Dressing the part... 8

[VeritechVF11]

ok, i'm just breaking into the job hunting process, fresh out of college, and i've been doing a bit of research in the way of resume writing, what to do/not to do in an interview, etc.
my field of study is in electronics technology and i'm looking for work as either an electronics test technician or a maintenance mechanic of some kind, preferably for heavy, industrial-type machinery. third choice would be a field service technician for home audio/visual equipment.
anyway, getting to my question... well, i'm female and i have extremely long hair (to waist) and i keep coming across these 'tips and tricks for a successful interview' on various career help sites that say not to wear your hair in a pony tail or some even say not to wear it braided to an interview. thing is... for the type of work i'm going to be interviewing for, aren't i going to come across as just a bit too 'girly' or fragile and just altogether not prepared to do the type of work related to any of said positions if i wear it down?
i'm rather small and people tend to misjudge my mechanical abilities enough as it is without my adding to the assumption that i'm to pristine to get my hands dirty by my dressing 'proper'... right?
i mean, is that right?
i'm worried that going by the book here will actually damage my chances and it seems to me that i'd have a much better shot at landing the job and even being taken seriously if i go in there with a pony tail and a baseball cap on rather than let my hair hang down loose, where it'll constantly be getting in the way, and i'll be constantly flipping it back over my shoulder to get it out of the way and yadda, yadda, yadda.

but then again, an interview is an interview and there's a certain style and demeanor expected of the candidates, right?

so i just don't know.

and i know this is a totally ridiculous question but where better a place to ask it than in a tech-oriented forum where experience in the tech world abounds, so i'm asking you all, what do you think i'd be better off doing? pony-tail, pony-tail through baseball cap, french-braid, plain braid or down? and cutting it off is not one of the options.

 

[corus]

Many people attend an interview as if that is what they are going to wear every day for work, even though they're not. I would consider the safety aspects of the job you are applying for and attend any interview with that in mind. A prospective employer will also have that in mind and might consider long hair a hazard. Baseball caps are definitely out though as would be hats that offered a floral tribute, although for different reasons. I wouldn't worry about the girlie look but I'd try not to offset it with a tattoo across your forehead that said HATE, for example. It sends the wrong message.

corus

 

[testy]

At first I was going to say it would depend on the position you are applying for. However, after reflecting upon this, I don't think it will matter what the position is. You may not be taken seriously and it could be a hazard in the field. Baseball caps are very unprofessional for most Engineers. If it gets in the way during an interview what kind of hazard will it present around rotating equipment. I have personally seen a fist size chunk of scalp ripped out by a drill press, not pretty.

Ray Havermahl
Independent Engineering Labs

http://www.ielinc.com

 

[ewh]

I say go with a french braid. It is a clean, professional look, and having it out of the way during the interview will mean one less distraction.

 

[VeritechVF11]

ok, thank you, everyone. that's exactly what i was worried about as far giving the wrong impression regarding safety issues and the like.

i think a french braid is a good choice too and since that's how i generally wear it anyway, it coincides with what corus brought up about keeping in mind what i would reallys like dress like for the job.

thanks a bunch you guys.

you know... someone ought to come up with one of those 'tips & tricks for an interview' site that is specifically for techies because the guidelines and things to consider are very different.

 

[TheTick]

Many women in the military are adept at putting their long hair up into professional, "regulation" hairstyles. If you know any women in ROTC or in service, especially officers, they might be able to help.

 

[COKA]

Hi there,
I am a female engineer, working for an engine repair facility. On a daily basis, I am in contact with engine parts, that are dirty (oil, NOx, SOx, etc). I have to wear steel toe shoes, and there is a no jeans policy, and did I mention that I have long (blond) hair. I knew which kind of environment I was going to work in, so I asked around about dress code interview tips, and I came up with the following:
1. Tie up your hair in a simple pony tail, a brade might look too childish!
2. Have your nails trimmed down and without colored nail polish. This is very important, since it tells the interviewer that you don't mind getting your hands dirty.
3. Don't have extremely high heel shoes (up to 1" - 1.5"), specially not needle heel and specially not pointy!
4. Don't wear a mini skirt to the interview. Maybe a long skirt is OK, but the best would be to wear a suit with a nice shirt. NO JEANS!
5. Don't have a décolté shirt and make sure that it is not too short. Cover yourself!! Also, make sure that no tatoos show if you have them.
6. Don't wear too much make-up. Anything natural looking is good.

