A friend is contemplating what to wear for a summer interview - I definitely subscribe to the "always wear a suit!" notion, but was wondering if a suit jacket/skirt would be too casual?
It's been 90 degrees out lately here, and she is thinking something like this jacket and the matching dress at the bottom, but would that be considered "professional" enough (with hose, flats)? I'm having my doubts, and still feel like a black suit slacks/long sleeve suit jacket is the way to go, but I also completely understand her not wanting to be sweating like a pig and looking a mess by the time she gets there!
Any thoughts, opinions? Any help is greatly appreciated! :)
2ndwind, I have not - often, The Limited, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, and Talbots have similar things. (And usually, coupons/coupon codes are abundant for AT, Loft, and Talbots!)
Wow, that is a beautiful suit! I think a skirt or pantsuit is absolutely appropriate to any interview. It's funny that people question the appropriateness of a skirt because I was watching a report and they were talking about this hardcore judge and how he basically demanded that female attorneys in his court wear skirts only and that he thought pantsuits were inappropriate or too causal for women. I never knew there was even a debate over pants vs. skirts, I always thought if tailored well, either one was appropriate. The one thing I cannot stand is ill-fitting clothes, they just look terrible! Spend the money to get one or two suits that look good on you and tailor them so they are an exacting fit. You don't need a ton of suits anyway, 1 "winter/heavy" suit, and a lighter one like the op linked to would be perfect.
Just for added input I was always told that a skirt for a women is actually preferable. When my female friends were interviewing for Pa/med school/vet school, they all wore skirts. Obviously a little different type of interview but it was still considered professional!
Don't worry about the heat unless you are really heat sensitive.
These big buildings generally hit you with an arctic blast of cold air in the summer. I live in the south and overdoing the air-conditioning is standard.
Just for added input I was always told that a skirt for a women is actually preferable. When my female friends were interviewing for Pa/med school/vet school, they all wore skirts. Obviously a little different type of interview but it was still considered professional!
Yes -- it is only comparatively recently that any pants at all have started to be considered an acceptable substitute.
Ohh, I love that outfit in the OP! Very stylish and professional. I went on an interview at a hospital a few weeks ago. It was pretty warm out, so I wore a light, pale yellow sweater set (sleeveless shell and 3/4 sleeve cardigan) with a pair of dark brown dress pants and medium heel, loafer-style shoes. I was hired!
In the past, when I worked as a case manager, I would wear suits for interviews. Only because those are obviously more "office-y" than a floor nurse, and I remember hearing that you need to choose your interview outfit based upon the style of the facility.
Just for added input I was always told that a skirt for a women is actually preferable. When my female friends were interviewing for Pa/med school/vet school, they all wore skirts. Obviously a little different type of interview but it was still considered professional!
This isn't directed at you. The skirt thing is just a huge pet peeve of mine, because I hate the things and I'm not comfortable in them. And believe me, I'm a confirmed clothes horse with a huge walk-in closet that would rival my local Banana Republic. I love clothes (and fortunately I love sales as well!).
If some sexist manager isn't going to hire me because I own one skirt that isn't related to a suit and I won't be wearing it to an interview, I'd rather not work there. (And yes, the judge that had the nerve to demand that women wear a skirt in his courtroom is a sexist. A sexist pig, in my opinion.)
I didn't even wear a skirt to my father's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery - I wore a black suit. (The joke was if I'd worn a skirt he wouldn't have recognized me.) Granted, it was possibly the coldest May on record in DC - it was fifty degrees outside - miserable and raining, but if it had been 70 I'd still have worn the black suit. (For the record, this was before I was back on active duty.)
I wore the same black suit to my Duke University admissions interview and then again to my job interview at Duke Hospital AND AGAIN to my commissioning interview....must be a lucky suit on some level because I nailed all three.
The women in the military aren't even required to maintain a dress blues uniform with a skirt anymore. The only military skirt I own is the one that goes with the formal uniform - it's floor length. It's more appropriate than pants since women don't traditionally wear tuxes and this is the military version of an evening gown.
I've never been told a skirt is "preferable". These days I'm happy to see that people still know what a suit IS....and my guess is most managers are as well. Every time I've shown up in one I've been told I'm one of the FEW applicants who bother to wear one anymore - so skirt or not, I don't think that's the question any more.
Trousers are fine. Skirts are optional. Welcome to the 21st century.
If she wears that, she'll look terrific and make it clear she has the sense to dress for the weather. I would absolutely consider that appropriate for an interview. There's nothing worse than walking out of your house all put-together and by the time you walk into the building for the interview feeling as though you're melting! Even with building and car a/c, 90*F heat can really take a toll on how you look.
Very professional and nice. I would also take a small portfolio with my resume and references in it, and hide some blotting papers and a comb to refresh just prior to the interview :)
A friend is contemplating what to wear for a summer interview - I definitely subscribe to the "always wear a suit!" notion, but was wondering if a suit jacket/skirt would be too casual?
It's been 90 degrees out lately here, and she is thinking something like this jacket and the matching dress at the bottom, but would that be considered "professional" enough (with hose, flats)? I'm having my doubts, and still feel like a black suit slacks/long sleeve suit jacket is the way to go, but I also completely understand her not wanting to be sweating like a pig and looking a mess by the time she gets there!
Any thoughts, opinions? Any help is greatly appreciated! :)
This is what I would wear.
Find a sleeveless dress and a coordinating suit jacket. Wear hose...flat or heels, I don't think that matters, not everyone can wear heels.
Just put on the jacket right before you get of your car and go to the building, you can remove it on your way out.
Yes, but if you'd be more likely to wear the pants at some other point, then you're making an investment. A sleeveless dress for someone like me would be a waste of money.
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lei7
101 Posts
2ndwind, I have not - often, The Limited, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, and Talbots have similar things. (And usually, coupons/coupon codes are abundant for AT, Loft, and Talbots!)