Dress

[asterroc]

In an attempt to find evidence other than anecdotal that women tend to talk themselves down and understate their abilities and that mean talk themselves up and overstate their abilities, I instead came across this set of advice on how women should dress for an interview. Am I the only one who finds it insulting that a State University webpage would perpetuate sexist requirements such as "Always wear hose to interviews"?

Comments

[keithlard.livejournal.com]

Yes it is pretty insulting, but probably accurate. After all, their comments seem to be based on feedback from actual interviewers. So it would be a bit pointless to say "Hey, wear whatever groovy stuff you want! We're all free and independent women!" and then they don't get the job.

Of course no one is going to give you a job based on your lovely outfit, but the point is to present yourself in the most advantageous way.

Presumably, men are advised to wear traditional suits and so forth. I don't see this as sexist either. My worst complaint would be that it acknowledges and tacitly accepts our psychological tendency to judge people based on their appearance and not ability.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

Hose? How will they be able to tell one way or another under my pants? :P

[best-ken-ever.livejournal.com]

Purely pragmatically: I suspect that they are suggesting that if there is a point to wearing hose, it should be worn. If the interviewer will not notice (that is, if you will be having your legs entirely covered by a pantsuit/dresspants/similar), then the hose is, of course, not necessary.

Hillary Clinton wore a suit last night (so, she very likely didn't wear hose), and it was kind of an interview. I thought it was tasteful, but then again clothing doesn't seem to play as important of a role to me when I am thinking about people consciously or subconsciously.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

The thought of wearing a skirt in a business environment baffles me. If any of the female faculty or staff on campus do so, I can't think of one off the top of my head.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

One of the adjuncts wears a skirt and heels to teach her microbiology lab. I think it's unprofessional, not to mention unsafe.

[best-ken-ever.livejournal.com]

In a science lab, I definitely think that safety far outweighs otherwise-"professional" dress.

For me, I happen to work in a business-casual environment, and so it's not uncommon for women to wear pantsuits and it's not uncommon for women to wear nicer (longish) skirts. Actually, when I came in wearing a suit and tie for the interview for this job, I was asked by several of my interviewers if HR had told me what to wear (they had not) and told me that HR should've said business casual. Ah well.

[spazzy444.livejournal.com]

In High School I was in a club called DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) - Basically Marketing Club (not as in sales marketing, but actual marketing).
Well our Teacher demanded when we competed we dress exactly like that. If you showed up in a pant suit you were first given a talking to, and the second time you were not allowed to compete. The only exception to all of those rules on the website were "Wear flat shoes or low pumps in colors that avoid making your feet a focal point. Be sure that they are clean and polished. Avoid shoes that hinder walking fast. This lowers credibility. Avoid open-toed shoes since associated with social agendas."
He told us to wear a 1-2 inch heel or else it makes your foot look huge. However the rest of that statement was true to his rules.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

If someone told me to wear a heel in high school I would've gotten a letter from my podiatrist to get me out of it. That's ridiculous.

[demigoth.livejournal.com]

I dunno, maybe it's sexist, but I would wear hose for an interview if I had to.

Now, if they told me I had to wear hose every time I showed some leg (which I wouldn't do very often anyway), I would thank them for their time and walk right out.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

If I had to wear hose for an interview, I would not apply for that job.

[galbinus-caeli.livejournal.com]

I think mostly they are saying don't show bare legs/feet. Of course wooly socks and birkenstocks might not be appropriate for every office. And most women's professional footwear is not really designed with socks in mind. So what is left? Hose. Or boots, I guess.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

It depends what you mean by "professional footwear." I am incapable of walking in heels, and most non-heel dress shoes will give me blisters after an hour and also render me incapable of walking. Therefore I feel that the vast majority of dress shoes are unprofessional for me. I wore black low-top boots to most of my interviews, and nice looking sandals to a few. I wore dress shoes for one and regretted it.

[galbinus-caeli.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter what I mean, what matters is what the HR people at the company you are interviewing with mean. And they are mostly women who read fashion magazines.

Personally I don't care at all how people are dressed at the office. (Bathed? Well, that is a different matter.)

[gemini6ice.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's a sexist statement if it's under the assumption of a skirt. Men, if you choose to wear a skirt, also wear hose.

[gemini6ice.livejournal.com]

i should have used this icon

[weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com]

Unless, of course, you are interviewing for a job in a medical, research, or animal care field. In that case you would be rather silly to wear a skirt, hose, or any shoes that aren't waterproof and don't cover your entire foot.

(Yeah, made that mistake myself when the vet then giggled at me in my pant suit and dressy shoes and told me it was a practical interview)