Like all of you, we’re winding down for the year — so I thought now might be a fun time to look back at the posts that were the top ones of 2011. According to Google Analytics, they are:

10. Administrative Assistant’s Day: A Poll

9. “Comfortable Casual” for a Heat Wave

8. How to Resign Gracefully

7. Which Stores and Brands Work Best for Different Body Types?

6. Emergency Reader Email: Maternity Leave Email (and other messages)

5. Taking a New Job While Pregnant

4. Diamond Rings and the Working Girl

3. What to Wear Beneath a Suit Jacket

2. What Not to Wear as an Intern or Summer Associate

and the number 1 post of 2011 was…

1. What Not to Wear to the Office

Some of my favorites that missed the Top 10 include:

• Working Through Your First Trimester of Pregnancy
• What’s Your Favorite Pen?
• Dating Someone With Less Money or More Time
• What Clothes Do You Buy Again and Again?
• How to Wear a Black Blazer as a Separate

Readers, do you have any favorites from the past year that weren’t included on this list?

In keeping with our year-end reminiscing, I thought I’d do another post on what our top ten articles were.  This year was a big year — I came out of the anonymous fashion blogging closet, traffic grew (welcome all new readers!) and in general the community exploded (in a fabulous way).  Some of my personal favorites (such as my “how to get your groove back” post) made the list; I’ll call out my other personal faves below.  But first, the list:

Our Top Ten Articles from 2010
(according to Google Analytics)

1. The Intern with the $9000 Handbag
2. The Quest for Comfortable Heels
3. Can You Give Unsolicited Fashion Advice to Interns?
4. Big News — And Introductions
5. Guest Post: Advice from the VP/Hiring Manager Level
6. Calling All Tuckers
7. An Attitude Revamp (Or, How To Get Your Groove Back)
8. How Not to Gain Weight Over the Summer Recruiting Season
9. Some Thoughts on Frump
10. Will Flats Fly in Court?

Some of my personal favorites that didn’t make the traffic based list included our financial discussion of what makes a woman “rich,” as well as my interview with Brandy Lusvardi, the costume designer for Better Off Ted (which, sadly, was canceled).  On the fashion side of things, I liked the reader question about how to add personality if you hate jewelry, as well as our discussion about mixing textures and patterns.

Readers, any favorites (or favorite discussions from the commenting threads) that you’d like to call out? I’d definitely like to give a shoutout to the discussion about the pros and cons of being a lawyer (and going to law school) in this thread (start here and here).

Check out our top ten of 2009 (and of all-time), here…

UPDATE: I checked in with Lisa from Privilege (our single Guest Post to break the top 10!) for an update, and here’s what she had to say:
“My corporate job disappeared, to be replaced, however, by some consulting on corporate website design, and a more serious focus on the blog, Privilege. Which, by the way, I feel has hit its stride, now that I understand more what on earth I’m doing, writing about style in its social context. Always helps to know what you’re doing, right? Happy 2011 to Corporette and all its readers.

We realize interview week is over at some schools; for others they’re still to come. Still, callbacks will be going on well into September and October, so we thought we’d share some advice on interviewing. Photo at left by SOCIALisBETTER, courtesy of Flickr.

Interview Prep…

1. Make sure your resume is up to date and without typos. We recommend putting the “date printed” on your resume — it can just be a field in your footer. This is especially helpful when you make changes to your resume, or if you interview with firms multiple years.

2. Think about which of your personality traits to highlight. Try to recognize what it is about you that makes you a great catch for an employer. Are you creative, an outside-the-box thinker? A great manager? Someone who pulls teams together? These are the sorts of things that won’t appear on your resume and might not even come up through your references. Now, once you’ve identified those traits, sift through your experiences to find examples of those traits in action, because showing is always better than telling when it comes to these things. Armed with two or three stories, you’ll be all set to casually drop them in when you interview. It’s a great way to prepare for those questions you can’t prepare for — (“What does your resume not tell me?”) — and it’s a great way to sound intelligent and charming but not rehearsed.

