.
You can effectively accomplish your meeting goals by spending time to prepare before the meeting. You will need to plan the time and length of the meeting. The meeting agenda demands careful preparation. You will need to plan the subjects for the agenda and determine a specific number of minutes for each item. Distribute the agenda the day before the meeting and ask for suggestions on additional agenda items. Amend the agenda if new items are added.
Send brief reminder memos the day before the meeting with the following details:
Time of meeting
Location of meeting
Discussion items
If you are chairing the meeting, take time the day before to plan what you will wear. If you will be seated for most of the meeting, others will only see you from the waist up. Select an interesting necktie, scarf, jewelry, and colors that will “attract” the eyes of the attendees. You want to have their attention.
On the meeting day, check the room fifteen minutes before the meeting begins. Take this opportunity to arrange chairs and make sure that there are enough chairs for your attendees. If you want a specific seating arrangement, set out name cards. For name cards, use tents with the name on both sides, so others seated at the table can see the name. As the chairperson, you may select your place at the table and indicate it by placing your own name placard, book, or a folder there. A briefcase or handbag may be placed on the chair seat. It is also thoughtful to provide water, glasses, napkins, paper, and pencils for the attendees, especially if the meeting is expected to last more than two hours.
The chair should arrive at the meeting early to make sure that everything is ready. An agenda should be distributed to every seat. As the chairperson, a part of your responsibility is to direct the meeting. You should begin on time or within five minutes of your scheduled start time. You may want to assign someone to take notes or arrange in advance for a staff person not participating in the meeting to take notes. Have an easily readable clock on the table in front of you, or face the wall clock if there is one. When you open the meeting, introduce yourself and ask each person to introduce themselves in one or two sentences. Make a concentrated effort to follow your agenda. Close the meeting on time even if all the items were not discussed.
Though you may feel that you have not accomplished the task, it is better to be prompt and end on time rather than to drag out the meeting for the sake of completing the agenda. Your attendees will be more willing to come to another meeting if you begin and end when you say you will. This applies to board meetings, staff meetings, brainstorming sessions, and association and club meetings. Your staff and colleagues are busy and will appreciate your ending the meeting on time. They have allowed time from their own work schedules to attend your meeting and may have other time commitments.
Is it appropriate to pay transportation or parking expenses for the attendees at my business meeting?
The attendees had the options not to attend or to submit their travel/parking expenses to the company. You are not responsible to pay their expenses. If your attendees must take public transportation or drive to a meeting and there is no expense reimbursement for travel, it is not imperative for you to pay their expenses, but it is a courtesy. You will find that your colleagues will be more eager to attend when they do not have to pay out-of-pocket to attend your meeting.
Should I pay my client’s parking fine issued during our meeting?
Not necessarily. You may feel that they should have been mindful, and they might think that your meeting was too long. The decision depends on you and your relationship to the attendee. It is a courteous gesture to offer to pay. Depending on the amount of the fine, you could split the cost.
On the day after the meeting, send each attendee a synopsis of what was covered in the meeting and what was accomplished. You may even begin to plan the agenda items for the next meeting.
If you are the president or are chairing a board or chapter, then you must lead the meetings. Normally there is a president’s book, which includes the order of conducting a meeting. If there is none, purchase Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules of Order is the standard, universally accepted meeting procedure, and it details the order in which items are introduced during a meeting. Write out the format, put it under a plastic page protector, and add self-stick reminder notes of details for each meeting. You will have specific notes for each meeting that you can remove, move around, and discard after the meeting.
Serving as president or chair can be a rewarding experience. All you need is confidence to stand before a group and know how to set the meeting agenda and facilitate the meeting. Of course, you will need to exercise appropriate skills to close long or frivolous discussion about subjects that digress from the agenda items. If a member will be giving a report, speak to that person before the meeting day and suggest a specific time limit for the report.
If there is no precedent for a meeting procedure or agenda, or there is no meeting outline book for the president or chair, plan and prepare one for yourself that you can pass on to the succeeding chair. The next chair will appreciate it, and you will have contributed to the more efficient leadership of the group.
You might want to put the meeting format on your computer and fill it in for each meeting. A format can be developed with generic information and space for the specifics of each meeting. The date, time, agenda, and officers could even be on the form prior to the meeting.
Any time you can make the job easier, more efficient, and less threatening, you encourage volunteers to help. Simplifying a job often attracts willing helpers.
When You Attend a Meeting
Attendees also have responsibilities when attending a meeting. Prepare yourself for the meeting by familiarizing yourself with the meeting agenda. Review the items and be prepared to contribute your ideas. Arrive at the meeting on time. You make a poor impression when you arrive at a meeting that is already in progress. Select a seat where you can see well and make your voice heard.
The ability to chair a meeting and to lead others, as in managing a team, are skills vital to success in today’s business world. As business becomes more highly technical and we work with more electronic tools, it’s easy to forget about developing our interpersonal skills, skills that are more important than ever. Our fellow employees and our clients all thrive when they feel respected and cared for. Knowing proper business etiquette will give you the confidence to act and to lead effectively with grace and style.