This anonymous interview is with a public librarian who has been a hiring manager and a member of a hiring or search committee. This librarian works at a library with 50-100 staff members in an urban area of the Southern US.
What Candidates Should Wear
Should the candidate wear a suit to the interview?
√ Probably, yes (but it’s ok if the candidate wears something a little less formal)
An outfit with a coordinated blazer and trousers:
√ Counts as a suit
Bare arms are inappropriate in an interview, even in the summer.
√ I don’t care
If a woman wears a skirt to an interview, should she also wear pantyhose?
√ Other: I don’t care
Women should wear make-up to an interview:
√ I don’t care what’s on the face, it’s what’s in the brain that counts
Is there anything a candidate might wear that would cause them to be instantly out of the running? If you have any funny stories about horrifying interview outfits, we’d love to hear them.
costumes? holey jeans and t-shirts. extremely low-cut blouses.
Do you expect different levels of formality of dress, depending on the position you’re hiring for?
√ Yes, the higher the position, the more formal I expect the candidate to dress
Which jewelry may candidates wear: (Please select all that are acceptable)
√ Other: don’t care
Which hair colors are acceptable for candidates:
√ All of them, even pink
The way a candidate dresses should:
√ Be fairly neutral
How does what a candidate wears affect your hiring decision?
Depends on the position and branch location. Someone with multicolored hair, and lots of tatts and piercings may not be a good fit for a rural branch, but would be unnoticed at our main urban branch.
What This Library Wears
How do you dress when you are going to conduct an interview?
dress pants, nice top, jacket.
On a scale of one (too dressed up for my workplace) to five (too casual), khakis and a polo shirt are:
3
What’s the dress code at your library/organization?
√ Business casual
Are there any specific items of clothing, etc. that are forbidden by your dress code? Please check all that apply
√ Jeans
√ Short skirts/shorts
√ Logos/band insignia/slogans
Librarians at your organization wear: Please check all that apply
√ Other: badges optional
This survey was co-authored by Jill of Librarian Hire Fashion – submit your interview outfit to her blog!
Photo: Stockimages on FreeDigitalPhotos.net
