Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, I am aware of the 50-page thread on pantyhose that goes back years, but I would really appreciate fresh perspective.
Situation: Job interview. North Carolina, downtown location, IT-ish (IT Dept. but a little offshoot, so kinda techy/geeky), no clue about what they wear in the office as it's a tiny group, manager is near retirement age but no clue with whom I am actually meeting (probably him, maybe others?). Temps expected to be low-mid 70s, and I'm going to be nervous and sweaty, probably.
I have a fabulous black flounce pencil skirt that extends just below the knee and makes me feel awesome, so that's non-negotiable. Closed-toe shoes, white/black top, black sweater.
Blond/blue-eyed/painfully fair/40yo mid-career professional with ZERO fashion sense.
So lay it on me: do I have to wear hosiery or is bare-legged ok?
To me, since the skirt hits below the knee, I think you could get away with not wearing hosiery. Since you're fair all over, white legs probably wouldn't stand out so much, as someone more tan everywhere BUT their legs...you know what I mean?
This will sound dumb...but have you tried the outfit on, and stood in front of a full length mirror? I think that's what I'd do, and see what the whole picture looks like.
This will sound dumb...but have you tried the outfit on, and stood in front of a full length mirror? I think that's what I'd do, and see what the whole picture looks like.
Good idea. And sit down in the outfit, as well.
Do you want the job badly enough to dress conservatively? If you really want the job, I would think you would dress however you had to, to be considered.
Do you want the job badly enough to dress conservatively? If you really want the job, I would think you would dress however you had to, to be considered.
Nope nope nope. I come from the legal field where women have regularly been told to wear pantyhose, skirt suits, not wear wedding/engagement rings, etc. Just nope. My thought is that if a place is so conservative that they are not going to hire a woman who isn’t wearing hose, particularly in fields that are or were formerly male dominated, it is not a job that you really want. Skip the hose.
I vote for the hose. Employers expect people to dress for the occasion, and an interview is a big occasion. Dressing formally for an interview does not mean you plan to, or are expected to, dress that formally every day on the job. It does show that you are going that extra step in a situation where formality is expected.
Having said that, I’m an old school manager, now retired and in my sixties. I would have appreciated, and in fact, expected, the gesture of dressing formally for an interview. I have no knowledge of the culture in a more youth and technology oriented office atmosphere. If that changes things, then my experience is outdated and should be disregarded.
Go with the hose. It's only going to be a couple of hours and you'll never go wrong dressing UP a bit for an interview. It shows that you've made an effort.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Closed-toe shoes, white/black top, black sweater.
