Coffee break #98

good luck, Sherrie!

Good luck, Sherrie!!! Will be thinking of you on Wednesday.

Thanks, but good greif I have to get "Office Clothing Attire" but first get the job. OH my, no more Jeans? That is crazy. I will have to change my life.

Make Up
No Sneakers
No Jeans
And do my finger Nails!!!!! OMG

Do interviewers really look at fingernails? Jeans are for when you come home tired.

Good luck Sherrie! Yuck on getting dressed up!

I am a "Flower Fluffer" Jeans, sneakers, no makeup, fingernails ignored, Now to get office attire. OMG

Best of luck, Sherrie! Sending you good positive vibes. Knock 'em dead!

LOL on the Tupelos, Patti & Marilyn! These are really huge Old Growth trees. We truly live in the forest primeval! Hank is going to measure the circumference of a really huge trunk. Gorgeous trees.

Picture please. Mine have grown slowly. Patti

Have any consignment shops near you? best place to get work attire at a fraction of the cost

Good luck Sherrie!

The upscale consignment shops might even have Gucci scarves, the works. For a customer service job I'd think a professional manicure before the interview is a reasonable investment if do-it-yourself doesn't look good. When I had almost nothing, I took a page from Dale Carnegie and invested only in the shoes and the handbag, inexpensive suits, wore hair very simply so it was not costly, got a nail kit at the drugstore. Good luck, Sherrie.

Shoes must be comfortable as well as spiffy.

Sherrie. I can pass the clothes part, but I could never do the professionally done nails. I can be clean and clipped but nothing done at a salon like polish. I have had my toes done twice but both were a gift, pedi party with friends. Nice experiance but I would rather buy a new shrub for what it cost. As for the finger nails, I again find it just an expense and a lost cause with my horrible nails.

I never hired anyone in 35 years based much on clothes or nails or hair as long as they were neat & clean. I confess I had to draw the line most of the time with weird body piercingly that were too visible. Big nose rings didn't impress me. But I did hire a brilliant, articulate and super well read guy with a rather large nose ring and very long hair and heavily tattooed. He worked out well. He understood that many customers might be put off by his tribal appearance. He was very anxious to prove that his appearance wasn't as important as great work and customer service which he was very good at doing. By the time he left, he had ditched the noise ring and started to tidy up his hair by wearing it tied back as I think he liked not trying so hard to be different. Now his looks would be tame.

The other thing that made me nervous about hiring someone was if they showed up for the interview with too much makeup on or dressed to the nines. I guess I thought that if they could afford expensive clothes or the time to spend doing hair and makeup that they either didn't need the job and would quit or that they would always be late or wanting time off to go shopping or to the beauty parlor. Pretty shallow view of me to have.

So I recommend just going for a look that is just simple, clean, comfortable and neat. I do greatly concur that consignment shops are a great plus to fix up any wardrobe. I picked up a wonderful grey sweater coat, a pair of barely worn Clark shoes, 2 new scarves, and a nice leather bag for under 50 dollars last week in Tolland Ct. If you have nice nails, perhaps a professional manicure would be fun. I would only do clear unless you are going to be working in fashion. Regardless, fingers crossed that you find the right job that doesn't require you to spend your entire paycheck to safely get by their fashion police on your way home to blue jeans and digging in the dirt. Patti

Oh, definitely YES on consignment shops or Goodwill shops. Have gotten great deals there.

Continuing to think of you and the interview on Wednesday!

Oh Boy - 1st other then Jeans, T-shirts and sneakers my clothes are 20 years old :-( Yikes.
2nd - beign a flower fluffer the fingernails take a brunt hit. Beauty parlor, I dont think so. My nail polish, makeup and everything I have is DRIED UP.

Clothes - Liz Claborne, Hermes and all the big names would make me flip backwards like the cost of makeup did today. Last time I bought foundation was around 3.50. Today 13 BUCKS.


Dove moisturizer will do.

I have never used foundation cream--have plenty of freckles, in fact it was my girl scout camp nickname.

