Appropriate clothing?

[Franny]

Or retired from HR.

Who's HR daddy-o???

 

[SHELLY]

I see your point Shelly, but if you were to walk into any Madison Avenue Advertising firm, a woman interviewing for a position wouldn't be wearing Banker or Wall Street black and white.
Not only are interviewers looking at her portfolio, but they are looking at the candidates personality as well to see if they are a good fit for their organization and culture. Someone could have the best portfolio around, but if they don't fit in, they won't be hired. Her wardrobe will be a partial reflection of her personality. Dressing like a Banker will make her staid and boring looking. She's interviewing for a creative position. She desperately wants to live at the beach and make a go of it, and thus she needs to dress the part somewhat.
I am not saying she should walk in with a red suit on. I was speaking more along the lines of taupe, pale grey, and perhaps one of those lovely pearl necklaces they sell at the beach. Classy, but with some charachter.

Point taken. But I've never turned down a professionally-clad candidate who presented a knock-out product just because they failed to wear a "jaunty scarf that sets off the outfit."

------------
Having said that, I believe the employment environment down here is not as competitive as the major business centers. As long as a candidate has the basic skills to complete the required tasks and, moreover, is willing to accept moderately lower wages and benefits than their counterparts in major cities, they've got an fairly decent shot at employment. Living on the wages in Florida will be more challenging than getting the job.


.

.

 

[Kimmifunn]

I don't consider people when they come dressed in a suit. You have to have a sense of style to work in my arena. Save the suits for Wall Street.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Who's HR daddy-o???

...Human Resources???

 

[Mango]

Point taken. But I've never turned down a professionally-clad candidate who presented a knock-out product just because they failed to wear a "jaunty scarf that set off the outfit."

.

Quite often for a position HR has a list of candidates that have knock out credentials. At the interview though, it becomes a personality test.
Mys sister owns a headhunting firm. Not sure when the last time you was you interviewed, but things have changed considerably, especially for higher level positions. They get psychological tests, personality tests, have to meet with corporate counselors for an interview, etc.

Not saying this job is a top tier executive level job, but I have noticed a slew of graphic designers come on this site looking for employment in the area, so it may come down to who fits their corporate culture best.

 

[NoHall]

Y'all are reminding me why I work for myself. Flip flops. Shorts. A tank top (or my SoWal shirt!) No makeup.

I don't consider anyone who isn't covered in red clay and sweat.

 

[scooterbug44]

I ALWAYS interview in a suit, even when the job is not one where you would wear one on a daily basis. The beach is definitely more casual, but it doesn't hurt to make a well groomed & professional first impression.

My grandfather used to not hire men whose shoes weren't shined properly - he thought it was indicative of the level of effort and care they would put into their job.

My summer interview suit is a light colored matching jacket and pants or skirt w/ a silk tee or tank underneath (then when you're not in the interview you take the jacket off to avoid heatstroke). There are a lot of cute seersucker suits right now that would be professional, not too formal, and would still have some pizzazz. Don't wear a black or dark suit.

As long as your shoes/pedicure are professional, I don't think open toe would be inappropriate. Bear in mind that many walkways here are gravel, sand etc, so a chunkier heel will keep you from sinking.

Keep the makeup light, jewelery simple/small, and don't douse yourself in perfume.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Honestly, I never understood why people feel the need to dress for work. If people would spend as much time on being hard-working and honest, as they spend on thinking about which clothes they were going to wear, the business world would be a better place. Liars and cheats often wear suits.

 

[BlueFox181]

You guys took this suggestion thing way too far - I know how to dress and all- I was atcually just wondering about fabrics? I had mention the thing about the silk having crazy noticible sweat marks- that's all.

1. I will never wear seersucker.
2. I LOVE black- you can't stop me!
3. I wear open-toed heels almost 24/7


Ha! We will see how it goes- I literally scoured the mall for a new outfilt only to realize I just needed to refer to my ginormous closet.

Thanks for the advice anyways! Interviews are this week...

 

[seacrestkristi]

If only it were that simple SJ ;-) Sounds like a lotta grayt advice to me. I know I learned a lot. I like 'vanilla' and chunky heel advice esp. well. Thanks for taking the time to help gulls. ;-) Now to get motivated to go on the dern interview. Guess I'm just not as hungry as when I was younger and that is something to be very thankful for.