Interview Style

I know in my last post I said I would be making my next post about leaving home, but I just had a callback interview this morning, so I figured a post about proper interview attire would be more appropriate! 

In my ten months out of school and on the job market, I have been fortunate enough to have been invited on six interviews.  With the job market the way it is for teachers, I consider this to be fairly lucky.  During most of those interviews I have been able to see my peers before or after their interviews, and thus been able to observe what today's educators seem to be wearing on interviews.  I'm sad to say that I can only remember one or two of those job candidates wearing an actual suit.  One woman I encountered wore a flared dress that hit her at thigh level.  Another woman at another location was wearing dress pants about six inches too long covering open-toed sandals.  I've even seen several men without ties, just a dress shirt and chinos.  Since when has such casual attire been okay for an interview?  Especially in the field of education, where teachers often struggle to be considered a professional.

So why aren't young educators, and maybe other young professionals too, wearing suits?  In my opinion, it's essential to wear one to an interview unless you are specifically told not to.  Obviously what you're wearing won't get you the job, but it will help and will make your first impression better.  You have to look the part, especially if you're young.




I understand that suits don't come cheap, but they are absolutely worth the investment.  If you can't afford one, ask for one for Christmas or your birthday!  Ann Taylor, J.Crew, and even Kohl's have some excellent options for suiting.  If you opt for a pantsuit, pick something more on the fitted side if you're slim, like in the J.Crew suit below, or a boot-cut pant if you're curvier.  As a young woman, I tend to prefer the pencil skirt suit, because it's not too "Hilary Clinton" but, as long as the skirt hits you at or just above the knee, it's interview and office appropriate.  Also, if you're short like me, please take any pieces you need to a tailor to be hemmed or altered.  There is nothing worse than an ill-fitted suit, on men or women.  Straight-legged pants should hit you no higher than the ankle and no lower than the top of your foot.  Boot-cut can come a little lower, so just make sure they aren't hitting the floor in flats or hitting the top of your foot in heels.  Like I said for skirts, it should hit the knee.  An inch and a half above at the most.  Remember, you want to err on the conservative side.








If you cannot stand the idea of wearing a suit for whatever reason, then at least wear something conservative and suit-comparable.  One of my favorite suit alternatives is this darling J.Crew dress:

I only have one suit, because I can only afford one right now.  How I overcome this, especially for the occasions where I have had two interviews with the same people, is by styling the suit with different blouses.  I have several blouses, ranging from super dressy to regular Ralph Lauren Oxfords, that make the suit work for various scenarios.  Here are two of my own examples.  My suit itself is from Ann Taylor.

The shirt on the left is a blouse from J.Crew Factory with a ruffled collar, and the shirt on the right is a Ralph Lauren Oxford (also, sorry for the awkward dust mark on the mirror in the right picture--I didn't realize it was there until after I took it, ugh).

As for choice shoes, as you can see, I'm wearing simple patent leather pumps in both pictures.  I always wear pumps, but that's just my preference.  If you choose to wear a flat shoe, I would recommend you stick with something simple; a color that matches or compliments your suit/dress and conservative details without flashy patterns or logos.  I have Tory Burch Revas that are usually my go-to flats for most occasions, but I would definitely not wear them on an interview, simply because of the large emblem on the top.

So that's my take on interview style.  Suits are a must, or at the very least a dress that is comparable to a suit.  Remember to keep it conservative, even if you're like me and prefer a little pop of color in your everyday outfits.  If you want to be professional, you have to look the part!

If you have any questions or comments on interview style, I would love to hear your thoughts!


Also, sorry for the awkward picture formatting, I was having a bear trying to get them to upload correctly. If anyone has any suggestions or advice on why blogger wouldn't allow me to align them, that would be excellent!