Sherrie, you are very attractive and are lucky not to need anything but Dove moisturizer. My nails are never done because they are always in the garden somewhere. But, clean nails are a must, of course, and you can work it into the interview that you love gardening. That will do 2 things...explain short nails and ....who doesn't trust someone who is a gardener? I never met a crook in a garden! LOL.

My age foundation is only a cover up that wont cover up and nail polish wont polish a person. :-)

This message was edited Oct 1, 2013 4:35 PM

I agree with DB. Mention you are a gardener. Dove moisturizer sounds great. I've never used foundation either.

I stopped wearing make up a few years ago, and just spent a while cleaning my nails after the garden and painting. Still a couple stains.

The expensive moisturizers are overpriced. I keep Cetaphil for every night and a jar lasts for years. The cold cream habit is the only necessity. Gardening gives a nice glow of its own. No way do you need any of the fancy designers to look presentable.

Amen! Ponds or just good old petroleum jelly.

I put face cream on in the morning, heavy-duty cream at night, lipstick for church......my nails are always short! I agree with the thrift shop....my sister donates all her clothes....unfortunately, she's a size 2.....

Holey moley size 2???!!!!!

Slightly anorexic!

11:00 I was there. 11:15 was walking out and a guy was walking in. Went shopping and was coming home, the guy was walking out and another woman was walking in. All in a half hour !!!!! I dont put no hope on this one.

You never know. Just because others also want the job, doesn't mean that you don't have a chance & you were first.

Think positive Sherrie!

What does 1st have to do with anything?

Fresh interview & they're not tired of people.

Perhaps they wanted to have the person with the best resume be interviewed first, but I think job hunting and being hired is a total crap shoot and must be emotionally draining. I was always on the other end except for all the years I was waitress to get seed money to start my own businesses . But those interviews were basically just giving them a list of where I had worked before and being presentable and the correct gender to satisfy their wish list. I do know often times a job is being filled internally, but that the company wants to list it as an open position which is not terribly fair to pretend that it is a possible job. Be positive but be prepared to continue the hunt with the knowledge that all the fingers on your dirty nailed DG gardening pals are crossed for you. Patti

Right! Fingers crossed that you will find a job that you enjoy!

I dont know? The guy walked in with jeans on. Office Casual? - Dont think so. Woman walked in with a tacky brown polyester suit and brief case.

Sherrie - Tan Kakies (sp) purple & white checkerboard button down cotton shirt w/collar, black leather belt, black leather shoes, minimal makeup, nails with a light pinkish glow, black leather notepad & glasses with a gold watch & small rope bracelet. NO CELL PHONE.

OH MY GOSH - I look like a dried up prune.

I doubt it Sherrie, but if you think so, just keep moisturizing. Speaking for myself, since I'm working outside, my skin is positively gulping down the lotions.

ditto what everyone is saying about jobs. Keeping a positive outlook is the best way to get hired-- that way you can keep spreading a wide net. My aching fingers are crossed for you too.

I keep quite for now.

Fingers AND toes are crossed here.

Same here, Sherrie! I would hate to have to interview for a job today.....got my job in teaching because the super & principal knew my sister.....when I retired, & went to work for the post office, the job was as a sub for one of my former students.....it's not what you know, but who....

...but standing out in a different way can also be successful. My first professional job was like that. Person hiring didn't want all the people who knew each other forming a clique.

Nice nails, Sherrie, and it sounds like you were dressed just fine. Don't take it personally if you didn't get this one. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the candidates. They may be just going through the motions.

I have to take it serious, Sorry. Hubby was laid off 3 years ago, and we were living on 186 bucks a week and our property taxes took an interest hike. At the same time I could not find a job. Working people and now ObamaCare is going to fine us XYZ. when we are trying to hold on BY A THREAD. I dont kow what to say, and I dont find it ammusing. The US is going down the TOILET. Yes I am very political and stand by what I say. Dont like me toss me. I work my ass off and get no where. In the garden, out of the garden and take care of plants.