3. Research, research, research. Google the firm or company. Know the web site backwards and forwards. If you’re interviewing with a law firm, search Westlaw for recent decisions (or briefs) that lawyers at the firm were involved with. Check Above The Law for scuttlebutt.

4. Work an inside connection. Peruse Linked In to see who you know. Figure out if anyone from your journal worked there last summer. Ask the Career Office if they know of any alums. Try to make a phone call or shoot an e-mail — if you know the person well it can be as simple as “I’ve got an interview this Monday with ____ — anything I should know?” We once advised a friend to mention a recent case during her interview and she got the job.

During the Interview…

5. Lean forward — it silently conveys your interest. Simultaneously, avoid crossing your arms (it makes you seem closed off) and keep your focus on the “triangle” of the person’s face formed by their eyes and mouth. Check out Lifehacker’s guide to other “conversation hacks.”

6. Focus on the conversation and be sure to answer the questions asked. Sometimes doing a little preparation work makes you overeager to answer questions a certain way — be sure you’re not making that mistake.

After the Interview…

7. Keep detailed notes of who you spoke to — and what you spoke about. We had a friend who, during her OCI week, kept a spreadsheet that included the firm’s name/website/telephone number, the date of the interview, the name of her interviewer, 3 brief pros and 3 cons about the firm (in case someone from the firm called she wanted to remember quickly), the date of her callback and any information about it (hotel/flight reservations, etc), the name of who she interviewed with on her callback, and her general impressions from walking around inside the firm on her callback.

8. Don’t pick up your telephone unless you know who’s calling. Of COURSE, firms aren’t fungible. But the distinctions between the firms tend to get a bit blurry after a you’ve interviewed with 15-20 of them. Our advice: let everything go to voicemail unless you know for sure who’s calling. This way you’ll absolutely be prepared to sound professional, intelligent, and 100% interested in the job.

9. Set up Google Alerts or Westlaw alerts if you’re interviewing for a legal job. If there’s a new development, you’ll want to hear about it, both to sound knowledgeable about the firm during your interview as well as to gauge your own interest in the firm.

10. Send professional thank you notes. Check and check again to be sure there are no typos in the letter! Be sure to mention the conversation you had (“It was great to hear more about X and Y”). If you interviewed with multiple people, it’s acceptable to send one thank-you note to just one of the people — either via the hiring office or to whichever (senior) interviewer you clicked with the best. For more advice on thank-you notes, check out this list of FAQs on Thank You Letters.

We also suggest you check out the Daily Lawyer’s interview tips. Have we left anything out? Comment away…

Liking this article? Check out more like it in our Interviewing section — including posts such as:

- What to wear to your interview

- How to accessorize for your interview

- Our thoughts and suggestions on basic suits

Ellen Parsons took interviewing seriously... so should you!

Wow, it’s the start of the interview season already for those of you still in law school. Good luck! Stay tuned; we’re going to (try) to do a lot about interview tips and a guide to women’s suits. Immediately, though, we have this question from a reader named Summer:

I am a 3L law student looking to buy a nice conservative suit for interviews. I am also a big fan of corporette! I have looked around malls and nothing seems to be nice enough. The only thing that I have found in my size online is Talbots. I also ran across the site www.mycustomclothing.com. Do you think this site is legitimate? Do you have any other recommendations?

Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re not familiar with the site, but we wouldn’t recommend going with a custom suit for a big interview unless you already had a relationship with an amazing tailor. Our best advice with interviewing for conservative jobs is that the entire goal of your interview wardrobe should be to take the focus off your appearance and put the focus where it should be: on your mind, your accomplishments, and the way you carry yourself. You can show your personality, your taste, your quirky sense of humor — whatever! — later, after you’ve got the job. That said, we might suggest adhering to some simple guidelines when buying clothes for interviewing.

