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Old 04-24-2013, 08:48 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
2,637 posts, read 12,633,921 times
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Depends on the position you are applying for. Everywhere I have worked in Florida, office attire is extremely relaxed business casual. We would always snicker at the out-of-state applicants who would show up in a full suit in the middle of the sweltering summer, drenched in sweat and looking like they were about to pass out, and they were rarely hired because they were perceived as "not a good fit" for the company, or "too uptight". Even the President of the company wears golf shirts and khakis unless he has a meeting with out-of-staters - then he grudgingly wears a business shirt and tie with his khakis. He only wears a jacket if he is hopping a plane for an out of state meeting. (Male) Applicants who get hired typically show up in nice slacks and shoes with a button down shirt and tie - dressed up enough that it is clear they understand this is an interview, but not so dressed up that they look like a NY lawyer on TV.

As far as that dress goes, it would work fine for an interview in the offices I have worked in, provided your arms are in good shape. If they are not, you could wear one of those filmy lightweight blouses under it to get a little more coverage. But I would recommend to wear your interview suit skirt and shirt with some nice accessories, and just skip the jacket.
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Old 04-24-2013, 08:56 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 62,054,681 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tilli View Post
Depends on the position you are applying for. Everywhere I have worked in Florida, office attire is extremely relaxed business casual. We would always snicker at the out-of-state applicants who would show up in a full suit in the middle of the sweltering summer, drenched in sweat and looking like they were about to pass out, and they were rarely hired because they were perceived as "not a good fit" for the company, or "too uptight". Even the President of the company wears golf shirts and khakis unless he has a meeting with out-of-staters - then he grudgingly wears a business shirt and tie with his khakis. He only wears a jacket if he is hopping a plane for an out of state meeting. (Male) Applicants who get hired typically show up in nice slacks and shoes with a button down shirt and tie - dressed up enough that it is clear they understand this is an interview, but not so dressed up that they look like a NY lawyer on TV.
I disagree. When I was interviewing in Florida for the first time a number of years ago, I only had one place that I felt overdressed in a suit. Even when I met with the president of the company I'm with now, I wore a suit--albeit a slightly "less-constructed" one, but a suit with slacks/jacket/shell.

Quote:
As far as that dress goes, it would work fine for an interview in the offices I have worked in, provided your arms are in good shape. If they are not, you could wear one of those filmy lightweight blouses under it to get a little more coverage. But I would recommend to wear your interview suit skirt and shirt with some nice accessories, and just skip the jacket.
Fashion disaster? Wearing a blouse under that dress would be awful!
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Old 04-24-2013, 09:17 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
2,637 posts, read 12,633,921 times
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You "disagree" with my personal experience? I'm just giving my take, from my experience - of course your mileage may vary which is why I said in the beginning of my post that it depends on the position. Also depends on exactly which place you are talking about - central and south Florida is extremely relaxed, outside of FL I have no idea. But what I said is true - in the offices I have worked in, no one wears a full suit, and people who interview in them are not hired.

And clearly you are imagining a different sort of blouse than I am.
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Old 04-24-2013, 09:28 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 62,054,681 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tilli View Post
You "disagree" with my personal experience? I'm just giving my take, from my experience - of course your mileage may vary which is why I said in the beginning of my post that it depends on the position. Also depends on exactly which place you are talking about - central and south Florida is extremely relaxed, outside of FL I have no idea. But what I said is true - in the offices I have worked in, no one wears a full suit, and people who interview in them are not hired.

And clearly you are imagining a different sort of blouse than I am.
It is not a jumper. You don't wear a blouse under a dress of any type, unless it is a jumper. That is a fashion faux pas and it would look ridiculous. I live smack in the middle of central Florida.
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Old 04-24-2013, 09:30 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 62,054,681 times
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OP--Here's what I would do.

Wear a skirt/pants and blouse and carry a jacket. As you enter the office, look at what the people are wearing. If they are business casual, neatly fold the jacket over your arm. If they are in business attire, put the jacket on.

PS--If you wear pants you can eliminate the pantyhose/no pantyhose question. No one will care if you aren't wearing socks or hose under the pants. It's a crap shoot with a skirt.
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Old 04-24-2013, 10:02 AM
 
8,275 posts, read 7,949,093 times
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I don't take into consideration the climate of the location where I am interviewing. It's more important to look professional for an interview than to be the perfect temperature.
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Old 04-24-2013, 10:05 AM
 
6,985 posts, read 7,050,447 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk View Post
Very few companies in Florida require business attire. Even in major corporations it's mostly business casual.
But keep in mind that in New York City (as well as most other places), it can get as hot in the summer as it does in Florida. But employers in New York City still expect men to wear a suit every day, no matter how hot it is.
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Old 04-24-2013, 10:40 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 62,054,681 times
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Originally Posted by mitsguy2001 View Post
But keep in mind that in New York City (as well as most other places), it can get as hot in the summer as it does in Florida. But employers in New York City still expect men to wear a suit every day, no matter how hot it is.
The OP was talking about Florida, not NYC. One of my jobs in NYC was casual--as long as it was clean and not obscene, it was OK. The other was business casual, but that was interpreted broadly and on any given day you'd see everything from a suit and tie to jeans and a polo on the guys. The women pretty well kept it business casual, slacks and a blouse/sweater with flats.

My husband works in the Financial/Banking/Insurance sector in a NYC bedroom community and his company went business casual a few years back. It saves a ton on dry cleaning and Brooks Brothers bills.
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Old 04-24-2013, 10:48 AM
 
6,985 posts, read 7,050,447 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk View Post
The OP was talking about Florida, not NYC. One of my jobs in NYC was casual--as long as it was clean and not obscene, it was OK. The other was business casual, but that was interpreted broadly and on any given day you'd see everything from a suit and tie to jeans and a polo on the guys. The women pretty well kept it business casual, slacks and a blouse/sweater with flats.

My husband works in the Financial/Banking/Insurance sector in a NYC bedroom community and his company went business casual a few years back. It saves a ton on dry cleaning and Brooks Brothers bills.
What I meant is that the OP was complaining about having to wear something too heavy, and I said she should be thankful she's not a man working in NYC.
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Old 04-24-2013, 04:36 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
2,637 posts, read 12,633,921 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk View Post
It is not a jumper. You don't wear a blouse under a dress of any type, unless it is a jumper. That is a fashion faux pas and it would look ridiculous. I live smack in the middle of central Florida.
Who made you the fashion police? It is perfectly acceptable and can look cute and professional. Depends on the dress, the blouse, and the figure of the wearer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=blou...w=1097&bih=644

Here's something else for your amusement:

Quote:
Jumper (dress), in the USA, is any, shoulder to thigh length article of women's outer clothing that a woman "jumps into," i.e., is applied from the ankles up; including the sleeveless, collarless dress, known elsewhere as a pinafore or pinafore dress

Nevertheless, my actual advice was to simply wear the suit skirt and shirt and ditch the jacket. Which would be a perfect outfit to interview in, in the offices I have worked. But if she showed up in that dress, with or without a (gasp!) blouse under it, that would be fine too.
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