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Featured Books
by Anne Babor & Lynne Waymon
by Dan Schawbel
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 Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year! I hope the year is off to a wonderful start for all of you! It has already been a busy start to the year for us here at the Etiquette Centre. We have begun scheduling upcoming training, expanding our offerings, and planning for the opening of our Finishing School for both children and adults! More announcements will be forthcoming on the Finishing School, though if you have children ages 5-17 you would like to send, please let me know as we already have a waiting list. We also welcome children's etiquette expert, Darci Puchtell, to the team!
Early this year I will be working diligently to complete my first book, The Refined Leader, for release this spring, and I have two additional book ideas swirling around in my mind! It seems this year will also move quickly!
Sending all my readers wishes for a fabulous New Year!
Best,
Laura
Laura A. Barclay
President & Founder Etiquette Centre of Minneapolis, LLC
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| Welcome Darci Puchtell!
Children's Etiquette Expert
Join me in welcoming Darci Puchtell to the Etiquette Centre of Minneapolis as children's manners and social etiquette expert!
Darci brings extensive experience in children's education with over 10 years as a teacher in the Osseo, MN school system. She has a deep understanding of the tools youth need to be successful. Her teaching is engaging and creative as she helps students learn manners, poise, and confidence.
Darci has a Master's Degree in Special Education, and a B.S. in Counseling Education and Educational Psychology, both from St. Cloud State University.
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Five Top Tips for Job Candidates in Preparation for an Interview
by Marni Hockenberg, Principal
A job candidate's interview is the first real opportunity to "sell" your skills, personality, and ability. You can benefit from these tried-and-true practices as you prepare for the interview.
1. Study the company and the people who will be interviewing you. Before the interview, identify the most pressing business challenges the company is facing (industry, customer base, competitors, environmental, regulatory, etc.) and the two or three challenges you may be asked to fix for them. You can find much information in the company's annual report if they are a public company, by searching online, and via business periodicals such as your local Business Journal.
2. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Not the "I am a perfectionist" variety. Rather, write four or five unique qualities you would bring to the job and one or two examples of how that strength was exemplified in a particular situation. Then, write two or three weaknesses and consider specific situations where you have turned each weakness into a strength.
3. Show, don't tell. To avoid inadvertently rambling on during the interview, remember to "Say a Few Words."
S = Make an opening statement.
A = Amplify that statement.
F = Provide a few examples.
W = Wrap it up.
Don't feel that you need to keep talking to fill any silence.
4. End the interview on a strong note. Emphasize that you are very interested in the position and that you believe you are the right person for the role. Don't be afraid to ask the interviewer again about the skills the company is seeking, thereby giving you another opportunity to highlight some of your accomplishments.
5. Send a thank you to everyone you met with. This is good business etiquette and one more opportunity to emphasize your fit for the job. The thank you should be more than a simple note card with a preprinted thank you. Rather, it should be a thoughtful letter (sent via email or U.S. Mail) tailored to your interview with that specific individual, reiterating the points made and why you are a good fit, as well as your interest.
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Question: Should I have waited for the client before ordering my drink?
Dear Laura,
I set up a meeting with a prospective client yesterday for coffee and when I walked in the coffee shop I immediately recognized him and we waved. He was on the phone and I didn't obviously want to overhear his conversation so I stood by the counter. I waited a couple minutes then decided to order something for myself since he was still on the phone. When he finished his call, he went to the counter where I was standing and I offered to by his drink and he politely refused.
Should I have waited until he was off the phone to order my drink so that I could get both drink orders? I felt bad that I set up the meeting and then he bought his own coffee. Dear Colleague,
If you arrived on time for your meeting, rather than the faux pas being that you ordered your beverage, it was that he continued his cell phone conversation making you wait for your scheduled meeting. If you arrived early for your meeting, then waiting a few minutes was appropriate. You had no idea how long his conversation was going to continue. It was perfectly acceptable in this situation for you to order your beverage, and then offer to purchase his when he came to the counter.
Do You Have a Question You Want Answered?
I love hearing from all my friends and clients who enjoy reading my monthly newsletter. And I'm always looking to answer pressing questions you might have about anything relating to etiquette, protocol, and image. If you have a question, please feel free to call me at (763) 432-9008, (727) 639-7362, or email me at laura.barclay@etiquette-centre.com.
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Etiquette Centre in the News 
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Upcoming Events
The Shop Girls, Saturday, January 9, 2010
On Shop Girls, Jene Luciani, author of The Bra Book tells us the must-have bras for every woman's wardrobe. Plus tips, trends, beauty and more. Tune in Saturday, 1/9/10, 11 am to 1 pm on Twin Cities FM107.1. You can find the Shop Girls every Saturday! U of M Annual Fashion Show
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Insight, the 2010 University of Minnesota annual fashion show, will feature 14 seniors in the Apparel Design program exhibiting their own work. The senior fashion show has a long-standing tradition of showcasing fine fashion and illustrating the skills developed through the program as the seniors near the completion of their degrees. The designs of the students demonstrate not only the hard work of three years of studying, but also a passion unique to each designer. For more information, see: http://fashionshow.design.umn.edu.
Pink Purse Project Breakfast Fundraiser
Saturday, March 27, 2010 (note date change)
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Pink Purse Project Breakfast Fundraiser to be held on March 27, 2010.
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About the Etiquette Centre of Minneapolis, LLC
The Etiquette Centre of Minneapolis provides business professionals with solutions to successfully navigate the challenges and nuances of today's business world through training and coaching in business and social etiquette, international protocol, and image.
Contact us to learn more!
Ph: (763) 432-9008, (727) 639-7362
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