Both women and men can benefit from reading the insightful New York Times interview Sunday with Qwest chief operating officer Teresa Taylor.
Taylor confirms the importance of being a good listener in business, and she provides an interesting look into how she evaluates job candidates. Among her most important decision makers: dining etiquette.
“I never hire somebody without having a meal with them,” Taylor says. “I am absolutely convinced that that’s how you see what people are really like. You can tell by the way they order, the way they pick up all these things you can’t get sitting in your office. I absolutely have changed my mind on individuals after doing that.”
Taylor’s remarks allowed me to reflect back over my seven jobs–all of which involved lunch or dinner meetings prior to job offers. I must have picked up the right fork. Fortunately, an elective course in my final year of college was called “Social Orientation”, and instructor Mary Alice Banks put us through the paces of mock receptions, funerals and dinner events.
Before having lunch or dinner with a prospective boss, you might want to check out these dining etiquette tips.