Job interview...Business professional?

Egads! What to wear? Bear with me, I'm just
rambling on to get this out of my head.

I've been driving back and forth to another town entertaining
the idea of a job outside of the house.

Yesterday I didn't hear a word, so I assumed the job had been
given to another applicant. Today I donned jeans and decided to
settle back into housewife mode for a few more months.

Today, a call came in. Interview tomorrow. Dress office
professional. Uh oh. Does this mean I haven't looked professional?
Am I just paranoid?

Never one to give a rat's banana about too much fashion, I
have a few questions.

Are panty hose absolutely, positively out of the question? I'm sorry,
but I just can't get used to the idea of them being a fashion no-no.
what about grey hose with a nice gray dress suit? Naked legs and
bare feet in shoes? Yuck. I'm trying, folks, but it's not easy.

Maybe I gave the wrong impression on my resume. I don't want to work
with slobs, but I'm not exactly Dolce & Gabbana. By 'professional environment'
I meant clean offices with respectful staff.

Oh, great. I just found this:

http://www.freebeautytips.org/dress-executive.html

Maybe I'll just wear the nicest thing in the closet and then IF I get
the job, go shopping.

Sigh.

Office professional can mean a lot of things, but usually it excludes anything flashy or provocative. A gray dress suit should be fine. I'm not sure about the pantyhose, as I have worked in offices where either pantyhose or (tanned and shaved) bare legs were fine. I take you to mean that this will be your second interview. At your first interview, how were the folks who interviewed you dressed? Did you notice how other employees of the company were dressed? If you wear a similar outfit to what you saw the others wearing, it can show your interviewers that you will fit into their corporate culture. I hope this helps.

June

My suggestion would be to go to some places online and take a peek at what they are offering in professional wear, then copy the look as closely as you can with what you have. Bare feet in shoes isn't as awful as it sounds, trust me, lol. Of course, it does depend on the shoes a bit. Whatever you wear, make sure it's something that you feel good in, something that you feel confident in because that really can make a difference. Don't put on a "costume" for the interview, but wear something that you'd actually wear to work there (or maybe something that's a bit up scale from that...like that article says).

...and if you just can't stand the idea of going out w/out hose on, then wear them! I'd say it's worth it to wear them than to spend the whole interview with the idea of not having them on driving you crazy...no matter how big of a fashion deal anyone says they are or aren't. I hope that made sense.

Good luck on the interview, let us know how it goes!!

My Gosh I've lost touch w/the world; I didn't know that panty hose were out. When did that happen?
Good Luck!

wuvie..just saw this thread come thru....; good luck...i know how you feel....is sorta scary giving up ones gardening...but then again, thank goodness it is getting cool weather and we don't need to be out in the yard....so we can make money!!!! i will just miss are your creative ideas on this forum:)

I just spotted this thread, too, and had to pipe in!.

That's hilarious,SacValley-- ROTFL!

WUVIE, I'm with you about bare feet in dress shoes. Although I haven't worked for anyone but my DH in years and he's retired now, I still can't get used to seeing all those "professional" women on the TV morning shows or the news shows having their bare feet stuck into those fancy high-priced shoes! Double yuck!

LOL...the panty hose issue is a funny one.

On one side you have the ladies who would not wear
pantyhose if you paid them, then others can't live without
hosiery.

A few days ago I did find a nifty little pair of slippy sock hose
things that allow you to have something on, but not to show.
Oh, my gosh, I must be getting old. I'm not even of the hose
age group, but suppose I grew up thinking prudish. No hose?
LOL.

I did find a few sites that mentioned if you must wear hose,
keep 'em neutral, which is completely understandable. One
of the 'never wear' sites mentioned bare legs were a no-no:

14. Never wear fishnets, patterned hosiery or bare legs
(no matter how tan you are). Women should stick with neutral color
hosiery that complements their suit.

This is so strange. When things wind down, about October, I get itchy to
go back to work. Come spring I'll be sitting in an office looking out the
window wondering what I was thinking seeking outside employment.

I've been in the closet for over an hour fretting about what to wear.
Not that, I look too skinny. Not that, I look like a prisoner clown. No, can't
wear that, not supposed to wear open toed shoes, no white after Labor
Day, this is all so silly. Hair up, hair down, hair back, hair bunned. Toes
showing, toes not showing. Shoes to match clothing, purse yes or no?
Pfft! Ridiculous.