• Buy within your budget. No one’s going to “ding” you on an interview because your suit isn’t Armani.
• Choose a dark suit. A black or navy suit is always more conservative than a brightly- or lightly-colored suit, and if you have to buy something inexpensive then it will hide the imperfections in the fabric and the seams.
• Buy a skirt suit. We know, we know: feminism, equality, misogyny, etc. We’re not saying it’s cool. We’re saying it’s a crazy world out there and you should go with the most conservative option available if you want the job — which for women is a skirt suit. The skirt should be knee-length or slightly above the knee. If there’s a slit in the back of the skirt, make sure that a) you’ve pulled out any threads that “closed” the slit with a big X, b) the slit doesn’t go so high that you’re showing your upper thighs or worse — if you’re wearing control-top pantyhose those control tops should not be showing, and c) if it’s an old skirt, make sure the slit isn’t in need of repair. We tend to wear dark pantyhose (“off black” or gray is our preference, for some reason) but in writing this we’ve realized we’re not absolutely sure what’s appropriate — good thing tomorrow is the poll of the week! Be sure you pull a chair over to a full-length mirror and practice sitting in the skirt suit; you want to see what the interviewer will see and make sure you look appropriate and tasteful.
  
• Dress for the season you’re in. If you’ve got an interview this week, please don’t go in wearing a tweed suit — you’ll look like you’re not aware of your surroundings. Similarly, if you’re interviewing in January or April, don’t go in wearing a white linen suit.
• Wear a suit that fits well. We’ve all had it happen: you gain a few pounds and swear you’re going to take it off so there’s no point in buying new clothes. Trust us, we hear you. This is one of those times that you’ve got to just suck it up and go buy a bigger size (or two), because you will be dinged for your appearance if your suit is too tight. See our Lisa Cuddy 360 Review for reference, but here are some telltale signs your suit does not fit you:
  • You can’t button the jacket, or the buttons don’t lay flat once buttoned
  • The skirt is “smiling” because it’s being pulled so tight across your hips
  • When you walk the skirt hikes itself up because it’s too tight across your hips
  • Your arms look like sausages in the jacket
  • You can’t lift your arms above your head

How do you say goodbye with a picture, uploaded by 23am.com

*The Pat Benatar song is actually “About the Art of Letting Go,” not saying good bye, but so it goes.

As the summer dwindles for summer classes of future MBAs and JDs, we thought we’d give some advice on how to say goodbye (and hello).

While you’re still working there…

1. Give people a head’s up that your last day is approaching — do your best to set up lunch, coffee, whatever. Until you’ve accepted your offer there is still very much an air of “let’s make the summers happy,” so now would be a good time to approach that Big Wig and see if you can set something up. (Hint: If you’re trying to organize something with the CEO or Executive Partner you may want to try to get a few other summers on board — it’ll be less awkward for you and it’ll be seen as more time-efficient for the Big Wig.)

2. Assess if you’d like to offer any of your time during your final year in school – law firms in particular have been known to quietly use 3Ls if there is too much work. If you’d like to commit your time during your last full year of freedom, offer it up during lunch or coffee.

3. Make sure people in your summer class are organizing a thank-you present for your secretaries, as well as the recruiting office — flowers are nice, spa packages are better. If no one is, spearhead the effort yourself. If you had a very active summer, follow up with a hand-written thank-you note to the recruiting office. Why? It’s the gracious thing to do. (And no one likes working with an ingrate.)

4. On your last day, try to do a personal drop-by to say goodbye to the people you enjoyed working with the most. If anything comes up in the conversation, be sure to follow up on it. Exchange e-mail addresses if possible — if there was a mid-level at the company you especially liked you may want to make sure you get his or her personal e-mail address, on the off chance they leave before you return.

