Style Dilemma: The Right Stuff for Post Doc Job Interviews

MotorCityGirl is, as mentioned before, a brilliant academic. She's nearly done her PhD, and is entering a crazy round of interviews for professorships. There's an interesting dynamic with these interviews (that's a whole 'nother topic for a whole 'nother blog), but part of it is that she's trying to come back East, and the Eastern universities are particularly conservative. So she needs to choose her interview ensembles carefully. She made a Banana run a few weeks ago, and wrote with a shoe/suit dilemma...

I got my suits pants hemmed to fit with my carmel-colored kitten-heel (1"?) Mary Janes. They're about 1/4" above the floor with those shoes. Then I Friday I wore those shoes and my feet have been KILLING me. No blisters, but they totally aggravate the plantar faciitis that I've been working on for over a year now. I'm also not perfectly confident with the caramel color and the taupe/grey suit. I also have a pair of very comfortable Born Mary Janes in a conservative chocolate brown. The pants come about half-way down the 3" heel and still break a bit in the front. Is this too short?

If it isn't, then my plan is to wear the brown suit with the gold pinstripe with the carmel shoes on the two "less important" days and the taupe/grey suit with the Born shoes on the more important days.

MotorCityGirl, I don't have a ton of advice here. Most important thing is how you feel. And remember your audience. To be honest (and maybe I'll bring the wrath of the Academic Fashion World down on my blog for this, but I'll take that risk), I don't think the 65-year-old tenured profs (white males, of course) give a hoot about your shoes and suit - unless they're inappropriate.

That being said, I'm just not crazy about the brown suit with the caramel shoes - I know you said there's a pinstripe the shoes pick up, but that's just not coming across. And yeah, the brown mary janes render the pants too short. I do like the grey with the caramel. Personal choice. (Love the camera feature with the multiple shots. Note to self - see if own camera has this!)

In the end, though, you have to wear what you're comfortable in. All of these choices are perfectly appropriate. You want to project confidence, and you won't be confident if you're fiddling with your suit or limping.

Good luck with the interviews...and let us know how it goes!

Listen to Your Grandmother

or your Girl Scout troop leader, or high school guidance counselor, or career counselor, or your [gasp!] mother.

They're all right.

First impressions really do count.

In honor of 500 DC Celine posts (I feel so established*), I want to share what prettyinpink shared with me this morning. It's really the bottom line of DC Celine - with snazzy details taking it to another funky level.

prettyinpink writes: a girl came in to interview. i was given the opportunity to interview her as we would be working together. granted it was a second interview and i recognize that not everyone wears make up and whatnot, however, she showed up in a bulky, red turtleneck sweater, absolutely covered with pills. Paired with a tulip skirt that was too long, opaque black stockings and chunky shoes it was just unacceptable. no, blazer, no little coat, no finishing. she just looked disheveled. In my position [marketing manager for a large corporation], how can i expect people to be able to pull together a complete look and brand if they can't even put on a nice, unpilly sweater?

I found myself struggling to get past how she presented herself, even though her credentials were fairly strong.

so i ask you to continue your work to aid the less then fashion forward. it's a lesson in first impressions. everyone tells you how important it is however, you don't realize it fully until you're forced to try and look past it.

that's my public service announcement for the day.

prettyinpink, thanks.

And consider your PSA posted.

It's true, dear Infintessimal Readership. I know I'm preaching to the choir (chances are, if you're bothering to read a style blog, you're probably on the proverbial bandwagon already), but please, please, please think about things when you put them on. If there's any doubt in your mind, ask a friend, family member, or barring all else, a nice stranger on the street. We're bombarded with style shows nowadays - everyone and their mother's brother can probably tell you that well-fitted, simple clothes - appropriately chosen (i.e. wear a suit - or at least a blazer - to an interview) will get you farther than you think.

I'll throw this one out to the IR - I have my own thoughts as to what our interviewee could have changed - not terribly much, honestly - in her ensemble to not end up the subject of a Style Dilemma...

What would you do?

*ok, so I'm a little late on the blogging scene, but they've been a wonderful 500 posts - Happy Birthday to me!