Professionalism Week & Etiquette Dinner

Professionalism Week 2010

During the last week of October the Center will sponsor the 3rd Annual Professionalism Week.  The week features a variety of events focusing on a specific topic related to professionalism.  The week will culminate in the 8th Annual Etiquette Dinner.  Last year's dinner was attended by over 100 students and guests, local business leaders, and Milgard School of Business faculty and staff.

The 2010 workshops are still in the planning stages.  Check back for final topics, locations, and dates.

  PRESENTING YOURSELF:  Ruthann Reim McCaffree, personal coach, career advisor and business owner of Career Management Institute  will provide recommendations on presenting yourself professionally, methods for integrating into a workplace culture, and strategies for landing the job you want and then managing your career growth.  See 10 Strategies for Managing Your Career.  Mrs. McCaffree recommends three books during her presentation:

• How to Shine at Work by Linda Dominguez
• 60 Seconds & You're Hired by Robin Ryan
• How to Gain the Professional Edge: Achieve the Personal and Professional Image You Want by Susan Morem

NETWORKING 101:  Everyone knows networking is important, but how do you do it with skill and finesse?  What do you do after making a contact?  Joe Lawless, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility shared his advice and more than twenty years of networking experience.  Couldn't attend this presentation?  View the presentation here.

New session in 2010 - NETWORKING 201:  This a brand new session in 2010!  It will focus on where to network in Tacoma and with whom.  Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, Young Professionals Network, and the World Trade Center-Tacoma will talk about the events their organizations run, and give you ideas for your own participation.  Session to be led by Jenn Adrien from the Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility.

What is an Etiquette Dinner?

November 5th was a blustery evening in Tacoma but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of more than 100 UW Tacoma students, faculty and staff who joined several business leaders for the 7th Annual Etiquette Dinner held at the beautiful Hotel Murano.  Keith Gulley, Recruiting Manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and presenter for the evening shared his insights on dining etiquette.  Working from the outside in (and other useful tips) gave attendees tips and tricks to remember table setting placements, what to do with your napkin when you leave the table and the best way to eat difficult foods with grace.  In addition to learning dining etiquette, students learned the importance of "the business meal" and why getting the details right makes a difference to an employer or a client.  

"Whether it's an interview over lunch or a job review in the boss's office, one's attention to detail makes an immediate impression," says the Center's Executive Director Joe Lawless.  "Teaching our students the finer points of dining etiquette equip them with one more tool to develop as socially responsible leaders."

The Center would like to thank our 2009 Table Hosts:  Columbia Bank, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Friends of Annie Wright School, MultiCare, Moss Adams, RSM McGladrey / McGladrey & Pullen, and Target.

Want copies of photos taken during the 7th Annual Etiquette Dinner?  Visit the Picasa website to download photos.