5. Be judicious about social networking sites. It’s fine to use Facebook or MySpace to connect with the other students you summered with. If you want to, it’s not inappropriate to use LinkedIn to connect, either. However, do not request to become “Linked In” with superiors at the company, unless you’d also ask them to recommend you to a future employer — it’s more serious than a casual link, and no one has really had time to assess the other person’s work. Requesting to become linked to an mid-level or senior person you had lunch once or twice with, or wrote a memo for, is really not acceptable. Similarly, be wise about your Facebook or MySpace page — if you’re going to connect with future work associates, take your cue from them. If they don’t have drunken bikini shots of themselves on there, you might want to think twice before putting those on your own page. (Although, really, we’re hoping you removed those pictures before you started the interview process.)

During the long absence…

6. Stay in touch with people you liked! Ask for advice, give them a general update on your life if you got to personally know someone well. This can pay off professionally: if you worked at a law firm this summer and got to know a first- or second-year associate very well, by the time you get back they’ll be a mid-level associate with (hopefully) good work to pass along.

7. Use Google Alerts to stay “up” on projects you worked on during the summer. Did the deal ever happen? Did the case ever settle? Did the product ever launch? Send an e-mail when you see an article on point to the bosses who supervised you. Also use the service to stay up on other company news and gossip. This way, if the firm wins a huge judgment, or the company posts huge profits you can congratulate the people you knew at the company (as well as being aware if layoffs happen or the stock price plummets). Finally, you may also want to use Google Alerts for any newsmakers in your firm — it never hurts to e-mail the BigWig and say, “Ah, saw your op-ed in last week’s WSJ. I learned a lot, and thought you’d be interested to read ____ as well.”

8. Don’t speak ill of your experience around campus. Remember, this is the company you’ll be working for; it will appear on your resume — you don’t want to contribute to a bad opinion of it, if one exists (and you certainly don’t want to create one).

As you prepare to come back for the start of work…

9. Send a personal e-mail to the people you worked with to let them know you’re coming back – even if everyone in your class is starting on the same date. The onus of getting back in touch falls to the person with the least seniority — which is you. Let them know you’ll be coming back soon; depending on the person you’re e-mailing you may want to ask if they have any good projects if they can hold them for your start date, or you may want to ask if there are any projects at the company you should avoid like the plague.

10. Whatever you do, during every part of this process, avoid e-mailing everyone at the company or law firm. You may have seen people who had worked at the company for years send around a mass e-mail saying good bye — THIS IS NOT YOU. DO NOT DO THIS. All you will do is make yourself seem self-important and lacking in discrimination.

Liked this story? You may also want to check out our Corporette 101 features (advice for women just starting out in the business world), The Hunt (where we review some options in the market for basics), our What to Wear To… advice, or maybe check out some of our polls. Oh, or also our 10 Things columns…

Long Hair Design, originally
uploaded by asobitsuchiya

And, now, just because we’ve got it running through our head, we thought we’d share some lyrics from Hair with you:

I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratsy, matsy
Oily, greasy, fleecy, shining
Gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen
Knotted polka-dotted, twisted beaded braided
Powdered, flowered and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled and spaghettied!

Is Long Hair Unprofessional? [Ms. JD]

In this feature, “What to Wear To…” we tackle attire for office events that are outside the confines of the 9-5 office day.

It’s the Aughts, and Blackberries and the Internet mean most work can be done from home. Still, there are times when there’s just no way around it and you’ve got to go in. This presents a special challenge: you want to look cute, cool, hip — but you’ve also got to look professional. If the hours are long you’re going to want to be extremely comfortable. Odds are good the air conditioning will be at full blast, so you also want to be warm.

We’ve found a bunch of great jackets that have a structured look to them, yet they’re made of fleece, jersey, and other fun fabrics — they’re almost as comfortable as your old reliable sweats. With a nice (non-ripped) pair of jeans, and a cute pair of closed-toe shoes (or even nice sneakers), these can maintain your dignity, broadcast your cool, and protect your comfort.

We first discovered Iisli a few years ago, shopping casually at Bergdorf’s — we randomly picked up a gray sweater coat and were absolutely amazed at the structure and fit of the jacket — trust us, this brand is something else. This blazer is in a lightweight jersey, which is uber comfortable, and has patch pockets and unfinished edges throughout (for a weekend feel). Iisli Safari Blazer, $348 at shopbop.com.