Good luck! If you folow these rules, looks wise, you'll be taken very seriously and you won't have a problem!


Coka

 

[RDK]

Best rule for dressing for an interview was to wear what you would to work on a day when important people were coming to the job.

That could be for an important client meeting or a visit from a corporate executive to the job site.

For hands on get dirty job that would be clean and neat work clothes with proper regard for the safety issues. I don’t mean wear a hard hat to the interview but long hair should be tired up and out of the way. For women a French braid works well.

If it’s an office job then suit and tie is always the order of the day.

Do not wear something better suited for the beach or the night club.


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[VeritechVF11]

the make-up, i'm good with. hardly wear it anyway and when i do it's just a touch so i'm fine with only putting on little for an interview.
as for heels... well i don't think i even own a pair of high heels so no risk there. that is something else i was wondering about, though. what to put on my feet. i have several pairs of Dr. Martins (work boots) but those don't seem quite dressy enough for an interview. i do have another pair of boots which are actually intended to be worn when working around horses (paddock boots). those look much dressier. dressy enough that i have actually worn them with a skirt before. they are fitted snuggly around the foot and ankles and are made of very thin black leather (except at the hardened toe because it's not fun to have a horse step on your foot without hard-toed boots on). besides that they've been polished on a regular basis throughout their lifetime. so i'm thinking the paddock boots would be a good shoe. otherwise i guess i'd have to go buy some shoes, just for interviews, because the only thing else i really have (that fit me anymore) are a pair of Vans and a couple pairs of Converse, all of which i know are out.

i can wear a nice pair of slacks, can't i? i don't have a problem with wearing a skirt but i just don't think it fits the type of job i'm looking for.
and would a men's button-down dress shirt (tucked in and in my size, of course) do ok?

don't have any tattos, but what about earings? i have 4 peircings on one ear and one on the other. should i take them all out or just take out the extra 3? or just keep them all but make them all match (with little silver balls or something)?

RDK, that's a good tip anda good way of looking at it. i'll be sure to keep that in mind for all my interviews now.

again, thanks you guys. the internet is such a beautiful thing.

 

[COKA]

hhhhhhmmmmmmmmm........
Let's see... I don't know what horse boots look like, but I guess Dr Martins would be OK. Maybe in the near future you might want to invest into heel shoes. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something that you might end up wearing to special occasions (interviews, weddings, church, etc). No running shoes!!! It doesn't look professional. As for men's shirt, I don't know what to say for that. Maybe guys could give you a comment on this. If the extra earings are not too visible, then you shouldn't worry too much about that (unless you have a 1/4" diameter hole through your ear).

Coka

 

[IRstuff]

Solid color shirts are probably OK.

Don't most men would really notice whether a shirt has the buttons the right way, although, the cut alone is usually enough to categorize it.

You might what to think about whether it might make others think that you're hiding your femaleness, particularly if you're looking at button-down Oxford or broadcloth.

If you do decide to go that route, see if you can find a "tapered-fit" or "athletic-fit". Both these styles tend to have slight narrower waists and don't look like cylinders. Personally, I wind up even worse, because my neck is larger relative to the rest of my body, but I'm too cheap to go for custom shirts.

TTFN

 

[RDK]

One thing to remember in any hiring situation, the manager often started out with a big stack of resumes. He then went through them looking not for the person to hire but for some excuse to get rid of as many as possible. He did this to get the numbers down to some manageable level.

He would have tossed any that failed to meet the strict qualifications, any which had spelling and typographical errors etc.

Next he would then read through the resumes looking for other reasons to reject any resumes until he got down to the number of people that he wanted to interview. For logistical reasons he may have only wanted to interview 3 to 5 people. He wants to get it down to two people left so that he can compare them, everyone else he is looking for a reason to not hire them and eliminate them from further consideration.

I’ve gone as far as to reduce 60 applications down to one interview. As it happened the interviewee was a woman and the only real questions I had was if she had the upper body strength to do the job and was she assertive enough to put up with contractors and tradesmen. (The job was construction inspection and it involves testing concrete and soil, both jobs requiring upper body strength.)

The mindset of looking for a reason to reject an applicant still applies into the interview process. The manager may bring some old fashioned ideas about proper dress and the place of women into the interview process.

