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Re: Let's have a fashion advice thread. - A
buggd222:
--- Quote from: redglasscurls on 21 Jul 2010, 10:39 ---I have an interview this Friday for a position as an office administrator with a large solar installation company. Seeing how I really really want this job and have never been to a very formal-dress interview, I could use some help. I need something that is fancyish, not too tight/baggy, and will not reduce me to a rumpled puddle of sweat by the time I make the 40 minute drive in my non-air conditioned car. This is what I've come up with.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Something Witty on 23 Jul 2010, 21:36 ---So apparently I'm going to a wedding in October, on the 10th. I don't own a suit and/or a tie. what should I do?
Is it okay to wear slacks and a button down shirt with no tie to a wedding?
--- End quote ---
The answer to both these situations is "wear a suit."
Google "what to wear to a job interview for women" and you will see the advice is pretty much universal. Conservatively coloured suit, coordinated blouse. Skirt to the knee or maybe a bit above, but no higher. The dress in question looks nice to go out in, but it does not project professionalism at all. No offence, but if I saw someone dressed like that I wouldn't even think "she's dressed for (office) work," let alone "she's dressed for a job interview."
Guys should wear suits & ties to weddings unless they know that dress will be more casual. SW says he doesn't have a suit, and is broke, so the solution is: call the person who invited you and explain the situation. Ask what you should wear. If the answer is still "a suit" -- depending on where you live, suits can be rented (but this may be out of your price range). And yes, absolutely, wear a tie. Borrow one from a male friend.
Good luck both of you!
redglasscurls:
See though, I feel like the problem with googling something like that is it pulls up articles and people all describing interviewees for one certain type of job. Obviously you should follow the "conservative suit, pantyhose, closed toe shoes and for godsake straighten your hair you heathen" diatribe if you're applying to be a senior accountant or the CEO of Houghton Mifflin or something, but what about every other job?
I interviewed applicants for an internship with a small environmental advocacy group, and if someone had shown up in CEO wear, it would have been super weird. What about for a factory job, or a creative job. It's really not so cut-and-dry as all that. I wore the dress, with the cardigan. I don't think they minded. I did buy some lower heeled shoes though, because those felt a bit too fancy.
Jimmy the Squid:
The interviews I've been to I wear black jeans, boots, a button-down shirt and a black leather jacket. This has been for retail jobs, call centre jobs and one job as a data analyst. I got all of them (I even had dreadlocks for the data analyst one)
buggd222:
--- Quote from: redglasscurls on 26 Jul 2010, 06:57 ---See though, I feel like the problem with googling something like that is it pulls up articles and people all describing interviewees for one certain type of job. Obviously you should follow the "conservative suit, pantyhose, closed toe shoes and for godsake straighten your hair you heathen" diatribe if you're applying to be a senior accountant or the CEO of Houghton Mifflin or something, but what about every other job?
I interviewed applicants for an internship with a small environmental advocacy group, and if someone had shown up in CEO wear, it would have been super weird. What about for a factory job, or a creative job. It's really not so cut-and-dry as all that. I wore the dress, with the cardigan. I don't think they minded. I did buy some lower heeled shoes though, because those felt a bit too fancy.
--- End quote ---
First off, I hope you get the job!
The standards that you'll find from that Google search apply more broadly than you might think. I take your point that if you are showing up to a job interview to be a server at a restaurant, or a ditch digger, or a community activist, the standard is not necessarily "conservative suit." But the concept of "wear a suit to an interview" applies much more widely than just for managerial positions and CEOs.
I agree that context does matter. If you know that everyone in the office sits around in shorts and a T-shirt then yeah, a full-out formal suit might not be as appropriate for an interview. But one rule of thumb that is useful for any job is: dress better for the interview than you would normally dress on the job.
I recommended a suit because you said things like "office administrator," "large ... company," and "very formal-dress interview." Like other people have said, it's usually worse to be dressed too casually than it is to be dressed too formally. And if you show up wearing a suit and, to your horror, you've overdressed, you can at least take off the jacket (and if you're a guy, take off the tie). If you're underdressed, you're kind of screwed.
If in any doubt, dress up.
Patrick:
Raw denim jeans will never, ever, EVER fail you. You can do your interview, make a good impression in any context (but not TOO good, as you guys both mentioned), and then afterward you can go to a party and keep on rocking.
This got me a standing "We call you whenever somebody wants music and hasn't already booked someone" gig at a winery and a steady gig at a restaurant, and also admission into college.
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