This swing coat is, unbelievably, made of fleece. The detailing on it is exquisite — pleats start at the shoulder and go to mid-back. Mike & Chris Theodore Fleece Jacket, $235 at Pink Mascara.

Oooh, another Iisli sweater-blazer, this time in a metallic gold knit. Iisli Bianca Knitted Blazer, on sale at Net-a-Porter for $238 (was $398).

This Ecoganik jacket features zip pockes, a wide neckline, and trench-inspired detailing at the cuffs and shoulders. Teresa Longsleeve Jacket in Moss, $185 at CoutureCandy.

We like the way this looks like a double-breasted cardigan until you look closer and realize it looks a bit like a trench. Colombo never had it so good. Mike & Chris Lionel Hooded Trench, $185 at Pink Mascara.

Sweater coats can be great — for about the first hour you’re wearing them. After that, they do an unfortunate thing where they start to misshapen and too big, and you end up looking like you’re wearing a bathrobe. So, we lurve that this jacket looks like a sweater coat but is made of 100% organic cotton fleece. Ecoganik Mia Jacket, $158 at CoutureCandy.

This fleece pea coat has double-breasted styling and a bit of a fishtail at the back, which we love. Project E Fleece Pea Coat in White, $143 at Revolve Clothing.

At the lower end of the spectrum, this fitted blazer by Free People is a bright spot in a dreary office weekend. Marrakesh Fleece Blazer, on sale for $39 at freepeople.com.

Welcome, Above the Law Readers! Here are some links to other pages you might be interested in:

Tool of the Trade: LeechBlock
10 Things to Know About: Wearing Button-Down Shirts
5 Tips For Surviving the Day After the All-Nighter

(Welcome! If you’re new here, please consider signing up for our email list, or checking out our Top Posts since 2008.)

Someone was telling us recently that they didn’t wear button-down shirts, didn’t even know how to wear ‘em. So, here ya go…

1. If you’re going for the crisp cotton look, go for non-iron. Brooks Brothers makes a great fitted non-iron shirt. Thomas Pink (very high end, typically thought of as a man’s store) makes amazing button-down shirts for women, also, with interesting prints and a lovely fit.

2. Collars should stay on the inside of the jacket, not splayed open on the outside.

3. If you have a white shirt, try not to put it in the dryer in order to avoid yellowing. Actually, in our experience the iron-free shirts look best when hung dry. (Just pull them taut, a bit, when they’re wet and you’re hanging on the hanger — it always seems to help the fabric figure out where to go.)

4. If you’ve got a French cuff shirt, do not bother with those tiny knots you can buy at places for $10 — you’re wasting your money and time, because they take forever to put in. Instead, make an investment in a good pair of cufflinks — Thomas Pink has great ones; Vivre also has some beautiful ones right now

5. Tucking: If you’re wearing a fitted, button-down shirt (such as the ones from Pink) you can experiment with how it looks untucked. The key is that it can’t be too long — it should hit mid-hip, and no matter what should not be longer than your suit jacket. Silky shirts should always be tucked.

6. If you want a very clean look, there are some stores that make leotard-like button-down shirts. See, for example, Victoria’s Secret.

7. Non-traditional style idea: Wear a short-sleeved button-down shirt beneath a vest or even a t-shirt. (We’ve given up trying to wear anything but silky button-downs beneath full-sleeve sweaters — the static cling gets us every time.)

8. Non-traditional style idea, Part 2: Wear a camisole/tank top underneath the button-down shirt, tuck in the shirt, and only button it up halfway, so people can see the camisole beneath. See Allison Janey in West Wing.

