At the job interview, be dressed for success

Sunday News

Aug 09, 2009 00:10 EST

By STEPHEN KOPFINGER, Staff Writer

Kathleen Green doesn't even have a job yet, but she believes she's gained a wealth of career experience and wisdom in the field of what a woman should — and should not — wear to an employment interview. Green, 19, keeps it simple. Just think, she said, of "going to church with your grandmother."

Whether she's a young woman just starting out in the career world, like Green, of Manheim, or an older woman returning to the work force, the job-interview process isn't as cut-and-dried as it used to be. Years of "casual Fridays" — not to mention a generally more relaxed look in fashion all around — can make it tough to decide the do's and don'ts for that big I-want-this-job talk.

Dressing for success

"We've seen it all," said Aimee Urban, general manager of Way Services, Lancaster.

Urban and her staff have endured job-seekers "barely wearing anything," for example. This, at a company that operates Way Delivery Services, Way Service Center and four regional Adecco Staffing franchises. It's not a place for "jewelry hanging out, little shorts and little tiny shirts. ..." Urban said.

Add to the list "hip-hugger jeans, belly-button rings, tattoos. ..."

Her advice in a nutshell? Don't go there.

Whether it's a skirted suit, a pantsuit or separates that complement each other, traditional should trump trendy — and can even provide some wardrobe mileage, Urban said.

"When you're buying a business suit in a classic style in a neutral color, [it] can last a long, long time," Urban said.

Though there does seem to be some debate in the interview world over whether a woman should wear a pantsuit or a skirted suit to an interview, Urban opts for some independence.

"It's 2009," she said. "Women can wear whatever they want as long as it looks professional." If skirts are their choice, Urban said they should be "at the knee or below."

As for colors, the business basics — "black, navy, gray" — will always work, said Susan Henson, softline coordinator at Boscov's department store in Park City Center. Brights are a no-no, and that includes red. "After you're hired, you may wear them!" Henson laughed, though Urban said brights can be fine — if they are worn under a neutral shade.

Urban, 38, remembers her own attempts at assembling an interview wardrobe.

"I did everything wrong!" she said, adding that the fashions of the time — the 1980s — didn't help.

It's only in the last several years that teachers and guidance counselors have made efforts to steer young people in the right fashion direction when it comes to future employment, Urban said.

She has counseled young women just starting out and older women, including former stay-at-home moms, who are going back to work.

Each faces her own challenges.

One problem among many young people, Urban said, is that they allow their personal fashion statements — which they say define who they are — to override the tone of a particular work environment.

"We're pretty blunt when their personal style comes into play," she said. Applicants, she said, should ask themselves one question: " 'What's more important — my personal style or my career?' " The focus of the interview, Urban noted, should be discussion, not distraction. That's especially true for accessories. Green completely agrees. Getting a job is not about making a personal social statement, she said.

"I hate it when kids say that!" she exclaimed.

Ironically, Green has 20 piercings — mostly around the ears — and a tattoo or two. A potential employer never sees them, however; Green removes many of her piercing pieces. Her personal look is replaced by a conservative, office-friendly one.

"You do what you have to do to get a job," Green said.

For Jody Roach, 48, dressing for success "was like starting over," she said.

A former cosmetologist, Roach, of Columbia, was a stay-at-home mom for nine years, raising her son, Jared, who turns 16 this month. Last November, she started her first job in years as a sales clerk in the domestics department at Boscov's.

She admitted she was a little out of the loop when it came to office fashion, but Roach knew where to seek advice.

"I asked friends that were already in the work force — I didn't really keep up with the styles." For the interview that landed her at Boscov's, Roach wore dress black pants and a blouse.

"You can usually find clothes in your closet that would work for a job interview," Urban said about the more mature job seeker.

Plus, "older women have leeway," said Doris Cross, who runs Organizational Change and Developmental Co., a Lancaster consulting firm. "They know what they feel comfortable in," yet they have the maturity to know what looks appropriate in the business world.

In a way, Urban said, it's better to be a little overdressed — more formal — for an interview than too casual. And if a woman isn't sure, Urban recommended visiting a company's Web site, which might have pictures of the staff at work.

It also might be a good idea, Urban suggested, to call someone in management and plan an observation visit, just to see what employees are wearing.

"Younger women," agreed OCDC's Cross, who has served as a guest columnist for the Sunday News, "would need to know the culture they are coming into," when it comes to wardrobe. Even regional differences must be kept in mind. "The companies in California are different than the companies on the East Coast," Cross said.

Cost can be a concern for job hunters. But it's a misconception that business attire has to mean expensive attire, Urban said.

"Even Salvation Army and Goodwill" are excellent sources for inexpensive but interview-appropriate clothing and, she noted, "thrift stores are so cool for [young women] right now!"

That also holds true for older women. Urban advises that they "shouldn't be afraid of the consignment shop."

And if shopping proves a budget-strainer, mix it up.

Green, for example, recently assembled an outfit of inexpensive pants and a shirt from Old Navy, thrift-shop shoes and a jacket that she borrowed from a friend.

 "You always have friends!" Green said.

All of this image-burnishing might sound daunting, but it pays off in more ways than one. That includes confidence.

"I think it helps them when they walk in and look the part," Urban said, noting young women are often surprised when they see themselves dressed for success.

"They hold their head up high," she said.

"They're not as nervous, because they feel good."

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Stephen Kopfinger is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at skopfinger@lnpnews.com or at 291-8799.