Isn't it amazing how a thirty minute interview supposedly reveals all the
employer needs? My gosh, I put more time than that into my first husband, ha!

wuvie i have my first f2f interview tommorrow...it is the initial one so i am not sweating it too bad.... but i have been questioning EVERYTHING; finally i said who cares....so i was trying on blazers i used to wear...and they wont close....hubbie sez...you used to fit in that?? OMG...; so i am either wearing linen pants and potential blazer or linen dress...or linen capris...just whatever i decide on in the morning....; i feel like it is not in my hands...but the man upstairs...he has a place for me to go....i just need to do the footwork....; now granted if i don't get a call back i will question why the heck i wore so and so.....good luck!!!!

I have been going thru this for many months. I was always in a job that wore jeans or uniforms from the dealership. So I do not have many clothes for interviews.
I have overdressed for a couple of interviews, I know. It was really hot one day and I wore a nice pair of cream linen slacks, a shell and a linen shirt open like a jacket. The guy interviewing me had jeans with holes and cut off sleeves on his t shirt. UGH.
I have found here that business casual is nice slacks or skirt, with a simple blouse and jacket. Our office ladies had rules of no open toes, no bare legs, no bare arms. I try to go with that during an interview.
I have had "business casual" people interviewing me wearing capris and flip flops. UGH.
So...to make a short story long. I guess it is the age thing. We make more of a big deal out of dress than the young folks who are probably the ones doing the interview!

Oh, I wanted to add.
After the interview, if you really like the job. Send out a thankyou note, hand written, to the person you saw. Thank them for their time, how much you were impressed by the company, whatever.
This is a big hit. I have lost the job, due to some other reason, but have had the interviewer call me to tell me that they were impressed, and give me leads on other jobs.
That is a big boost to an otherwise depressing situation.

cpart...thanks for the heads up....off to go interview....the first one:) good luck km...

Good luck to all of you! Just wanted to mention that white is ok after Labor Day now and shoes and purses don't have to match. I don't know who makes these rules...but wouldn't it be fun to hang them by their ears??? LOL!

well i went to my interview in black linen capris (not tight ones) with a white linen shirt over it...i felt like i was just fine...ie i was dress as well as interviewers were....and noone had hose on....

i got pushed thru to personnel(it was a job fair) ....and they would contact me for another interview...

wuvie ...did you get the job!!??

Alright, I'm home now. Unsure if I will get the job, but I just have to share.

Woke up, brushed teeth and headed to Muskogee. First I hit the
Goodwill for junk to refurbish, then I hit the second Goodwill, the one
with clothing. Found a fab Anne Taylor skirt with tags still on, gorgeous...
two bucks. Not for the interview, but found while looking.

Head hunter guy approved the pants. Thank you, thank you! I love
dresses and skirts, but didn't have anything basic in that area, so
slacks it would be.

Hit the mall, waited until they opened. Decided against a new jacket
just in case I did not get the job. It would hang in my closet. At least
shoes could be worn. Looked at shoes and felt a big groan coming on.

Everything looked like slippers or men's shoes,
was box shaped or had pointy toes. I'm sorry, pointy toed shoes may
look fine on someone else, but you could not pay me to wear them. Oh
my gosh, all I could do was laugh when the girl brought out suggested pairs.
I told her not to take it personally, but not any of them were 'me' and if I
had to wear shoes that looked like that, I'd sooner stay home and be poor.
They must have been four inches longer than the end of my toes!

So. Running out of time, I have no shoes. I grab a pair of decent looking
shoes (I still think they are ugly) and go with it, head home, get dressed in
a hurry wearing nothing I had planned, my bedroom is a disaster, everything
is off the hangers. Grab something, it's time to go.

If I don't mind saying so, I looked SMASHING! If I didn't know me,
'd hire me. Ha ha! Arrived early only to find I was one day early.
Not my fault, but the head hunter guy's fault. She interviewed me anyway.

Interview went superb, I have never felt so comfortable, so confident. Now
I sit and wait. And wait. And wait. The funny thing is, I'm anxious, but not
nervous. Feels good. We shall see!

