This anonymous interview is with a hiring manager at an Archives. This workplace has with 0-10 staff members and is in an Urban area in the MidWestern US. When asked “Are you a librarian?” this person chose the “it’s complicated” option.
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.
√ False
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.
Tennis shoes or anything too revealing
Do you expect different levels of formality of dress, depending on the position you’re hiring for?
√ No
Which jewelry may candidates wear: (Please select all that are acceptable)
√ Single, simple necklace, bracelet, and/or ring
√ A few simple necklaces, bracelets, and/or rings
√ All of the simple necklaces, bracelets, and rings he or she can load on
√ Arty or more elaborate necklaces, bracelets, or rings
√ Nose Ring (nostril)
√ Eyebrow Ring, Monroe piercing, septum piercing, or other face piercing
√ Earrings
√ Multiple Ear Piercings
√ Large gauge ear jewelry (stretched ears)
Which hair colors are acceptable for candidates:
√ All of them, even pink
The way a candidate dresses should:
√ Other: None of the above. Show personality if that’s your style, be neutral if that’s more your thing. But I can’t say that I don’t care because I do expect a certain level of formality whether it is personality-filled or neutral.
How does what a candidate wears affect your hiring decision?
I work in a corporate environment with a pretty formal dress code. If a candidate wears something too informal, it signals to me that he or she doesn’t understand the nuances of corporate versus nonprofit culture.
However, at my company we value a diverse workforce. This means I am not picky about people who may have piercings, dyed hair, tattoos, etc. Dressing formally is not at odds with this, in my opinion.
What This Library Wears
How do you dress when you are going to conduct an interview?
I wear one of the following: a formal dress, a formal dress w jacket, or formal pants/blouse/jacket.
On a scale of one (too dressed up for my workplace) to five (too casual), khakis and a polo shirt are:
4
What’s the dress code at your library/organization?
√ Business formal
Are there any specific items of clothing, etc. that are forbidden by your dress code? (Please check all that apply)
√ Jeans
√ Flip flops
√ Short skirts/shorts
√ Tank tops
√ Logos/band insignia/slogans
√ Sneakers/trainers
√ Other: Jeans and sneakers are okay sometimes, if we are doing particularly physical/dirty work that day. However, one is expected to change when venturing into other parts of the building. And these things are never okay in an interview.
This survey was co-authored by Jill of Librarian Hire Fashion – submit your interview outfit to her blog!
Photo: Interview Time! (P365-191) by Flickr user wizzer2801
Hiring Librarians 