VOCATIONAL ORIENTATED CULTURAL

AND LANGUAGE PREPARATION

DOs

• be formal at work
• address people by using their title and surname
• dress formally when meeting the public
• wear formal and elegant clothes during an interview
• knock on the door before entering, if it's closed
• arrive 5 minutes too early rather than 5 minutes too late for an appointment
• address a doctor or a professor with their title e.g. Doctor Rossi or Professor Rossi

DON’Ts

• smoke at work
• use informal dress when meeting the public
• introduce yourself using your title
• be hesitant in giving answers during an interview
• use a confidential tone of voice during an interview
• talk in a high voice at work
• use a familiar tone with the secretary of an office

 The following list includes some rules of good sense that should be adopted:

• shake hands with whomever you meet for the first time;
• Greet whoever enters your office, except for colleagues with whom you habitually work, and ask them to sit down;
• if you listen to music in your office, choose easy listening music and keep it low;
• though smoking is prohibited, there may be an area for smokers. Just the same, you must always respect public spaces. It is inadvisable to leave your office too often to smoke;
• besides smoking, coffee breaks with colleagues, the increasingly frequent use of the internet for personal reasons and chatting with friends and family during office hours can also be seen as wasting work time;
• beyond the division of roles, you must take into account the common activities that everyone is responsible for, regardless of their position in the company. These are linked to sharing the same workplace and regard the responsibility and maturity of anyone who wants feel an integral part of the company. For instance, when something is not working, the right person should be informed. This way, the next time that something is needed, it will be working. A classic example of this is the photocopier: Who hasn’t found this machine jammed or without paper and thought badly of the colleague who had recently been using it?;
• knock before entering an office if the door is closed. Wait to be invited before entering, and ask if you are disturbing or interrupting something important;
• complaints and criticism should be privately directed to the person responsible;
• try to maintain a good relationship with everybody and welcome new colleagues warmly;
• if you do not get along with a colleague, try to maintain a polite relationship, and never use accusations or insulting behaviour;
• spontaneously offer to help colleagues in need and thank those who help you;
• avoid using crude or vulgar expressions;
• accept criticism graciously;
• if you must discuss a problem at work with a superior, present it as professional, not personal. Discuss the problem calmly and diplomatically, without blaming anyone.

By adopting these little stratagems, the atmosphere at work will surely be more serene and the job more pleasurable and profitable.