{"id":4005,"date":"2026-10-29T22:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T03:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/?p=4005"},"modified":"2026-10-29T20:58:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T01:58:05","slug":"career-table-manners-what-to-expect-at-jcccs-first-impressions-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2026\/10\/29\/career-table-manners-what-to-expect-at-jcccs-first-impressions-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Table Manners: What To Expect At JCCC’s First Impressions Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Design By: Xaviana Reece<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

You\u2019ve polished your resume and practiced your interview answers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then the hiring manager suggests continuing the conversation over a meal, and suddenly you\u2019re wondering which bread plate is yours.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the kind of moment Johnson County Community College\u2019s First Impressions Dinner is built for.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Career Development Center offers the dinner, which pairs fine dining with a lesson in business and dining etiquette. The goal is to help students build confidence, strengthen their networking skills and develop the professional presence they can carry into interviews and career fairs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This fall\u2019s dinner is Monday, Nov. 2, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Regnier Center, RC 101 C&D. Registration closed Oct. 25, so if you signed up, here\u2019s what to expect. If you missed it, here\u2019s why it\u2019s worth watching for next time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s leading it<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Certified etiquette coach Mary Jean Billingsley leads the evening. Over the course of the meal, she walks attendees through how to introduce themselves and start a conversation before moving on to the harder part: conducting business over a meal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Answering an interview question is one thing. Starting a conversation when there\u2019s no script and the silence starts to stretch is another.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Business meals make it even trickier. You\u2019re expected to be friendly but professional and relaxed but still aware you\u2019re making an impression, all while figuring out what to order and where to put your napkin.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of thing most classes never cover. Knowing how to talk about your goals is one skill. Doing it over a meal, with a full place setting and someone you\u2019re trying to impress across the table, is another.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What to wear<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Career Development Center recommends business attire, so think of it as a test run for your interview outfit. If you\u2019ve been meaning to find out whether that blazer still fits, now\u2019s your chance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s worth it<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For students who haven\u2019t attended a professional dinner before, the expectations can be difficult to figure out. Networking events and business meals come with their own unwritten rules, and nobody hands you a guide before your first one. The dinner gives students a chance to learn those rules alongside others doing the same thing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a low-pressure place to practice. The point is to learn the expectations before you encounter them in a professional setting where the stakes may be higher.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Missed it this time?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The dinner isn\u2019t a one-time event. The center also held the dinner in spring 2025, so keep an eye on the Career Development Center\u2019s events for the next one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the meantime, the center offers other ways to prepare for the workplace. Career coaches can review resumes and cover letters, and students can practice interviewing before the real thing. The Emerging Professionals Program offers additional opportunities to develop networking and professional communication skills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students can visit the Career Development Center in SC 252 or call 913-469-3870. Direct questions about the dinner itself to Jessica Leonard at 913-469-2001.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And whether you attend this fall or next time, yes, you\u2019ll probably learn which fork to use.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This fall\u2019s dinner is Monday, Nov. 2, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Regnier Center, RC 101 C&D. Registration closed Oct. 25, so if you signed up, here\u2019s what to expect. If you missed it, here\u2019s why it\u2019s worth watching for next time.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[365],"class_list":["post-4005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Saul Epstein","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/sepstein\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/10\/FirstImpressionDinner_Color_1008x720-300x214.jpg","coauthors":[{"link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/gabrielle-thompson\/","display_name":"Gabrielle Thompson"}],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Life<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Life<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 9 hours ago","modified":"Updated 10 hours ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on October 29, 2026","modified":"Updated on October 29, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on October 29, 2026 10:00 pm","modified":"Updated on October 29, 2026 8:58 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":365,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"gabrielle-thompson","display_name":"Gabrielle Thompson","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/10\/FirstImpressionDinner_Color_1008x720.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4005"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4021,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005\/revisions\/4021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4005"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=4005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}