| Topic Name: |
Dress |
| Message Name: |
What to wear at an interview!! |
| Date Posted: |
08/25/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
Here's what makes my situation complicated:
--It's neither dot-com nor Goldman Sachs: I'm interviewing at small to medium companies that do education and research.
--It's NY and almost summertime, making the versatility of layers more difficult.
--I'm 25 but look younger, and I'm coming straight from academia, so I have to look mature and not totally out-of-touch with the work world (I'm afraid a suit would be overdone).
Would nice tailored pants and a knit top be ok? I also have a black skirt-suit that's made of slightly less formal material. My problem is what to wear with it: if I arrive and it's clear that I'm overdressed, I want to be able to take off the jacket, but then what to wear underneath?? Anything more than a sleeveless top in summer seems way too hot and formal, but very inappropriate on its own. But I think wearing a blouse with the suit will just look too stodgy and count against me.
And then there's shoes & hose: are low-heeled slingbacks (closed-toe) ok? (And is open-toe really so bad?) Regular old pumps look terrible on me. What about hose in summer? Black seems too hot, tan too stodgy, bare legs too informal (and I'm pale).
It's so complicated! Most of the places are in suites in large buildings in NY, so I'll never be able to scout out employees beforehand.
The books never cover any of this--they just say not to wear jeans and to comb your hair--pretty unhelpful. So any advice from this board is appreciated. Thanks! |
| Message: |
So, here was my situation.....
I used to work at an athletic company.... we wore sweats to work every day. Even the CEO was very casual. But, we still expected our interviewees to dress professionally.
So, I had an interview at an outdoor retail company. I knew that everyone was going to be wearing jeans,plaid shirts, and brown shoes. I knew if I wore a jacket and a skirt, I would stick out like a sore thumb! But, I still wore a jacket and skirt anyway because I wanted to look professional for the interview. I believe what everyone else said on this panel. Just because they are wearing jeans, doesn't mean I should. I mean, do I go into an interiew with a plaid shirt on???? I don't think so!!!! but, then again.... If I come in with a black suit on, do they think that I wouldn't fit in? Anyway, I wore my jacket and skirt on my first interview and on my second interview I wore a black skirt and jacket. On the second interview, the interviewer said that when they interviewed him, they told him not to wear a suit, they he should dress casual. He said he had to go out and buy a plaid shirt! The whole time I'm thinking that I'm dressed inappropriately and now I'm not going to get the job!!! It's all so frustrating! I guess I should have asked the HR person before I showed up. But, then again...... if they told me to dress down for an interview, I would have no idea what to wear!!!
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