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Topic: What to Wear to a Job Interview When it's Hot Out
| Author | Message |
| hawkmail | Posted – 6/11/2008 10:35:17 PM | show profile oops.... I didn't see the second post about the interview being with a literary agency. My advice is for a magazine or PR firm. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 6/12/2008 6:11:12 AM | show profile | email poster I think Bookmap's look sounded completely together. These days, hose look contrived in the summer. Open- or closed-toe shoes isn't as much of an issue as how appropriate the style is = not too casual would be my preference, and definitely contemporary or timeless. Shoes date you fast. Grooming is key. Simple is good -- not too much jewelry/dangly. Good fabric, very clean/pressed. Sleeveless on a woman, as long as it looked very professional, might not bother me in a tropical setting, but I'd be more inclined to wear a short- or 3/4-sleeve in a light silk or linen. Best to know the company culture also. And better to dress like you want a job than like you're one o' the gang. |
| blossom53 | Posted – 6/12/2008 10:22:43 AM | show profile Umm.....not all Manhattanites have "dirty feet" that's kind of a random, silly thing to say...but whatever floats your boat....This is a great thread. But, yes, what about guys? What is the protocol? |
| candylilacs | Posted – 6/12/2008 12:04:35 PM | show profile I live in California and I say no open-toe shoes. Will that kill the job offer? Probably not, but they aren't as "professional." Personally, if you don't want to wear pantyhose, don't. But make sure you are moisturized and exfoliated. Wear a short-sleeve or sleeveless top and don't wear the jacket until you are in the building of your interview. Head to the bathroom a little early for your interview and cool off by putting a cool cloth on the back of your neck or running cold water on your wrists. Cools me down. Good luck! c. ------ Check out www.mswritesguide.blogspot.com! |
| editordebit | Posted – 6/12/2008 1:34:36 PM | show profile What's wrong with sheer hose? Am I that out of date? I was under the impression that they were a timeless conservative option that people basically didn't notice, any more than you'd notice someone on the street wearing jeans and a T-shirt. If you have awesome, well-groomed legs and a flattering skirt (not to mention shoes that don't look silly with bare legs), bare legs could be okay in the heat, assuming you're not interviewing with IBM. If you have large pale legs like me, you're probably best off dressing more conservatively. I would wear something like loose but dressy linen pants, in which I could be both cool and covered up. I don't think you can ever generalize effectively about women's shoes: there are open-toed shoes that would be completely appropriate for anything but a gray flannel suit, and closed-toed shoes that are totally tacky. |
| kim780 | Posted – 6/12/2008 1:58:43 PM | show profile this is a great thread. i think all of the different responses are super interesting and really just confirm that what to wear depends on so many variables: what the job is, what the company is like, what type of body you have, etc. i don't have perfect tan legs, so that's why i usually go with nice slacks and a pretty top and cool shoes. if you have great legs, by all means wear a beautiful dress and look amazing. if you don't, wear hose or slacks. wear what looks best on you and what you feel comfortable in. it's true that confidence can go very far in interviewing and knowing what looks best on you is super important. i learned a lot about people on this thread and i also learned that interviewing in the winter is so much easier for dressing. black tights are awesome and hide most of the flaws and blazers are my best friend. (i got my job in the winter) |
| WordyBird | Posted – 6/12/2008 4:23:48 PM | show profile Blossom Have you actually looked? Sorry, but if you walk 10 blocks from, say Penn Station past the Port Authority, your feet WILL get dirty. Think of all the dog crap and piddle puddles you have to step around, and all of the nasty, black wads of gum, and heaven knows what kind of bodily fluids that all combine to make that glorious New York City Summer Stench. And people would walk through that in open-toed shoes on their way to a job interview? YUCK! Ditto if you go on the subway for, oh, 5.6 seconds. Frankly, I'd be afraid of vermin from the rats. Anyway, folks may not realize it, but NY is filthy. Walk through filth with sandals, and I will bet the rent that by the time you get to work, your feet will be nasty. |
