Playing Dress-Up (Startup Tech Interview Edition)
March 28, 2016 5:35 PM Subscribe
Interview tomorrow afternoon, tech role at a local startup. Worried about coming across as too frumpy, but don't want to err on the side of too casual, either.
I have an interview tomorrow at a local tech company with two of the team leads. The company has been around for a little less than a decade, were recently acquired by a larger company so they have some stability, but still have that "startup feel". I've done all the typical online research, not only about the company as a whole but also to check out photos of employee events. From what I've seen in photos, women at this company wear everything from jeans and t-shirts to collared shirts and khakis to pencil skirts and blouses to full suits. Men have a similar range. I'm at a loss as to what to wear to the interview.
For context: I currently work in a very small, "wear your pajamas to work if you want to" office, and before that I worked from home for myself for a long time. When I interviewed for the job I have now, I had someone on the inside to tell me what was appropriate. This time around I don't, and I'm feeling super-clueless.
Me: late-30s, short, fat, and greying (so I'm extra-wary of looking too stodgy/old-school).
My options:
1) Black blazer with matching pencil or A-line skirt, grey shell.
2) Black 3/4 sleeve cardigan, this top in pink or "blue sea", black pencil or A-line skirt
3) 3/4 sleeve orange and black striped mid-calf dress, with or without the cardigan from option 3 (it looks awkward with the blazer)
Shoe options: black, pink, bright blue, or red pumps (the blue and pink match the tops above), black strappy but chunky heeled sandals, black loafers, black flats. Do I wear stockings/tights? (Options on hand: sheer tan pantyhose, opaque black tights.)
I don't have any jeans that aren't ratty, so the "dark denim and an oxford with flats" option I've seen in various places isn't an option, and I don't have any dress pants (nor can I get some between now and then).
I'm afraid of looking too stodgy/frumpy/old-school and not fitting in, but I'm also afraid of going way too casual. So now I'm stuck. Help me, mefites!
I have an interview tomorrow at a local tech company with two of the team leads. The company has been around for a little less than a decade, were recently acquired by a larger company so they have some stability, but still have that "startup feel". I've done all the typical online research, not only about the company as a whole but also to check out photos of employee events. From what I've seen in photos, women at this company wear everything from jeans and t-shirts to collared shirts and khakis to pencil skirts and blouses to full suits. Men have a similar range. I'm at a loss as to what to wear to the interview.
For context: I currently work in a very small, "wear your pajamas to work if you want to" office, and before that I worked from home for myself for a long time. When I interviewed for the job I have now, I had someone on the inside to tell me what was appropriate. This time around I don't, and I'm feeling super-clueless.
Me: late-30s, short, fat, and greying (so I'm extra-wary of looking too stodgy/old-school).
My options:
1) Black blazer with matching pencil or A-line skirt, grey shell.
2) Black 3/4 sleeve cardigan, this top in pink or "blue sea", black pencil or A-line skirt
3) 3/4 sleeve orange and black striped mid-calf dress, with or without the cardigan from option 3 (it looks awkward with the blazer)
Shoe options: black, pink, bright blue, or red pumps (the blue and pink match the tops above), black strappy but chunky heeled sandals, black loafers, black flats. Do I wear stockings/tights? (Options on hand: sheer tan pantyhose, opaque black tights.)
I don't have any jeans that aren't ratty, so the "dark denim and an oxford with flats" option I've seen in various places isn't an option, and I don't have any dress pants (nor can I get some between now and then).
I'm afraid of looking too stodgy/frumpy/old-school and not fitting in, but I'm also afraid of going way too casual. So now I'm stuck. Help me, mefites!
Do I wear stockings
Lord, no, if you can help it. If it's freezing, go with the opaque black tights.
posted by mochapickle at 5:43 PM on March 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
Lord, no, if you can help it. If it's freezing, go with the opaque black tights.
posted by mochapickle at 5:43 PM on March 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I personally think matching pants/skirt and cardigan runs the risk of looking frumpy, I think because it's almost like a suit but not quite! If both look very smart and fit really well, it's fine, but it's easy for it to go frump.
That said, I think I would go with the dress with black flats and the cardigan. A dress with a cardigan is my go-to for interviews in my casual-dress field.
posted by lunasol at 5:50 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
That said, I think I would go with the dress with black flats and the cardigan. A dress with a cardigan is my go-to for interviews in my casual-dress field.
posted by lunasol at 5:50 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Always err on the side of dressing formally, even for a casual organization. A cardigan will come across as too casual, and while the dress might be good, without a jacket it will also look too casual, especially as it is striped. I would definitely go for option #1 with the pencil skirt. Narrower skirts are generally more flattering and sleeker than a-line, especially if you are not very thin. You could wear stockings if you prefer them. Personally, I hate them and would wear opaque black tights and black pumps. If you have shoes with heels and can tolerate them, they will help fight the frump. But no strappy shoes with opaque tights--they can look at odds seasonally.
