Hello lovelies,

A few days ago I asked for your help with brainstorming the interview outfit for the job interview at a place I believed had casual dress code.

You were your super fab selves and gave me more than a lot of ideas and I came out of the thread thinking I'd come up with something. I tried and I tried, but I could not settle for anything. I simply cannot go to interview in anything that I don't perceive as interview-sort-of-professional enough.

So, I phoned my contact in HR and asked about the dress code, she said business attire is perfect. Woo-hoo!

Today was the interview. I was right, the place is casual, relaxed. Since I had the green light from HR I did not feel like I my outfit was off, even though I was more dressed up than the panel. But, it did not feel awkward at all.

Btw, seeing the photo I had just realised that I straightened my hair on one side a lot more. Imperfections are charming, right

I wore my beloved BB crisp white, grey pencil skirt (how I miss wearing those!) and black hose. I opted for gray instead of black because it is softer and I did not want to look too corporate. Hubby, who took day off work to drive me to the interview and be with me, approved the grey skirt too.

The icing on the cake was the scarf. You know how much I was obsessing about this colour and 2 years ago I found the scarf which I adore. The company's logo is in this very shade so I decided to 'soften' the formal outfit with the scarf - and it did not go unnoticed. In the best of ways.

The interview went really well. It felt like casual conversation in which we all wanted to get to know each other better. I'm still high on adrenalin. There is a gap between my experience and what they require, which I was aware of, but given that they had found me on LinkedIn (I did not apply for the position myself) I obviously had something they wanted to check in person. There is 2 more weeks of interviews with other candidates before a few are shortlisted for the final round, which I'll fill preparing as if I'll start working there.

Finally, have you seen Amy Cuddy's amazing TED talk? Ever since I first saw it ages ago I've been waiting for the chance to try her advice. So, here is me, posing just as she said we should in stressful situations, and I did it before the interview in the bathroom too. I took special care of my body language even while I was waiting at the reception for the interviewers. Maybe it was my notes (I received very specific comment about how brilliantly prepared I was) or maybe that stuff works! I think it was half-half Either way, I walked out of that interview feeling not just that I gave it my all, but that I owned it. I got to show who I was. Whatever happens from now on, after my 2.5+ years career break this was an amazing experience to get back into job seeking.

Still here Thanks for reading.