Professional Etiquette Class Gives College Students the Soft Skills They Need to Succeed

A new class this semester prepared students for their careers by rounding out their classroom knowledge with soft skills known as professional etiquette. The 8-week, non-credit, free course, open to juniors and seniors, was designed to teach students how to interact with professionals.

Melissa Botta Havran designed and taught the course. She spoke about the origin of the class: “I went to get my master’s from Point Park in the middle of COVID, and I taught during COVID as well. Seeing everyone with their masks on, we lost something during that time. From that time on, we’ve lost the pleasantries.”

So Botta created a course to teach students the pleasantries — the old school pleasantries. The textbook for the course is the 1922 edition of Emily Post’s "Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home."

Through both instruction and role play, Botta taught students skills such as: making proper introductions, interviewing, public speaking, professional dress attire, and crafting a resume and cover letter, among other things.

“The idea is to get the students out of their comfort zone,” Botta said. “By refining their soft skills in networking, our students will feel more confident in their ability to navigate social interactions with grace and respect. Their interactions in class were meaningful and intentional, which is a great recipe for opening doors to opportunities and strengthening relationships, both in their personal lives and career paths.”

Botta said that students were very engaged and eager to learn. They were especially interested in improving their networking etiquette, which included not only how to interact professionally, but also what tools they might need to find their first job.

Botta created a business card for each student, and students had their headshots taken for their resume or web presence.

Isabella Nassef, a senior English major, explains how she benefited from the class: “The course has been wonderful and absolutely necessary for me to gain confidence in my professional skills,” she said.

The culmination of the course was an etiquette dinner, in which Botta taught students the proper use of utensils and dining rules. The meal was also used to introduce students to an alumnus. Botta has been working with the Alumni Board and the School of Continuing Professional Studies to create a Mentorship Program for Point Park students.

Currently, 55 alumni have signed up to mentor students. The Mentorship Program hopes to connect with other departments on campus to offer mentorships to students beyond this class.

“I am hopeful that as our student base grows, so will our ability to match students with all our mentors," Botta said. "My vision is not only to match students, but to help them cultivate lifelong relationships with their mentors and peers, thus building a stronger Point Park community. I want the mentorship program to be a place for all students to connect and discuss.”

Going forward, Botta would like to build on the program to develop a larger leadership and mentorship curriculum.

“We need to encourage the exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences between mentors and mentees, fostering a culture of learning, and continue to provide mentors with opportunities to develop their own leadership and coaching abilities while giving back to the university community. This is a lofty goal, but one that everyone involved is committed to.”

Professional Etiquette Class Gives College Students the Soft Skills They Need to Succeed Monday, May 5, 2025