Your dress for the interview will never get you hired but it will get you removed from further consideration. For that reason never wear too much jewellery or clothes not suited for the job that you are interviewing. Look like you already belong in the job. It will be easier for the manager to see you in the job if you do so.

For the earrings, its better to be safe than sorry, I’d remove all but a matching pair, small sized and tasteful. That is unless there is a noticeable hole left when the extra rings are removed. You will never get hired for wearing three or four sets of earrings but you just might get not hired, therefore only wear one set.

The same logic would apply to shoes. Doc Martins or horse boots may be OK, just as long as they don’t stand out either way they should be suitable. I’d also not wear high heals (I’d look silly in them anyway) if I was not used to them and comfortable in them. Nothing would look sillier than women obviously not used to high-healed shoes trying to stay on them.

Think Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. The scene where she comes out of the hangar looking like a million dollars walks towards the camera and then falls flat on her face. It got a big laugh in the movie but will get you removed from further consideration in an interview.

As for wearing a man’s dress shirt, I’d stay away from that. Looking like a woman who wants to look like a man will scare a lot of managers. You may come across like a hard liner woman’s rights activist who will simply make trouble down the road. You may come across as someone who is denying whom she is.

There are a lot of nice tasteful woman’s dress shirts and tops that are classy and wearable for job interviews. Invest in one because sooner or later you will need one for more formal business occasions like industry and professional meetings, trade shows etc. They can have a business cut but should not be man’s clothing.

It’s always harder for a woman to dress properly in what has traditionally been a man’s profession. I can always get away with a white shirt and tie, grey pants and a navy blazer for almost every business occasion. You may want to look at the woman’s equal to that. Just don’t wear a man’s shirt, blazer and pants; most women look silly in a man’s cut clothing.


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[KThomson]

I am familiar with horse boots and doc martens - I'd vote for the horse boots as long as they are clean and not scuffed up.

For hair I'd say either a braid or a french twist, but no ponytail. (too casual)

Good luck!

Kate

 

[quark]

I generally depend upon lady luck as well and here are some tips.

Generally dark or navy blue is considered auspicious for interviews.

If your interview falls on...

Sunday - Pink
Monday - Blue/Black
Tuesday - Generally Red, but avoid it
Wednesday - Green
Thursday - Yellow
Friday - White
Saturday - Blue/Black

Try to avoid the chair directly opposite to the interviewer.

Keep on thinking that you already got the job.

Pony tail may not be a better option. Long eardrops may be fun for secretaries and receptionists but not for engineers.

Good Luck,







Eng-Tips.com : Solving your problems before you get them.

 

[toolmantwo]

Hi
Just popping in a thought. Being male this is a tough question for me, but I have a daughter who is 20 and will be going to interviews for college internships soon.

1. Hair: hers is med. length, I would suggest she wear the style that looks best with her, and take some photos of herself in any of those that keep it up and away safer
like the French braid or twist, or "(the military are adept at putting their long hair up into professional, "regulation" hairstyles)" from above. This would cover many bases. I am assuming the party(s) that will decide to hire could be male or female alone or in a group interview. I would think you would be able to show them you can wear safer hair in this method, yet not shortchange your best attributes. Someday they may want you to travel to shows, conferences, and career day at the local high school and they will want to have you show off some.

2. Clothes: I would go with clothes you would expect to wear on the job, with sensible shoes (I understand Doc Martins are well made and are comfortable). My daughter wears them now for College. Colors: When I see a dark blue or black I think of a woman lawyer saying “NO WAY” or the authority figure and thus being uncompromising hard liner which is not what I would want to see in an engineer. Those are just my thoughts; I would defer to the women here for the best input. They claim men are “Clothes Blind” so that may be true. I think skirts are better than slacks, but the woman’s viewpoint may be the opposite.

For me I know brown is not my color and I look better and friendly in multi-colors.

I ma not sure this is any help, but just putting out my input.
Good luck in the job hunting.

