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In March I will begin my post-grad job search and I was wondering if anyone had any interview attire tips. I know the standard attire rule for women is a jacket with a blouse (blue supposedly being the go-to color) and black slacks or a skirt, but is this always the case?
Since I will be applying to some "hip", younger companies, I'm wondering if it would be okay to not wear a suit jacket and just wear more along the lines of business casual. After reading the thread "not cool enough for job" it makes me wonder if for some of these companies, formal business attire would be too much.
I would still wear a suit jacket. You could do something more creative such as wearing a more colorful shirt (like lavender or pink). Doesn't have to be button-down either, you could find an sweater shell with an interesting weave. Or add some interesting jewelry or a scarf or unique shoes.
Remember, you can always take off the suit jacket if you arrive and it feels too formal. But you can't add it if you didn't bring it (or buy it in the first place).
In March I will begin my post-grad job search and I was wondering if anyone had any interview attire tips. I know the standard attire rule for women is a jacket with a blouse (blue supposedly being the go-to color) and black slacks or a skirt, but is this always the case?
You don't have to wear blue. Suit colors can be navy blue, brown, grey, black. You can dare to wear a suit color that will leave an impression (my sister wore a red suit and landed every job she interviewed for but she was in a creative industry), but only do this for an industry that doesn't have a strict dress clothes, like in the financial industry. You can wear a shirt with color and/or a pattern since only a small amount of it will be visible under the suit jacket. There are ways to deviate from the norm and be slightly hipper without going overboard. For example, I once wore a skirt that was a small black and white diamond pattern with a black jacket with a quality white t-shirt that had a nice neckline.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoolSocks
Since I will be applying to some "hip", younger companies, I'm wondering if it would be okay to not wear a suit jacket and just wear more along the lines of business casual. After reading the thread "not cool enough for job" it makes me wonder if for some of these companies, formal business attire would be too much.
It depends on the industry of the "hip younger companies." You'll need to provide more information.
Always go to an interview "dressed to impress" - even if the office is more business casual. The company I recently landed a job at is very causal (jeans rule the day unless clients are in the office), but I still wore a suit and tie to my interview.
We don't know if the OP is talking about an office job though. She could be talking about a retail job. Some retail stores are more likely to hire people who have the right "look" and wear the store's clothes.
It depends on the industry of the "hip younger companies." You'll need to provide more information.
I'm a journalism major, so I'll be applying to editorial jobs and some underground zine jobs all in the Chicago area. I just purchased the shirt in the picture below and was wondering if that paired with this Urban Outfitters jacket and nice pants or maybe a pencil skirt would work. (I had a lot of time during my 3 hour night class haha.)
I'm sorry. That's a sloppy look for an interview. It's not even trendy. Put together like that, it's frumpy.
Buy a real suit. Invest in a good one. It's an investment that's well worth it. A good classic suit can last you years.
My sister, who worse the red suit, was a double major in journalism and dvertising , who ultimate ended up being the editor for a magazine in NYC.
You are in Chicago. You definitely need to dress for your interview even if it's a 'hip' place.
Here's Ann Taylor: Any skirt and jacket from this page: Women's Suits: Women's Jackets & Trousers, Dress & Skirt Suits: ANN TAYLOR (http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/category.jsp?pCategoryId=3939&categoryId=179&Ns=CA TEGORY_SEQ_179&N=1200008&cid=g_ps&cid=PPC0001&grid Size=sm&showAll=true - broken link)
These suits from J Crew can do interviews, weddings and funerals:
http://images.jcrew.com/erez4/erez?src=images/onFigure/28/28872/28872_WB4628_m.tif&tmp=prdDtIm (broken link)http://images.jcrew.com/erez4/erez?src=images/onFigure/90/90804/90804_WB4628_m.tif&tmp=prdDtIm (broken link)I'm hoping this jacket looks more taylored if worn normally.
For straight editorial jobs with major publishers you want to be very formal--Urban Outfitters attire is not appropriate. J. Crew makes the best pre-tailored suits of any major brand; you will need to tailor Ann Taylor suits to make them less boxy. If you want to do something a little "different", get a well tailored suit in a pastel or cream for summer or add a bright silk shirt underneath.
The underground jobs will be different: you should wear something that will stand out but still be professional. For those informal jobs, think about a bright pencil skirt or stovepipe pants paired with a buttonup or blouse. You could also go very basic on the skirt or pants + blouse colors but add a punch of color in your shoes. If you know for a fact that a zine hires lots of employees with casual style (brightly dyed hair, crazy facial hair, visible tattoos, jeans & sneaks to work) then you want to make sure not to wear a suit jacket on the interview.
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