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tips for work dress

furcalchick

furcalchick

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 19, 2006
2,426
5
South Florida
i'm going to be interviewing and job hunting in the very near future, and i have a couple of concerns about dressing professionally. i get the part about wearing a jacket and not too much jewelry and makeup (i don't wear makeup at all, and only wear studs), but i'm concerned about some other parts.

1. for someone with about shoulder length hair, is pulled back hair or free flowing hair the more professional look?

2. i hate, i mean hate wearing high heels, despite most companies wanting their women to wear like 2 inch heels. i'm pretty tall, and i need to wear shoes that aren't pointy toe and high heeled. would a shoe with a 1/2 inch heel and more toe space be acceptable?

3. i also can't stand wearing pantyhose, as it makes me feel like i'm wearing a second pair of underwear and like a superhero. i'm okay with knee and thigh highs, but pantyhose is a pet peeve of mine and if possible, i would not wear any stocking at all. what's the best solution for this?

anyone else with some good work dress tips can chime in too.
 
1. I don't think the hair really matters either way, unless you tend to touch it a lot when it's down

2. Sounds fine to me

3. Wear dress pants

I never thought it mattered that much
 
1) hair - depends on how much around face work you are going to do. for example I work in a lab abot 50% of the time , it would make sense that I interview with my hair out of face so it does not get caught in something.
If you are applying for a position where you are going to be turning head or body definitely put it up

2) shoes - if it is a mainly sit down position where you feet are visible, go for a slight heel with shoes that look good, if its stand up go for flatones that are confortable but not sloppy ie do not wear Crocs...

3) Pantyhose only if wearing skirt in winter, for summer bare legs are OK but keep them shaved and make sure to put lots of lotion on them. for pants ankle high or knee high is more than adequate.

Wear clothes that look good after sitting in them for a few hours, and that do not show sweat stains.
Light make up and minimal jewelry
clean hands are a big one with not too long nails.
Invest in a really good bra

Dont wear thong or g string to work - please
No low rise pants
Two buttons undone max on shirt, three if you have a good jacket on
No too much perfume or non at all, where I work we ask people not to wear strong scents.
hmm I will post more when I remember
 
Leareth said:
If you are applying for a position where you are going to be turning head or body definitely put it up
Click to expand...

So basically if your job looks like Leareth's Avatar then wear it down!:D

The hair thing won't make a huge difference- I think it really depends on the person- sometimes hair up or down can make someone seem older or younger- so depending on what you think your prospective employer might be more inclined to hire might make you pick one over the other.

What sort of job are we talking about? That makes a huge difference here...I would say the lower heels are fine if you are taller.
 
here's another question...does pantyhose actually protect your legs from harsh weather? i don't think so personally.

and on the makeup, i don't wear any makeup, so i'm not going to start.
 
As a woman who is also a professional here are my answers to you.

1. Unless you work around food hair for women doesn't matter if it is long. It can flow free or you can wear it back. The only time when your hair length may matter outside of food is if you work around machines or you're in some law/service related field. Then it'd be pulled back daily no doubt.
You should look groomed and groomed will always be professional.

2. No job for the most part at least in a business office will force you to wear heals. At least in the US...who knows elsewhere. I am not tall but I spent a very long time overweight and heals were rough on me. I didn't wear them and if I did they were 1-2" and wide. Big girls on thin heals scare me even now that I can wear them. 1/2" heal is acceptable and often decent with a dress. Good thing is that there are many flats out there that are stylish and professional looking. Also, very trendy today. I wouldn't stress it too much. Just be sure to know that most dress codes state no open toe shoes. To be safe, buy two pairs of nice dress shoes while hunting...brown and black simple and closed toe. Not too strappy (if you're a girl you know what I mean). When you start a new job check the dress code. Then start to look for other shoes that fit.

3. Some offices may require you to wear nylons if you wear a skrit. This is not a form of weather defense but you certainly will feel warmer with them on rather than off. No job that I have ever had forced anyone to wear a dress. If this is the case I'd be up **** creek. Today's world you may be impressed to see there are quite a few professions/professional offices that allow for casual dress. While interviewing I recommend a very nice pants suit or a skirt suit. There are ways to look very feminine without being overly "girly". I don't do skirts...not often anyway. I haven't interviewed in a skirt in over 9 years. I do love pant suits though and own the obligatory black and blue. :)

If you wear a lot of pants and you do not intend to wear open toed shoes then you don't even need knee high nylons. There are many thin dress socks out there that will not encumber the snugness of a dress shoe and still look classy. Macys department stores have both knee high and the 9" sock (that goes like mid shin). I wear shin length or I guess they're "crew" to boys socks. They're not thick and I wear them with loafer type shoes. Again my office is very casual but as someone who runs into clients here and there I like to look slightly more dressed up. I also do not wear heals. I have one pair of loafers with a heal...that about does it for me!

