Put on your suit, the one recently dry-cleaned. Part your hair with a comb and smooth down the ends, checking for static. Grab your leather zip-up portfolio, chockablock with business ideas, and your updated resume (for good luck). Take one more glance in the hall mirror to ensure you are ready to nail your first working lunch with the boss. You are ready, right?
Co-coordinators of the Business Week Professional Development Dinner, Jessica Warchol, an accounting major, and Patrick Scotkovsky, a marketing major, beg to differ. “You may think you know proper etiquette, like putting a napkin on your lap, but there are more details covered in this event than you can get anywhere else—especially while still a student,” Warchol said.
“I’ve had the opportunity to put what I learned (at the Professional Development Dinner) to practice. After a job interview, I made such an impression that I was taken to a restaurant and was allowed to speak to a few professionals about their work at the company.”
—Patrick Scotkovsky
Like a good suit, the details Warchol alluded to are essential when breaking bread with potential bosses or clients. Scotkovsky said, “I’ve had the opportunity to put what I learned (at the Professional Development Dinner) to practice. After a job interview, I made such an impression that I was taken to a restaurant and was allowed to speak to a few professionals about their work at the company. I’ve also had dinner with professionals during banquets for student-led organizations within the College of Business.”
The coordinators emphasized that the Professional Development Dinner is a safe space to practice one’s etiquette and networking skills. The night kicks off with a mock cocktail hour in which students can reach out to professionals not sitting at their tables.
“Students can go up and talk to different professionals to get their jitters out,” Warchol said.
A LinkedIn photo booth will also be available for students to take a professional photo that will be accessible on the Business Week website. Professor Debbie Lindberg will then provide a presentation on etiquette, immediately followed by dinner. The night culminates with a keynote speech given by Illinois State alumnus Rob Gibbons ’97, who is chief marketing officer for Recordation Inc.
Warchol said the dinner relies mostly on word of mouth from upperclassmen. By the second day of registration, 250 students had already signed up.
What: Business Week Professional Development Dinner
When: 5 p.m. Monday, February 22
Where: Brown Ballroom, Bone Student Center
