Victoria Andrachek - Success Story

Victoria Andrachek
Freshman
Managerial Marketing Major

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I am a freshman at Kent State University studying Managerial Marketing with a minor in International Business. I attended an etiquette dinner in October presented by the College of Business Career Services. 

At the dinner, students started with practicing networking skills with other students in attendance. After talking with a couple of people, we were given a cup of soup to start accompanied by a salad, bread, the main course, dessert, and finished with sparkling grape juice to toast. Throughout the dinner, the facilitator talked about the correct placement of silverware, cups, plates, as well as how to use them. 

I enjoyed learning crucial skills about dining out with employers and the delicious food! The people at my table were fun and easy to get along with which was very nice considering how awkward it could be for me at times. I felt like I was the only freshman there (I’m sure I wasn’t) which felt weird but I found out a lot about my major and the classes from upperclassmen. The challenging part was making conversation and getting comfortable with those at the table along with listening and attempting to follow the lessons. At the end, I was most surprised about how many “rules” there were to follow when dining out and trying to follow them while engaging in conversation with employers and coworkers.

I highly encourage all students to attend this dinner at least a couple times. I heard from many people that they were there for the second or even third time just because they had forgotten some things. I attended sooner than most because I plan on doing internships in the near future, and have done some in the past where we would go out to lunch and I was a little embarrassed. Even if you don’t think you will go out with future employers, it is essential to acquire a basic understanding of etiquette. The facilitator was great and I will definitely plan to attend again.