This anonymous interview is with an Academic librarian who works in a city/town in the Southern United States, at a library with 10-50 staff members. This librarian has been a hiring manager and a member of a hiring or search committee.
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.
√ True
If a woman wears a skirt to an interview, should she also wear pantyhose?
√ No, but it’s not a dealbreaker
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.
Given the fact that we’re an academic library at a fairly conservative university, obvious tattoos and body piercings would most likely be an issue. Professional attire would be expected.
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:
√ A few simple necklaces, bracelets, and/or rings
√ Earrings
√ Multiple Ear Piercings
Which hair colors are acceptable for candidates:
√ Natural colors (black, brown, red, blonde, gray)
The way a candidate dresses should:
√ Be fairly neutral
How does what a candidate wears affect your hiring decision?
The biggest thing is that it would be an indicator of how much homework they’ve done to see who we are. I don’t think any of the items listed in this survey would be an indicator of ability to do a job or not do a job, neither do I think they indicate quality of character. In our particular library, though, showing up with super casual dress and tats and piercings would show me that they hadn’t been interested enough in the position to learn about their potential place of employment. Though some of us are personally much more liberal than our environment, when we’re here we respect the tone of the university overall.
What This Library Wears
How do you dress when you are going to conduct an interview?
I’m female, so trousers, a nice top and a jacket of some sort.
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?
√ Jeans
√ Flip flops
√ Visible Tattoos
√ Short skirts/shorts
√ Tank tops
√ Logos/band insignia/slogans
√ Sneakers/trainers
Librarians at your organization wear:
√ Name tags
This survey was co-authored by Jill of Librarian Hire Fashion – submit your interview outfit to her blog!
Photo: Outfit for interview by Flickr user Josh Delsman via Creative Commons License
Hiring Librarians 