 

[presso]

Being myself a female engineer, i had my fair share of job interviews in the last 6 months.
I always wore a black or grey suit with pants most of the time (especially if you're interviewed for a position in a plant!) with colorful tops or shirts, not too conservative, just a bit fun to show some personality. A little make-up, hair down (they fall just above the shoulders). Boots also. Riding boots may be great (if they are clean!).
I never felt judged for my appearance, some interviewers even commented on my professional look, compared to the "male equivalent"! However, some questions usually arised such as "Do you feel confortable working in a man-dominated environment such as the pulp and paper industry?". Sure! Tell me why i should not?!? You just need to feel confident in your skills, you are offering the opportunity to hire you and show why they should not pass on this chance.
I finally ended up in a company where 3 out 4 of the new engineers are women. It was not a decisive factor but it's a nice change!
Good luck

 

[johnwiss]

Scout the place you want to work or a similar type of business--look at the males/females that go in and out. You should be able to figure out who the managers are (car they pull up in if the parking lot is outside next to the building) -- carrying laptop bag or briefcase etc. The way you see them dressed is probably acceptable a good starting point. I always am impressed when I see a business woman in solid colors with matching shoes. The all-pink, all-blue, all-yellow, or all-green look to me is very classy and powerful.

 

[Zapster]

If I was looking for work and had long hair, I certainly would not have the attitude “and cutting it off is not one of the options.” This is akin to saying my hair is more important than landing a good job. If I were to apply for a position and I really wanted the job, and I even thought that the length of my hair, ring in my nose, amount of facial hair, etc. could be an issues, off they would go. Are these things really that important in the big picture?

Secondly, the statement “i'm looking for work as either an electronics test technician or a maintenance mechanic of some kind, preferably for heavy, industrial-type machinery. third choice would be a field service technician for home audio/visual equipment.” These are very different jobs. It would do anyone well to pick a specific profession and pursue it with passion. This will show up at your interview and make you more employable. Something about sincere enthusiasm and passion makes a person stand out and highly desirable for employment. All other things being equal, this can be the tie breaker.

Finally, ouch in advance for the comments I might get for tossing in my 2 cents worth.

 

[twodoorhardtop]

They realize your are dressing for the INTERVIEW not the position. The degree to which attire matters can depend on the company and the position. The title Technician can mean mechanic but can also mean junior engineer. An interview for a mechanic may not require a suit whereas for junior engineer it would unquestionably be appropriate. Then again the company makes a difference too. Going for a maintenance mechanic postion at a fortune 500 company? Definitely wear a suit. Small company for maint. mech.? Slacks may be best. In a suit, you'll be more convincing with what you say. Even when your telling them that you like to get your hands dirty.

You are on the right track here, just don't look girlie and be careful with makeup, hair and jewelry. Be professional.

Hair should be up, unless its so long that one can tell its extra long as they may be concerned about safety. Then french braid may be best.

One conservative earing in each ear or none.

Light make up.

Fingernails short and no polish.

Think conservative and normal. Nothing unusual.

Good Luck!!!


P.S.
I found the following on the Joy of Jobhunting site.

http://www.bradfordstaff.com/joj/joj9.htm

Dress conservatively.

It’s assumed that job seekers wear their best clothes to an interview. Even if you know that jeans are the uniform of the day at a certain company, don’t make the mistake of wearing such casual attire to your interview.


John Molloy, in "The Women’s Dress For Success Book" (Warner Books, New York), suggests it is best to dress as if you were applying for a position one or two steps higher than the one for which you’re actually interviewing. You’ll seem to be a bargain, he contends. Obviously, though, you have to use common sense. If you’re applying for a position as a computer technician, you can’t look as though you’re afraid of getting your hands dirty.

For any office position, professional or support, a skirted suit is the best attire for women. For men, a conservative suit in a neutral color works best.

 

[heieup]

As a lady in heavy industry I'd suggest the following.

Wear a trouser suit, skirts are Ok, but I've always found them to be thought of as girly and beg questions about how you can cope with wearing work wear every day. Not navy or black though, that is very very dull, but something a bit different with a plain shirt. I would have thought that a mans cut shirt would be ok if it fits you and tucked in, perhaps leave the top button undone though to give it a bit more femininity. Horse riding boots should be fine as long as they are neat and clean.

Hair. I always wear mine down, but then it is just shoulder length. If it was longer, probably a french pleat. Something tidy but not too severe. And pony tails are a bit casual. braids a bit mumsy!. I do agree with you about not having it cut though. Just because we work in industry doesn't mean we have to sacrifice our femininity as long as its not a safety hazard. e.g. tied back whilst at work.

Earrings, one pair or just matching studs. I wouldn't go for hoops, they most definetly are a safety hazard and some people really object to them.

Hope this helps, if you're qualified you shouldn't have a problem in my experience.

HTH