Never wear a suit for a library job interview. Instead wear a threadbare blazer, unpressed khakis, a stained tie, and well worn shoes. Women... if you can't stomach an ill-fitting pants-suit, wear a dowdy skirt and an oversized cardigan. Remember, most search committees are suspicious of style.
Plus, if you dress too well, it becomes obvious to the potential employer that you have unrealistic expectations about library salaries and their ability to keep you dressed in your fancy clothes.
Friday, June 23, 2006
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4 comments:
Hmm, I never looked at it that way. On a bit of a serious note, I did lose the interview suit after a while; I went instead with comfortable pants, a nice tie, and a nice, light shirt. Summer in the southern areas is the last place you want to be wearing something stuffy. I figured look comfortable and let them deal with it if they have any hang ups.
women:
No matter how nice your interview suit is, be sure to offset any potential fears of your "stuffiness" by wearing combat boots with it. Well-worn and dirty combat boots.
And to really add spice, add some conservative pearls strands to your outfit as well.
*sigh* Do I really need to say I have seen this before at interviews?
This cracks me up! I REFUSE to even own a suit - if I wanted to wear a suit, I would become a banker.
Now, what is scary is that, at a conference dinner once, one of the men told me that I was the "most stylish and beautiful woman in the room." HA! Since I am neither stylish nor beautiful by any stretch, the man was either drunk, or as a group we dress pretty badly....
FWIW- It's not necessarily the newness of the suit that matters, but how right you look wearing it. French cuffs for example...you gotta be kidding me in a library interview. Or, wearing something that looks like it came off the set of CSI: Miami just isn't going to cut it.
And although you can't dress up like something you're not, at the same time, you can't assume that people will be cool with the statement you are making with your "Get over it, I'm frumpy!" outfit. My take on that is usually "Get over it, I'm grumpy!"
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