Accessories can also make a big difference. Go for simple and sleek, but that doesn't necessarily mean dainty. I am short and fat and in my 50s and terrified of frumpiness. But I like to wear fairly bold earrings and necklaces that make a plain outfit look a little sharper.
If you get a second interview, you can dress more casually if you see that's how others there dress, but for the first, go super business-like.
Good luck!
posted by primate moon at 5:59 PM on March 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
Accessories can also make a big difference. Go for simple and sleek, but that doesn't necessarily mean dainty. I am short and fat and in my 50s and terrified of frumpiness. But I like to wear fairly bold earrings and necklaces that make a plain outfit look a little sharper.
If you get a second interview, you can dress more casually if you see that's how others there dress, but for the first, go super business-like.
Good luck!
posted by primate moon at 5:59 PM on March 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
Do you not have a pair of black pants? I would wear black pants rather than any skirt, to a tech role interview. Sorry if that's off point. Maybe geography is making me read this wrong? I'm west coast tech, and here you don't see the female tech staff wearing skirts, ever. Only Marketing and folks like that.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:33 PM on March 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:33 PM on March 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Definitely agree with Primate Moon. #1 is your best option, black tights with matching shoes. Heels are best.
posted by sulaine at 8:04 PM on March 28, 2016
posted by sulaine at 8:04 PM on March 28, 2016
Nobody really cares what you wear. I've work in tech, have interviewed hundreds of people, and I cannot remember a candidate's clothing choices during the interview coming up...ever. Oh, wait, one time the candidate had these green sneakers that everyone agreed were really nifty.
That said, #3 sounds kind of neat and definitely-not-stodgy but also not-casual to me.
You probably want comfy shoes. I wouldn't wear heels to an interview if there was any chance that I'd be required to whiteboard.
posted by phoenixy at 8:54 PM on March 28, 2016
That said, #3 sounds kind of neat and definitely-not-stodgy but also not-casual to me.
You probably want comfy shoes. I wouldn't wear heels to an interview if there was any chance that I'd be required to whiteboard.
posted by phoenixy at 8:54 PM on March 28, 2016
Are you able to parse business-side vs. tech-side women in the photos? I'd be really surprised if the dress code gamut for technical women truly ran from jeans+tee to full suit. My first inclination was like fingersandtoes, to go with black pants, so reconsider whether you can fit in a shopping trip before the interview. I'm also in west coast tech. I intentionally wore pants and flats to my interview (at a company with an explicitly casual dress code where I expected my interviewers to be 90-100% male), although I wear plenty of skirts and dresses and heels at work day-to-day because fuck stereotypes.
"Always err on the side of dressing formally" can backfire for tech startups. Of your listed options, I'd go for #1 but dress it down as much as possible: go for the A-line skirt if it reads a little more business casual than suit-like, consider wearing a brighter colored top (like the "blue sea" one from #2) under the blazer if the silhouette works with the outfit, and stick with the black loafers or flats. I'd go bare-legged if you feel comfortable and weather permits; otherwise black opaque hose over sheer pantyhose, although my personal preference is for sheer black hose.
Things that I try to avoid wearing to a technical interview, because they don't help and might hurt if one person has a lot of unconscious bias: dress/skirt, heels, jewelry, heavy makeup. The idea is to avoid being perceived as strongly feminine and also blend in with forgettable clothing. But odds are that no one will care, so don't stress too much if you're most comfortable in a skirt or dress.
posted by serelliya at 9:05 PM on March 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
"Always err on the side of dressing formally" can backfire for tech startups. Of your listed options, I'd go for #1 but dress it down as much as possible: go for the A-line skirt if it reads a little more business casual than suit-like, consider wearing a brighter colored top (like the "blue sea" one from #2) under the blazer if the silhouette works with the outfit, and stick with the black loafers or flats. I'd go bare-legged if you feel comfortable and weather permits; otherwise black opaque hose over sheer pantyhose, although my personal preference is for sheer black hose.
Things that I try to avoid wearing to a technical interview, because they don't help and might hurt if one person has a lot of unconscious bias: dress/skirt, heels, jewelry, heavy makeup. The idea is to avoid being perceived as strongly feminine and also blend in with forgettable clothing. But odds are that no one will care, so don't stress too much if you're most comfortable in a skirt or dress.
posted by serelliya at 9:05 PM on March 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Totally agree with Primate Moon and sulaine. Even if it's not the way you'll be dressing on the job, outfit number one will give an air of competence and confidence that is helpful on an interview. Chunky, moder jewelry could reduce any potential for frump.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:55 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:55 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You can't win as a woman dressing for a technical interview. I strongly disagree with people above who say nobody will notice what you wear. Someone may well. But you can't possibly predict what conclusion they'll draw about you from it. For everyone who says, "She was overdressed, so probably incompetent," you'll find someone who says, "She was dressed way too casually, so probably incompetent." I've heard both things said about female candidates interviewing for tech roles.
