This anonymous interview is with an Public librarian who has been a hiring manager. This librarian works at a library with 0-10 staff members in a City/town in the Midwestern US.
What Candidates Should Wear
Should the candidate wear a suit to the interview?
√ Probably not (but it’s ok if the candidate does wear one)
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?
√ Never, pantyhose is for my grandmother
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.
Anything that shows lots of cleavage, or that shows the stomach or butt crack. Super-short skirt, dress or shorts would be a dealbreaker. I don’t want to wonder whether I’ll get an eyeful if they bend over to shelve a book!
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 hair colors are acceptable for candidates:
√ All of them, even pink
The way a candidate dresses should:
√ Be fairly neutral
What This Library Wears
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
This survey was co-authored by Jill of Librarian Hire Fashion – submit your interview outfit to her blog!
Hiring Librarians 