9. Gaping: If your shirt is gaping, this could mean a few things. A) You need a larger size, and should take it to a tailor to get it to fit you the way you want it to. B) You need to wear a camisole beneath it, so when you turn to the side people don’t get a view of your bra. C) You can experiment with Hollywood Tape and so forth to keep it from gaping — we’ve found the camisole is just easier.

10. Beneath the white shirt: Wear a bra that matches your skin tone, and a white camisole, no matter how convinced you are that no one can see through it. We’ve tried the nude camisole, and trust is: white just looks better.

Check out some of these tailored shirts, below…

 

tailored shirt

We’ve all been there — stuff needs to get done, and stuff needs to get done now. In the high-stress job, the all-nighter (sometimes several nights in a row!) is par for the course. One of our bosses once said she revelled in looking like crap the next day — wearing it as a badge of honor. We don’t. If you look sloppy and tired and incoherent, well, that’s how you tend to get treated. So, that said, here are our tips for how to avoid looking and acting like the walking dead, after the jump.

1. Get as much quality sleep as you can. Your goal on these nights is to complete as many REM cycles as possible. There are four stages to sleep; the final stage is REM sleep. It generally takes 90 minutes to finish a full cycle, but it can vary, so play around with it. Our point is that once you get home from the office, figure out how many 90-minute cycles you can get in. Go for solid numbers of sleep cycles, because it’s a little like doing your laundry: if you’re interrupted halfway through you’re worse than you were before. Note that a sleeping pill will interrupt your sleep cycles. In general, if you remember your dreams, you’re waking up in the middle of a cycle.
Sleep 101 [WebMD]

2. Force your skin to look young and awake, even if you feel anything but. Almost every skin care line has masks or lotions that use natural acids to exfoliate the skin and promote the skin’s turnover rate. If you’re loyal to one skincare brand, check that line first — look for something like the REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask. Recommended by InStyle as one of the best products of its type, this only requires 7-10 minutes to make it look like you haven’t spent all of last night staring at a computer screen. We know what you’re saying: Who has 7-10 minutes when you’re scrambling around trying to get back to the office as soon as possible? We suggest you put it on while you’re still making the morning coffee/checking your Blackberry. Another good one that requires less time: Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Facial Peel, 1.7 oz (50 g).

3. Ward off colds. No, an on-coming cold doesn’t really affect the way you look, but after a sleepless night your immune system will be vulnerable. We’ve been huge fans of Zicam since our college days — it’s a zinc gel that you squirt up your nose. Sexy! But we swear, it works. (Update 7/09: Our beloved zinc gel has been taken off shelves by the FDA.  Let us know if you find a good alternative!)  You may also want to try some Emergen-C packets — you add them to 8 oz of water and the Kool-Aid type concoction gives you more than 1000% of you Vitamin C for the day. (Especially for when the office emergency has passed and you’re now just trying to make it to the end of the day, we prefer an Emergen-C packet to coffee for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up — no caffeine crash.)
Alacer Emergen C Acai Berry 36 Count, Packages (Pack of 2)
Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, .5-Ounce (15 ml) (Pack of 2)

4. DePuff Your Eyes. The adage says the eyes are the window to your soul — so it’s best to avoid that blank, swollen look in your eyes. Before you leave the house, apply something cold to your eye area. Tea bags soaked in cold water will do in a pinch, but a gel mask is far less messy. Second, invest in a good eye cream — let’s face it, this area always needs help. We like Aveeno Eye Brightener but, again, recommend you look first to whichever brand of skincare products you use. Also, Visine is handy if your eyes are very red — but we’ve heard you should use Visine sparingly — i.e., not daily — because the ingredient that gets the red out will eventually stop working. If your eyes are continuously dry and sore, we luuurve TheraTears — they’re preservative-free and come in both a regular liquid and a super-duper thick and soothing gel.
` Elasto Gel Hot / Cold Sinus Mask.
Aveeno Positively Radiant Eye Cream, .5-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 2)
Visine Advanced Relief Lubricant/Redness Reliever Eye Drops, 1-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 3)
TheraTears Lubricant Eye Drops, Single-Use Containers
TheraTears Liquid Gel, Lubricant Eye Gel, Single-Use Containers

5. Choose a safe outfit. Trust us, today isn’t the day to experiment with that new trend you just read about in Lucky. Even if it’s going to be a low key day, we suggest going ultra safe here: pull out your interview suit, and pull your hair back into a bun or a French twist. The look you’re going for is clean, professional, and most of all, coherent.