Wear the outfit that makes you feel most comfortable, confident, and awesome, because there is NO CORRECT THING TO WEAR. I mean, seriously, look at the range of responses in this thread. You have someone telling you not to wear jewelry immediately followed by someone recommending chunky, modern jewelry. Don't overthink this because it is literally impossible to pick an outfit that's guaranteed not to work against you with some fraction of the interview loop. It sucks, but that's life as a technical woman in 2016.
posted by town of cats at 11:27 PM on March 28, 2016 [17 favorites]
Wear the outfit that makes you feel most comfortable, confident, and awesome, because there is NO CORRECT THING TO WEAR. I mean, seriously, look at the range of responses in this thread. You have someone telling you not to wear jewelry immediately followed by someone recommending chunky, modern jewelry. Don't overthink this because it is literally impossible to pick an outfit that's guaranteed not to work against you with some fraction of the interview loop. It sucks, but that's life as a technical woman in 2016.
posted by town of cats at 11:27 PM on March 28, 2016 [17 favorites]
Best answer: NYC tech, and some places I've worked at have judged candidates for showing up in a suit or dressing too formal. It made the interviewers feel uncomfortable, so they blamed the candidate for not researching the culture.
Skirt, cardigan, top sounds fine and appropriate to me! Agree with the answers that say to pick what makes you feel like a badass.
posted by hyperion at 4:48 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Skirt, cardigan, top sounds fine and appropriate to me! Agree with the answers that say to pick what makes you feel like a badass.
posted by hyperion at 4:48 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm a woman in tech. Of those choices, here's what I'd wear:
Black skirt, black tights, black heels and the dress. It's funky, and not dowdy. You made an effort without looking like the FBI.
If you have a nice necklace to wear with the outfit, that will be fine.
Right now I'm rocking leggings and a tunic, with a silver necklace. Doing my tech job.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:50 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Black skirt, black tights, black heels and the dress. It's funky, and not dowdy. You made an effort without looking like the FBI.
If you have a nice necklace to wear with the outfit, that will be fine.
Right now I'm rocking leggings and a tunic, with a silver necklace. Doing my tech job.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:50 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
My vote is for colour and heels, but that might be my personal style bias. Make sure the shoes are broken in.
Last job I got was in grey top, navy pencil skirt, and tall copper snake print heels. That same outfit that got me hired in one place was a no hire in another for lack of "culture fit". It was a good weeder for me. If you would like to avoid the brogrammers, dress feminine.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:09 AM on March 29, 2016
Last job I got was in grey top, navy pencil skirt, and tall copper snake print heels. That same outfit that got me hired in one place was a no hire in another for lack of "culture fit". It was a good weeder for me. If you would like to avoid the brogrammers, dress feminine.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:09 AM on March 29, 2016
I would go #2 and probably black tights and black flat shoes. Actually the last two startup tech jobs I've been hired for I got in a button-down shirt, purple hair, track pants and a plaster cast, but before I got into the habit of interviewing shortly after ankle surgery I used to make a point of wearing a skirt to interviews.
posted by corvine at 1:22 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by corvine at 1:22 PM on March 29, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I ended up going with the orange dress, black tights and black flats, along with the suit jacket, which didn't look as awful with that dress as I'd remembered. (I took the cardigan and heels with me so I would have the opportunity to change out at the last minute, though.)
For future folks looking at this thread, I don't own a single pair of dress pants, nor did I have time to go get some and have them tailored, which is why I didn't go that route.
Big special thanks to town of cats - when I woke up this morning and scrolled up from the bottom, yours was the first comment I saw, and it's exactly what I needed to hear.
I felt ever-so-slightly overdressed, but not stuffy or too formal, and I think the interview went well. Thanks everyone!!
posted by okayokayigive at 5:32 PM on March 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
For future folks looking at this thread, I don't own a single pair of dress pants, nor did I have time to go get some and have them tailored, which is why I didn't go that route.
Big special thanks to town of cats - when I woke up this morning and scrolled up from the bottom, yours was the first comment I saw, and it's exactly what I needed to hear.
I felt ever-so-slightly overdressed, but not stuffy or too formal, and I think the interview went well. Thanks everyone!!
posted by okayokayigive at 5:32 PM on March 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by heathrowga at 5:39 PM on March 28, 2016 [3 favorites]