To interview I would recommend pant suits and a nice loafer type shoe. I assure you that is highly acceptable in many industries. No one ever hired me because I wore a skirt but someone once hired me because they thought it was cute that I had a bathing suit under my clothes because the job was by the beach and I was taking advantage of the situation. (they saw me pull in with a surfboard in the back of my truck...I did not know them but when we met it was evident they saw the board).

Also, just noticed you're in South Fla. Everything I said above is highly acceptable for such an area due to many areas being a bit more laid back. But even if you know an office is laid back you still dress up. You can dress down later, dressing up just means you give a ****.
 
furcalchick said:
here's another question...does pantyhose actually protect your legs from harsh weather? i don't think so personally.

and on the makeup, i don't wear any makeup, so i'm not going to start.
Click to expand...

furcalchick said:
2. i hate, i mean hate wearing high heels, despite most companies wanting their women to wear like 2 inch heels. i'm pretty tall, and i need to wear shoes that aren't pointy toe and high heeled. would a shoe with a 1/2 inch heel and more toe space be acceptable?

3. i also can't stand wearing pantyhose, as it makes me feel like i'm wearing a second pair of underwear and like a superhero. i'm okay with knee and thigh highs, but pantyhose is a pet peeve of mine and if possible, i would not wear any stocking at all. what's the best solution for this?
Click to expand...


So basically, you're really not willing to change. ;)



Go into the interview wearing what you think is the MOST you'd put up with (ie: 1/2" heels, knee high socks), and find a company that doesn't mind.
 
i think i should have mentioned this earlier, i'm mostly interviewing and job hunting in atlanta (lack of job market here in my part of the world, i'm about 2 hours from miami). i don't think that's going to be a major difference.
 
Go in wearing something that you feel comfortable and confident in (w/in the confines of normal attire for your field of course). If you wear something that makes you uneasy or unsure of yourself (no matter how many times your friend says it looks great on you) that will show during your interview.

Thankfully I'm a guy (fewer clothing options) working in a creative field (more laid back) so when I interview it's nice black jeans, polished black boots and a button up shirt (black or dark red). Of course, for my most recent interview I wore something different (can't remember what) and was afraid I looked stuffy. To which my girlfriend replied, "Honey, you have purple highlights in your hair... nothing you wear can make you look stuffy."


Lethal
 
I am a little biased on the hair issue since my hair is about mid thigh and I am 5'8" so not easy to handle loose.

If you go loose just dont have pooffy all over your face hair.

I would dress for the interview in very close to the clothes that you are going to be working in.
ie if you are getting a job flipping burgers dont show up in business suit. ( saw that yesterday at the new burger joint that opened by my house...)

Dont wear hose, just a hassle to keep it from ripping and catching on stuff. hate them. Havent worn in years.

One hint I have for job interviewing is to put a little vaseline on your teeth so your lips dont stick to them when your mouth goes dry as you are nervous. plus it makes your whole face light up when you can flash a real and sparkly smile.
 
1. Either is fine. Flowing is softer especially if you wear suits.

2. Yes

3. Wear thigh high. Just in case ;)

Good work dress tip, buy lots of exactly the same item. That way you can wear the same clothes into work every day and completely bypass the 'what will I wear' syndrome.

Everheard of 80 denier?
 
Just be you.

I thought everyone knew this: Gals wear flats (esp. when commuting in NYC) to work and hide heels at their desk for when they're actually needed.

I've also seen guys wear more casual shoes, loafers, and also keep nice shoes for meetings etc.

For the interview? Wear the nicer of the two.

Me? I'm a fan of loafers and no socks in general.
 
On the hair thing: Depends. As a couple people have already said, avoid any style that's really pouffy or blocks your face in any way. If you're like me and you tend to fidget with your hair or consistently have to tuck it behind your ears, I'd pull it back for the interview.

Heels: a 1/2 inch is fine. I hate high heels as well, no one ever complained when I wore flats or a low heel.

As for the stockings, I'd be tempted to wear them for the interview (though not everyday). Or, wear pants.
 
If you're going for an interview then either wear a trouser suit or DO wear pantyhose. Bare legs look quite unprofessional in my opinion, as do bare arms.

Wear comfortable smart shoes. A heel is preferable and will look more elegant with a skirt suit but it's up to you; don't wear them if you're not comfortable. No open-toes/strappies though!

Shoulder length hair is perfectly fine down and no need to tie it back.
 
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