KM

P.S. Sticks, thought about you all day, hope things work out well for you!

wuvie...i thought about you too...and cparts....; okay i have a confession to make too....

an estate sale sign was right in my way going down the hwy..SO i bypass it....and then said AH HECK...everythign will be gone when i come back thru....so i turned around....so glad i did...found 4 terra cotta gardening pots (imagine that) they were .10 each...then a terracota bulb ? pot...it is a great shape will look great with my narcisses bulbs in it...; then a white pot..one of the tiny kind about 3 inches high....50 cents, a pink pot with a girl and a wishing well a steep 3bucks...the thing i was extremely excited about was one of those cast iron wire baskets (i think they were for eggs or laundry..) it has a handle....and it is painted white...i know you know what i am talking about but i can't desribe it well...anyway, 4bucks...and i have really really wanted one but every one always wanted 20 bucks min...and it shall hold a plant(imagine that 2?); back in my car and go to the
place...if you don't mind looking at my other thread so i don't take up too much room here...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/774102/

THEN, went to Savers....(a merchandized goodwill) and got a tole tray for 3.00 and a white t shirt..(common..we all need purdy white t's )..for 2. bucks... we gurls have to have our priorities...look for a job and junque shop the whole way!!!

wuvie i truly didn't feel alone today thinking about you and cpart....so glad we have each other:)

Oh my gosh, Sticks, this is too funny! I passed by a yard sale and
forced myself not to stop. Good thing, though, it is close by and will
likely be running tomorrow. Too funny that we both hit second hand stores
while looking for employment, LOL. Heading off to check out your
great finds!

Heathrjoy, indeed. Fashion rules. Good grief! Today I spent more
money on a pair of shoes than I ever have in my entire life!

Cparts, you said: We make more of a big deal out of dress than the young
folks who are probably the ones doing the interview!
How funny, but oh, how true!

KM

Sounds like you two are doing well, and getting bargains on the way, so it is not all a lost cause. lol
DM went to the dealership I used to work at and the general manager asked about me, said someone called him for a reference last week and he said really nice stuff.
mmmmm, that job I had interviewed for over 2 months ago.
DH brought home an app for a place by where he works. Seems the guy who hires was complaining to fellow employee of DH that he could find no experienced people to work for him. The guy said, hey, that guy's wife has been looking and she has tons of experience.
So at least I have a couple more "hopes"
Good luck to you two, glad the interviews went well.

cpart...maybe a job will show up SOON...have you thought about substitute teaching....here they pay 100 a day?

I am not sure they are hiring. Seems like they had to let some teachers go here.
Don't you need to be certified for that? My only certification is for automotive.

just 60 college hours...no certification

Really, didn't know that.
Thanks for the advice.

do you now 4paws? she subs in california; it is something that you can fall back on and keep some money rolling in....

You guys be sure to let us know which job you accepted! Okay?

Yes, please. Good luck to both of you.

there are 3 of us right now....cpart, wuvie, and me..; i know i will let yall know:)

hope i'm not butting in. I can really sympathize wit h the clothing conundrums, and love the 'groan coming on' in the shoe store. So true!!! Boy do I feel that!
Our school sysem is always in need of subs, minimal qualifications, but aside from that there are a number of odd part time jobs in schools that you probably will not be aware of without some asking. For ex. our elem has a part time media assistant, helper for the special ed teach(paperwork) cafetaeria/ recess help(10 an hour, two hours in a day). Kindergarten help. I have had several friends start with the aide type jobs, it gets you in the building and in line for the better ones like the first two. Just a thought.

sally no you arent butting in at all....we need to brainstorm for job searches...; allota people don't know about the subbing thing...; it is good money and not real hard

cpart...also another they told me yesterday is that they need technology managers....will i was a little taken back...even tho i have a degree in puters, i don't like networking them, mechanical stuff...but anyway they explained that basically it is subbing in a computer room answering questions on microsoft office etc....

they also asked me if i had subbed b4....i said no...they asked what experience i had...i said b aby sitting....they had a form where babysitting was on it...sunday school, girl scout, camp, reading tutoring, sports were all categories on the sheet....so i guess they were saying , we NEED teachers....
also, you can work when you want to ...

sally, thanks for saying that! I've been wondering what I will do when I retire... Maybe one of those little jobs would be perfect! I'll keep them in the back of my mind. And, my cousin is an elem teacher, so I have a 'road' in.

Update. Headhunter guy called today with more questions.

How do you feel about this?
How do you feel about that?
Rate _____ from one to ten.
Rate _____ from one to five.

Honestly, I felt it was great. The only concern both of us shared
was the travel, but I once took my kids to separate schools and
arrived to work on time at 8:00 each day, no different now.

Same time. And get the hours...8:30-4:30. Can you beat that? Cool!
I won't be caught up in rush hour traffic.

And so we go back to waiting. And waiting. And waiting. LOL

Sounds good! Good luck!

sounds great wuvie:)