Book Review: The Modern Rules of Business Etiquette by Donna Gerson and David Gerson
If you are anything like me and my friends, you have had questions about what is appropriate to do at work, what you can ask of your bosses, if what you did or said at an interview was okay, if what you did and said at an office gathering was appropriate. From my understanding, this is completely normal. We are law students trying to figure out the real world of business etiquette, and while asking your friends and other law students for advice is a great way to dissipate your worry, it is nice to have a resource to go to that can answer these questions. An easy way to figure out the Dos and Don’ts is by breezing through this short, easy read on The Modern Rules of Business Etiquette by Donna Gerson and David Gerson.
The book is a short 85 pages, in a large font and easy to follow format. The book provides short explanations on what you should and should not do in certain situations starting from the beginning of the business relationship, applying for a job all the way through leaving a position and everything in between. Most of this information in this book you will recognize because at some point or another our Law Career Services advisors, professors, or mentors have recited them to us, but it is particularly useful to have some of this in writing, to take notes on yourself, and remind yourself of on your own accord. If you do not want to read the book in its entirety you can always flip through the sections that are relevant to you at a certain point in your career and read those over.
I found the Chapter on Interview Etiquette particularly helpful because that is where I am at in my legal career. Donna and David Gerson reminded me that for every ten years of career experience you should have a one page resume, know your writing sample, so if asked questions about it you can recite things right away, and make sure that you present yourself in the most professional way possible. You may be thinking, “Duh” but if you are anything like me, because you are rushed and overworked, you have let one thing or two slip in certain situations. The book reminds you that you should not let anything slip and that it is alright if you mess up! The book also provides you with many ways to apologize and explain yourself, in a professional manner, when things go awry.
We all come across situations in which we do not know if it is appropriate to ask our bosses to explain themselves twice and whether or not this is going to make them angry or think we’re stupid. The book provides the best possible way to approach your boss, especially one that is busy, and how you can present yourself in a manner that does not make you look inadequate. There are also ways provided in which you can work with those more junior to you, and how you can present yourself without appearing to be demeaning. Whether or not you have been dealt with this way or not, this is time for our generation of attorneys to follow up on proper etiquette and start our own trends.
The Modern Rules of Business Etiquette is a simple way to have unanswered questions answered and most importantly provide you with peace of mind. If you know you did everything in the most professional manner possible and you followed through on the suggestions in the book you know you did everything that you could have done. Every individual in the legal field should read this book, because as we were told on our first day of law school orientation, reputation is everything in the legal field.
--Geeta Shah, Public Interest Coordinator
