dressing for the interview (find a job, career, business, hired)

[Ivy_32]

I overheard someone in my district talk about how people are coming in to interviews with jeans and flip flops. I was pretty surprised, it's so difficult to find a job here that I would think people would go above and beyond to get hired. Maybe they just don't care (?)

[2nd trick op]

You have two choices:

Be yourself, and get culled out as "not fitting in"

or

"Dress for success" (or to suppress) and run a risk that you're setting yourself up for a daily grind that will destroy more and more of your individuality.

I recognize, as well as anyone else, that a balance has to be struck between the two; my personal approach would be to dress up just "a notch or two" and learn about what's expected under day-to-day conditions as quickly as you can. If you don't like something about the dress expectations, don't take the job, as the resentment is only going to grow as it's forced upon you day-after-day.

[fishbrains]

Being myself sometimes involves playing video games in my underwear. I don't want to hire that guy, so I don't show up to work that way.

I hold myself to a higher professional standard at work, and this is part of the package of pay, responsibilities, etc. you don't want a job, you don't have to present yourself professionally.

For an interview, dress nicely, which to me means dressing even better than you expect to do so on a regular basis on the job.

[Ivy_32]

Originally Posted by fishbrains

Being myself sometimes involves playing video games in my underwear. I don't want to hire that guy, so I don't show up to work that way.

I hold myself to a higher professional standard at work, and this is part of the package of pay, responsibilities, etc. you don't want a job, you don't have to present yourself professionally.

For an interview, dress nicely, which to me means dressing even better than you expect to do so on a regular basis on the job.

The majority of teachers I work with (I'm an on call aide) wear t-shirts, jeans and yes, sometimes flip flops. But they have seniority and tenure so they don't have to worry about it. I'm sure they wore their finest to the initial interview, though.

[Hemlock140]

The seemingly obvious way to find out what to wear is hang out and watch people coming and going a few days before the interview to see what the workers are wearing. Then dress a bit better, not always a coat and tie or long dress. We are business casual, and people I interview are almost always dressed better than I am, though I will wear a tie those days to help make them feel more comfortable in their suit.

[LizfromtheBronx]

I'm interviewing for an internal role, at another location, tomorrow. My office is a mixed bag between casual (I wear jeans, t shirts and sneakers to work) and business casual. I don't know what this office is like, so I am going to wear a dress, tights and cardigan. I don't wear suits on interviews because they are not flattering on me, and then I'm uncomfortable and twitchy - but I still dress professionally. In that regard, I think it's a little easier being a woman, there are more choices.

Wearing jeans and flip flops to an interview is just bananas to me. Even though it's not that different from how I come to work.

[Nov3]

its contingent on the career field.

warehouse work, they don't want the three piece suit guy showing up.
Outdoor work? Again, wear what that environment calls for.

I wear business casual with a dash of class.

One lady that interviewed me had such a great taste in style...Head band that was more cultural, She wore her confidence well!! Think of Mimi From Cleveland ROCKS.