| bookmap | Posted – 6/12/2008 8:29:13 PM | show profile wordybird No one is walking around in all of that barefoot! Of course wearing flip flops here in the city make your feet dirty, but not with open-toe shoes. I've worn them...and not much dirt is getting in through that little 1 square inch of exposed toe. And I would hope my interviewer is not staring so much at my exposed toe enough to notice the slightest bit of anything! Very interesting thread indeed... |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 6/13/2008 1:42:18 AM | show profile Bare legs are inappropriate in ANY professional setting ... ...unless you're interviewing for the "oldest profession in the world". Cover them with slacks or hose. And save the SANDals for the SAND ... on the BEACH. No one wants to see your toes, no matter how much you spent on your pedicure. |
| Madelyn | Posted – 6/14/2008 12:58:33 AM | show profile It makes sense to me that someone who refers to shells, garden parties, vermin, "gals" and piddle puddles (?) would wear hose. And not be hired anywhere remotely cool in publishing. Bare legs are the norm in 2008 nykl, just keep your skirt at a professional length. And good luck on your interview (if it didn't happen already)! |
| Madelyn | Posted – 6/14/2008 1:02:24 AM | show profile Oh, and same goes for anyone who uses "slacks"! |
| snappiness | Posted – 6/14/2008 8:11:26 AM | show profile hose??! I'm dying laughing at the "hose" suggestions. I'm far from my 20s and have worked in publishing all my life but have never worn sheer stockings to work. Nor have my co-workers. And I am in NY regularly for editorial meetings, it never even occurs to me to wear stockings. Even in the fairly conservative town where I live (although it's hot here, so maybe that's why nobody wears stockings). Also, I wear high-heeled sandals sometimes and I'm trekking from JFK or LaGuardia to midtown on the subway. I wear knee-length skirts or pants with a nice top and jacket or sweater. And most of the rest of the staffs I meet with are dressed more casually than I am. But, not being 20 and the "out of towner," I'd rather be slightly over dressed than under. |
| editordebit | Posted – 6/14/2008 1:59:43 PM | show profile In my experience, it's very hard to get non-sandal shoes that feel good with no socks/stockings/hose/tights/footies/whatevertheheck. Also my shoes get much stinkier and dirtier if it's hot, and I feel colder if it's cold. Presumably other people don't have as much trouble with their feet, which is fine (I certainly don't notice that other people's feet smell particularly when they appear bare-legged!). I just hadn't realized that standard nylons in an unobtrusive shade were so far out of fashion that anyone would notice them and say "oh, how 1980s of her." |
| beenthere | Posted – 6/14/2008 2:58:05 PM | show profile I live in SoFLA and I have yet to see anyone, anywhere wearing hose. If I actually saw that I would laugh my ass off and assume that they just moved down here. Or I'd assume that they were insane. It's 80 degrees at 7:00 am. Hose? Are you serious? Not on your life. Sandals? The norm. **** Bare legs are inappropriate in ANY professional setting ... ...unless you're interviewing for the "oldest profession in the world". Cover them with slacks or hose. And save the SANDals for the SAND ... on the BEACH. No one wants to see your toes, no matter how much you spent on your pedicure. |
| hawkmail | Posted – 6/14/2008 3:11:04 PM | show profile Bare legs are inappropriate in ANY professional setting ... ...unless you're interviewing for the "oldest profession in the world". Hey, Matt .... go stake out the lobby at Conde Nast or Hearst and let us know the tally of bare legs vs. hose.... It's completely professional to go bare legged assuming the rest of your outfit is appropriate. Someone wearing nude hose in NYC will be noticed, if not laughed at, for being out of step with current fashions. Bare legs do not a hooker make. |
| Chitownwritergal | Posted – 6/14/2008 3:37:35 PM | show profile Peds. Editordebit: I would not dare to wear hose or tights when it's warm out, but that does not mean my feet are bare inside my shoes; mine would blister if I did that. There are many products out there, often called peds, which cover the soles of your feet inside your pumps. No one but you has to know you're wearing them, as they do not extend into any visible-to-others territory on your feet. |
