<p>D has a full day interview in one month. She is not a shopper and asked for my help putting together an interview outfit. Do any of you parents have kids who did the big interview and can you speak to what the females wore? TFA's website has a "what to wear" link that brings up an about.com page with instructions for conservative interview attire -- dark suits, neutral pantyhose, long sleeve blouse, etc. </p>
<p>She already owns a conservative black dress and gray blazer. I'm trying to decide whether she can get by with that. We spent about an hour at the mall today, and all the women's suits seemed kind of cheap and ill-fitting (tight suit skirts, shoddy looking jackets.) Went to Ann Taylor and Banana Republic.</p>
<p>Questions: </p>
<p>Does anyone have a daughter who successfully went through the interview process without buying a suit? Would the jacket/dress combo work? And neutral pantyhose, really?</p>
<p>Where can she shop for a quality woman's suit that isn't trying to look sexy or fashionista?</p>
<p>A conservative black dress with a blazer should be just fine. As for suits, you could try Macy’s, or any large department store that will have more than one brand. My D bought a nice Tahari suit at Macy’s during one of their mega sales. With the discounted price it cost about what they charge at Banana Republic/Ann Taylor - but much higher quality.</p>
<p>Not sure where you live, but Macys has good suit selection in our area. My D1 (works in a professional capacity in DC) also gets a lot of stuff at Ann Taylor, but it sounds like your visit there didn’t work out. My advice to my daughters is to go the suit route, but it is okay (and in fact good) to add some color to the outfit via a blouse. And the suit does not have to be “dark” for women. D2 has a very attractive pants suit that she got at Macy’s. Also, regarding sleeves on the blouses… I would tell my daughters to keep their jackets on if they wear a sleeveless top to an interview, but short sleeved is okay.</p>
<p>Something your D feels good in is important so she will feel confident for the interview.</p>
<p>Pantyhose… I don’t know if my D1 wore them for her interviews or not. I know she is not a fan and does not wear them regularly, but it IS more conservative to wear them. Unless she is interviewing at an ad or fashion agency, I typically would encourage my Ds to wear them for the interview.</p>
<p>I think the black dress/gray blazer is fine for a teaching interview. I would add some color with a nice scarf though. It’s generally not "proper’ to wear a business suit for a teaching interview so make it look a little less business-like with the scarf. If she does want a suit, I agree that Macy’s is the place to go. I used to have to wear suits every day and I got almost all of them at Macy’s, generally on sale for under $100!! Tahari was my favorite brand and Macy’s does sell separates from that designer so if you just need slacks or just need a blazer that is a great place to look.</p>
<p>I realize that pantyhose are not “in” for general wear but they are a must for an interview if she is wearing a skirt or dress. She could wear dress pants and not have to do the hose too:D.</p>
<p>Are conservative (no pattern)gray or black tights acceptable? My daughter loves dresses and only wants to wear nice dresses and jackets for interviews, too. I keep trying to push for a suit but she isn’t interested. Luckily, it is just internships right now-still in college.</p>
<p>Check with the career center at her college. They usually offer information regarding proper attire and interview etiquette. Are you near a mall that has a Kaspar store? They sell a variety of suits for women, including Tahari, (my daughter’s favorite), at discounted prices. I agree with a scarf with the jacket. The outfit sounds lovely, stockings and a nice shoe and bag or tote will complete the outfit. Best of luck to her.</p>
<p>If the referenced web site showed conservative attire, then I’d play it safe and go conservative all the way (right down to the pantyhose.) Yeah, it’s a little much, but you never know what kind of interviewer you’ll get.</p>
<p>DD works in a very conservative-dress field (accounting). She did purchase some stuff from BR but she has that kind of build. We also found good-quality conservative stuff at Nordstrom’s. We also buy occasionally from Brooks Brothers but only during slaes season.</p>
<p>Don’t forget the shoes, either. DD said that on the first day of her internship at the same firm, another intern was criticized for wearing flats. Flats!</p>
<p>If they say they expect conservative attire, your D should come wearing the works down to the nude panty hose, sheer black works great too ($5 at Wal-Mart). The way I look at is would your D be willing to chance missing out on this opportunity just because she couldn’t wear something she doesn’t like for a few hours?</p>
<p>I also work in a very conservative attire environment, and the dress matters. I have seen an employee sent home to change for being too casual on a Friday.</p>
<p>Thanks all. She is meeting us in Houston next weekend. We are staying close to the Galleria and I will definitely take her to the stores mentioned. I am hopeful that she will have some success. Forgot about the shoes! She has hard to fit feet. That alone usually takes an entire day! Ugh. Wish we had taken care of this over the summer!</p>
<p>One more for Macy’s. D1 is doing med school interviews and found lots of selection at reasonable prices. And I don’t know how long it lasts, but she made a $5 contribution to support breast cancer research and got 25% off her entire purchase.</p>
<p>If I can’t find shoes locally, I use Zappos. You can’t beat their quick service and free shipping both ways.</p>
<p>There is a huge dillards in the galleria, you should check it out. I find that business attire by Anne Klein, and Antonio Melani fits well and can be very affordable on sale. Express also has decent suits. There is also a DSW (shoes) close to the galleria on Post Oak.</p>
<p>One more vote for conservative business attire. My daughter interviewed three years ago for the 2010 Corps and is now TFA alumni. She wore a charcoal grey suit we purchased from jcrew.com (which has the needed tall sizes), plus a conservative blouse/shirt and close-toed pumps. I doubt she wore nylons, but I don’t remember. I do recall her telling me that her interviewers, both female, were dressed even more conservatively than she was and had their hair pulled back in buns.
By the way, TFA also has a dress code for Corp Members and Staff during the summer TFA teacher training institutes.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus, I alway look for and enjoy your posts especially this one. Buns really? That makes me think of frontier teachers in one room school houses.</p>
<p>My daughter was a TFA corps member so I asked her about the interview. Here’s her reply :
I wore dress pants, a top and heels. *As long as it’s not anything low cut or a dress that comes above the knee, I think she’s fine. *They want you to look professional, but there’s no need to buy a suit for it. *Just make sure the dress isn’t low cut or short and that the heels are a reasonable height. *They need to be able to picture you in front of a class of students.
Hope this helps</p>