Is it ever ok...
To wear jeans to an interview? As I prepare to go into an interview Monday, I'm currently treating myself as a human barbie doll, trying on every combination I own. Do I wear a suit? Dress pants and nice top, skip jacket? Skirt instead of pants? Sweater? Short sleeve? Long sleeve? Match pants to jacket? Different pants and jacket? My gut is saying I should just wear nice jeans and a jacket with nice shirt under? Is this every ok or does it automatically ruin your chances of getting a job?
In short- no. There will be some that will tell you that it is ok to wear jeans to some jobs (construction worker or dishwasher for example). I say that even for those you should go up a step to something more like dockers. If you're going for some sort of office job, wear a suit or whatever you have that is closest to a suit if you don't have one. You may not wear that every day if you get the job, but this is the time to put your best effort forward. And if your gut is saying jeans and jacket, take some mylanta. Your gut is very wrong. Tess I only wore jeans to an interview once. It was a small company, I'd been recruited by the CEO, and the CEO liked his people dress down because he thought suits look phony. And even then I asked if wearing a suit would count against me. I agree with Tess. Go with a matching suit. You won't automatically lose the job if you don't, but the interviewers will think they'd be getting a good deal for their money.
After much (much) thought, I've decided against a two piece suit. I've been wearing one lately, and haven't been landing any jobs. I seem to better when I skip the suit. The interview on Monday is with an advertising agency and I think dress pants and sweater are a better option (hopefully).
How about a sweater & skirt? I'm not a big 2-piece matching suit kind of person myself, but I personally think a dress with jacket or a non-matching skirt & jacket, or a skirt & sweater are still the best things to wear to an interview. I went on my last interview in a tweedy skirt, lightweight shell and dressy cardigan-type sweater. It was a panel interview, which included the firm's CEO. I felt very comfortable in that outfit, but would not have felt so in slacks & sweater... Got the job, so I guess my outfit was OK! I've worked at a lot of ad agencies, and personally would always dress "up" a bit for an interview with one, regardless of what the people already working there wore. Just my 2 cents, but agency people can be very "fashion aware" and I wouldn't wear slacks unless it was with a blazer or matching jacket.... You should've mentioned it was an ad agency right away. Jeans are OK if you are a creative. Many of my friends who work at ad agencies have worn jeans to interviews. Ever since my career change, they all make fun of me for having to dress professionally. Oh well... If you are not a creative, you can still dress more casually than you would for a corporate job, but jeans are not ok in that instance. GL! Clearly you're determined to go off the beaten path no matter what we tell you. But in case someone else is paying attention, jeans are NOT ok at an ad agency interview! Slacks and sweater is also a bad idea. You're presenting an image. Who knows more about presenting an image than an ad agency? YOu won't come off as creative. You'll come off as defiant, unsophistocated, immature, inappropriate or a dozen other negative things. And it doesn't matter if the person interviewing you is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, because, again, what you wear to work and what you wear to an interview are totally different discussions. Ad agency IS a corporate job. That's who their customers are if nothing else. They want to see someone that can be appropriate with their customers and represent their company properly. Tess I'm sorry Tess, do you have ad agency experience? What campaigns have you worked on? And what is this about? I've never argued with you about anything at all. And what puts you in a position to "tell" me what to do anyway? I don't really know what I've done to get you so bent out of shape, not that I particularly care, but I have to tell you, you are not sounding very rational. The royal "we" isn't helping your case either. That's unfortunate because up until a few months ago, you were one of the few posters here who seemed to be above attacking others for disagreeing with them. I said it once, and I'll say it ok. Jeans are acceptable when interviewing for a creative position at an ad agency. You shouldn't wear them with an old T-shirt, they should be expensive jeans, and you should look sharp, not like you're going to a supermarket. But jeans are ok. Trade publications will tell you that. College instructors will tell you that. People who work at ad agencies will tell you that. If you are not entirely sure you'll feel comfortable wearing jeans to an interview, you can wear pans or a skirt with a nice top. A two part suit will make you appear stuffy, and "stuffy" is the worst thing to be for a creative. If you'll be working on the business side, a suit would be standard for an interview.
Wait a minute, LJ!!!!!!!!!! Are you saying Tess doesn't know everything? My world will never be the same...
Actually LJ, that post was directed to Punkin not specifically to you. Marketing, Advertising- this is an incredibly competative field, nearly as bad as Pharm Sales. When someone is up against a ton of other people in an entry-level position, they should present their best side. Jeans are never anyone's best side, no matter how you dress them up. Punkin is wanting to change her attire because she hasn't gotten the last jobs she's applied for. My bet is, it isn't that she's overdressing. It is that it is a very competative field with a lot of applicants and tough competition. Underdressing isn't going to improve her odds. You're always free to have another opinion and she's free to wear whatever she wants. It works or it doesn't. Something else makes the difference or it doesn't. We'll probably never know.
Tess | |
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