| Vox-o | Posted – 6/14/2008 10:27:41 PM | show profile It's a literary agency, who cares what Anna Wintour thinks? Dress conservatively. In today's world, a literary agency is a sales office. They exist to sell manuscripts to publishers. It's a real business environment, few are "creative" anymore. If you are going to wear a skirt, wear hosiery. Do NOT go sleeveless either. Err on the side of caution. It may be a very casual-dressing office once you get there. But for now, you should impress them with a total package that shows you are a professional. |
| Rulebook2 | Posted – 6/14/2008 10:55:58 PM | show profile "Anyway, folks may not realize it, but NY is filthy. Walk through filth with sandals, and I will bet the rent that by the time you get to work, your feet will be nasty." well well well, if it aint Doglady/Granitegirl/Wordybird in for a shrill anti-NY rant! Frankly, I was wondering what took you so long. Between that and ManhattanMatt taking 'till page two to extoll his familiar and peculiar fashion sensibilities, I'm beginning to think the gaggle is slipping a bit. |
| katemc | Posted – 6/15/2008 1:46:45 AM | show profile clearly there is just a great divide on this thread. i am on the side of hose are totally 80s, but i do work at conde nast, so you got me. i just love that people like manhattanmatt are giving fashion advice. seriously dude? take a break. wear whatever flatters your body type and makes you feel comfortable and confident. |
| voracious reader | Posted – 6/15/2008 10:42:57 AM | show profile I'm beginning to think that manhattanmatt must have bad karma about women's feet. Last year someone asked about what to wear and as soon as manhattanmatt chimed in about wearing hose and keeping your toes covered, people went ballistic! Manhattanmatt - before you post your preference for hose, would you mind wearing them in public for the whole day on a 90 degree day, and then tell us what you think? Really. |
| Scottie | Posted – 6/15/2008 10:48:54 AM | show profile And for all those people worried about nasty feet, I can think of several nasty other problem areas that will develop as a result of wearing hose in 100 degree heat. |
| voracious reader | Posted – 6/15/2008 10:50:48 AM | show profile In today's New York Times Style section, On the Street reporter Bill Cunningham shows how New York women dressed this week during the torrent heat. None, I repeat, none of the women, including Ivanka Trump, were wearing hose. Okay, so they weren't going on job interviews. But hose in 90 to 100 degree heat? No, thank you. |
| NYPRGurl | Posted – 6/15/2008 12:03:22 PM | show profile What to Wear to a Job Interview When it's Hot Out As someone who works in PR and has interviewed several people, I think that is is def ok to be sleeveless. Sheer "hose" are def out. If you are working in a creative field, you have to look the part, while still being professional. I'll never forget, one of my first interviews was at a beauty pr agency and I went there in full conservative attire and feedback that I got was dress for your industry. I totally had it wrong. I recently interviewed in a light gray and blue pencil skirt, with a wide belt, blue sleeveless top, cream and gold scarf draped around my neck with nude pumps (bare legs) and got the job. AND soo many compliments on my outfit. |
| noname1234 | Posted – 6/15/2008 12:34:48 PM | show profile I think a safe rule of thumb is to dress like the managers at the place you're interviewing dress (not how they dress on casual friday; how they'd dress for a meeting). At the magazine I work that, bare legs and nice open-toed shoes are perfectly fine; in fact, that's been the case at every magazine I've worked at (and I have been a hiring manager and have no problem with people dressing with an eye toward both the climate and current fashions). Perhaps it's different a conservative book publisher; I think the important thing is looking pulled together, being comfortable and looking like you understand the norms and standards of the specific place you're interviewing. |
| editordebit | Posted – 6/15/2008 2:38:04 PM | show profile "If you're working in a creative field, you have to look the part." And that means looking just like everyone else. I get it. :-) |
