What to wear - pseudo interview tomorrow!

shana

Well, I finally got a little nibble with my job search. I got a call for an "informational" interview. I think it's informational because they may or may not have positions open and the person who is interviewing me wants to get to know me better to get an idea where I would best fit. A friend of mine who works at this company forwarded my resume to this individual.

Anyway, it's a huge, multinational industrial firm and I am looking for engineering positions. I am leaning towards wearing a suit but my issue is that I only have two suits. Both are Ann Taylor - one is a charcoal grey that I bought probably about 8 years ago and while it fits fine, I think it might be a little outdated with wide leg pants. The other is black from just a couple of years ago and is my standard go to suit. My fear is that if I wear my black suit now but then get called back for a real interview, I would be wearing the same thing! Any thoughts, advice, suggestions????

17 years ago

Dressing

10 replies

Latest reply was from Ana

Lee Hovey

Active Member

I think go with whichever suit fits you the best and you feel the most confident in. Then if you do get called back just wear a different shirt, jewelry and shoes. No biggie!

17 years ago

tarzy

Veteran

Congrats on getting the interview! It's scary out there right now.

First of all, I wouldn't worry about wearing the same thing twice. I doubt they will remember, and you will probably be meeting with different people.

Is there any way you can mix up the pieces? Wear the charcoal jacket with the black pants? I think as long as you look professional you will be fine.

17 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Yay Shana! I'm with the gals. Wear the suit you're most comfy in first and we'll help you get through the next round when it’s a reality. Good luck!

17 years ago

Antje

Veteran

Congrats on landing an informational, Shana. Agree with the others - go with the better suit (sounds like it's the black one), and mix up the top and other pieces if you get called back for a "real" interview. One thought is also to keep it bit more smart casual for the informational than for an actual interview (e.g. wear a smart shell vs. a button down shirt; flats vs. heels, etc.) In my world (high tech) an informational is much less formal than an actual interview, so you could tone it down a bit. You could check with your friend; maybe you could even wear the suit pants with a non-coordinating jacket or a nice cardigan. But if in doubt, definitely go with the suit and over-dress rather than under-dress.
Good luck, and report back

17 years ago

Ariadne

Veteran

I have nothing new to add, except GOOD LUCK!

17 years ago

shana

Veteran

Thanks everyone for your replies & well wishes. I tried on my outfits earlier this evening and while the black suit will do for tomorrow, I will need to invest in a new suit. My husband also thought I should get a skirt suit since I have nice legs:) I'm not so sure about a skirt suit but I think a better fitting, more flattering suit would be in order. I think I'd really like to get a pinstriped (subtle) black suit.

The grey one was awful - not PPL at all (maybe for sandals which is probably how I wore them since I lived in the South at the time I bought them). The black one has seen better days and just doesn't look very fresh. I've actually worn it several times for an organization that I am involved with and I realized the pin that I wore in the lapel has left a noticeable hole (don't have another pin to put in it nor do I think a pin would look very professional).

I was leaning toward wearing a plain higher neck shell underneath but the only one that was higher neck was red! So instead I was thinking of wearing a woven collared shirt that is a reddish/pink and white striped. I hope that this is not too dressy. I called my friend who worked at the company and she said that she thought business casual would be fine but I am still leaning towards the suit because it looks a little more professional. Since I'll probably be purchasing a new suit anyway, I'm not as worried about wearing this one tomorrow.

17 years ago

Ariadne

Veteran

I think a skirt suit sounds fabulous. Go for it!

17 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Ohhhhh, double thumbs up for a skirt suit. Show those legs off sister. How did the interview go?

17 years ago

shana

Veteran

Angie, thanks for asking. It went well...I think. It was one of the strangest "interviews" I've ever had. It seemed more like he was trying to sell the company to me than the other way around. It hardly mattered what I wore (black suit, striped shirt, pearls - will post pics) because I only spent about 10 minutes in his office before we went on a grand tour of the facilities which involved walking in and out of buildings so I wore my coat the entire time!! So, I don't know what will happen - hoping for the best...

17 years ago

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Good luck Shana! Hopefully that's a great sign that the interviewer really liked you.

17 years ago

Category