Do you have more tips? Comment below.

Get free shipping with your $25 drugstore.com order. Offer ends 06.24.2008.

No, we’re neither Debrett’s nor Emily Post, but we know a thing or two about conducting ourselves properly at a business lunch… we’ve also seen some truly bad manners. Thus, whether you’ve been to a million business lunches or you’re just starting out, 10 Things You Should Know:

1. As soon as everyone at the table is seated, that napkin goes in your lap. If you need to get up at some point, the napkin should be folded and placed on your chair. (Not the table — no one likes to look at a dirty napkin.) At the very end of the meal, when everyone is finished eating, you should fold you napkin and put it beneath your plate, to the left. This holds true even if you’re eating at a diner with paper napkins.

2. Your water glass is to your right. Your bread dish is to your left. If you get confused, put your hands in your lap and touch the index finger of your left hand to your left thumb, and do the same with your right — your left hand should form a “b” (for BREAD) and your right hand should form a “d” (for DRINK). We’ve also heard to think “BMW”: bread, middle, water.

3. If you are the host (or assisting the host, as it with many mid-level people), it’s good manners to make sure things are passed: butter, cream, salt & pepper. Pass the salt & pepper as a unit. Even if someone only asks for salt.

4. If you’re confused about which silverware to use, use the piece of silverware farthest away from the plate. When you’re done eating, the silverware should be laid on the plate diagonally in the upper-righthand corner, to signify to the waiter that you’re done.

5. Pay attention to what other people are ordering. Don’t be the girl on the diet who won’t have an appetizer even though everyone else is. Also, don’t be that jerky guy to order an appetizer even though no one else did, and then sit there smacking your lips about how amazing the bisque is, when no one else GOT the bisque because we all thought it would be a nice, quick lunch. (Not that we’re bitter or anything.) It’s 100% acceptable to order an appetizer to start and an appetizer for the main entree — no one cares what you’re eating so long as you’re eating at the same time everyone else is.

6. When in doubt, cut your food with fork and knife. Huge piece of lettuce? Cut it. The rule with fries is that if you’re eating the rest of your meal with a knife and fork, fries should also be eaten with the fork. (E.g., steak frites.) If you’re eating the rest of your meal with your hands, however, fries should be eaten with your hands. (E.g., burger.)

7. Here’s the proper way to use a fork and knife, courtesy of CollegeRecruiter.com:

While there are several different ways to hold and use a knife and fork correctly, the most common method used in the United States is as follows:
• When you eat, your fork is held in your right hand, like a pencil. (For all of your lefties out there, the fork is still held in the right hand.) The tines (your prongs on the fork) face up.
• When you cut your food, switch hands. Fork goes in the left hand, knife goes in the right to cut. Using your index finger, point your fork with tines down to pierce your food.
• Switch the fork back in the right hand to eat.

8. Proper etiquette is not always what you might think: olives with pits should be placed in your mouth, and the pit should be removed with your hand and laid on the side of your plate. (Not hidden in your napkin or beneath your plate.) Asparagus is properly eaten with your hands, provided it is not covered in sauce.

9. Blackberries should be kept under the table at all times. You should excuse yourself from the table to use a cell phone.

10. All of the above goes out the window if the most senior person at the table is doing things differently. Unless they’re the adorably-batty-head-of-the-company-in-name-only, follow them.

Have more business etiquette questions? Write to editor@corporette.com and we’ll either a) answer ‘em, b) find someone who will, or c) do a poll. Because we heart polls. And etiquette. And answers. (In no particular order, clearly.)

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