Applicant showed up wearing a denim jacket and sandals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would it be an issue if she dressed for work that way? Was she neat, clean, and well-groomed?

She was neat, clean, and well-groomed. Just very casual. It made me question her maturity and judgment.

Good call.

But you haven’t answered the question on whether that is office appropriate for your agency.

She has answered your question … only in a way that you aren't accepting.

If a prospective employee's presentation makes you question her maturity and judgment before she's hired then what would cause you to think that her maturity and judgment would miraculously improve after she was hired? Sorry, OP, but you need to pass on this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would her outfit be ok for the office every day? I work for the gov and that would be fine.

It was much more casual than anyone else in the department dresses. We are at most a dressy jeans outfit on Fridays. I'm not sure how seriously she'd be taken dressing like that every day.

That’s your problem right there. Dressy jeans. Who wears them!!??

I mean as in dark jeans with a dressy blouse or sweater. No t-shirts, sneakers, sweats, etc.

The rest of us get what you mean, OP. Ignore the troll looking for a fight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This would be a big NO for me and my organization. Her lack of care in her attire indicates that she doesn't know how to read professional situations and to meet expectations. Would you want her to present to your boss in that attire? Or at a conference? Probably not. Yet if she shows up to a job interview dressed as she was it is a strong indicator that she would also dress that way for other things. Why take that risk? There are other fish in the sea who are more trainable.

The sad thing is that had she shown up in a suit, dress, jacket/pants outfit, she'd have knocked it out of the park. I guess first impressions really do matter.

[Anonymous]

It would be a red flag for me. Same as if a guy came in to interview in long shorts, a polo shirt and sandals. It is way to casual for an interview. Interviews are a time to impress - this is her best foot forward. She sees an interview the same as lunch with friends. Big red flag about her ability to be professional in the workplace. She may be too familiar with clients, not really know boundaries etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This would be a big NO for me and my organization. Her lack of care in her attire indicates that she doesn't know how to read professional situations and to meet expectations. Would you want her to present to your boss in that attire? Or at a conference? Probably not. Yet if she shows up to a job interview dressed as she was it is a strong indicator that she would also dress that way for other things. Why take that risk? There are other fish in the sea who are more trainable.

This. It’s a judgment issue. She decided that a casual outfit was the most appropriate attire for a job interview? The correct judgement would have been to decide to err on the side of being more formal than necessary. For all of you people saying not to judge her based on her chosen attire, have you ever worn a denim jacket to a job interview?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This would be a big NO for me and my organization. Her lack of care in her attire indicates that she doesn't know how to read professional situations and to meet expectations. Would you want her to present to your boss in that attire? Or at a conference? Probably not. Yet if she shows up to a job interview dressed as she was it is a strong indicator that she would also dress that way for other things. Why take that risk? There are other fish in the sea who are more trainable.

The sad thing is that had she shown up in a suit, dress, jacket/pants outfit, she'd have knocked it out of the park. I guess first impressions really do matter.

Yeah, that is the sad thing about it. If you feel up to the discussion you might want to share it with her when you tell her she isn't the candidate you're selecting. First impressions always matter, especially in job interviews. At my office we don't care if the clothes come from Nordstrom or Wal-Mart but we do care immensely that the clothing choices people make respect our office culture and that they are appropriate for the time and place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be a red flag for me. Same as if a guy came in to interview in long shorts, a polo shirt and sandals. It is way to casual for an interview. Interviews are a time to impress - this is her best foot forward. She sees an interview the same as lunch with friends. Big red flag about her ability to be professional in the workplace. She may be too familiar with clients, not really know boundaries etc.

This is a good point.

[Anonymous]

Some of my best hires arrived fairly casual. I’m in IT. I’ve had to fight for them in hiring over the idiot in a suit. Appearances are important and yet deceptive. I call them Decepticons.

It’s one day. You should know, as a good hiring manager, who is best for the job apart from shiny shoes or a pearl necklace.

Any brilliant jackass can learn to wear a suit when needed. Hire the brilliant jackass.

[Anonymous]

Bring her in for a second interview just to see if she picked up on her inappropriate dress. If she comes back dressed appropriately you are good to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring her in for a second interview just to see if she picked up on her inappropriate dress. If she comes back dressed appropriately you are good to go.

This is actually what I am leaning toward doing. I liked her a lot and I would hope she picked up on the dress code from the panel. If she did, it will tell me a lot about her maturity and judgment. If she didn't, well....

[Anonymous]

My local government agency absolutely forbids denim. We're a pretty casual group, but for my interview, I wore tailored dress pants, a boatneck blouse, low heels, nice jewelry and styled my hair.

First impressions mean so much and I've been on both sides of the interview panel. I'd not hire her or at the very least, hire the better dressed person with the same qualifications and who clearly uses mature judgment and dresses appropriately.

I think her choices are a red flag; she's odd and not socially or professionally astute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring her in for a second interview just to see if she picked up on her inappropriate dress. If she comes back dressed appropriately you are good to go.

This is actually what I am leaning toward doing. I liked her a lot and I would hope she picked up on the dress code from the panel. If she did, it will tell me a lot about her maturity and judgment. If she didn't, well....

I would do this and say that the dress code for the office is more formal and see what she chooses.

[Anonymous]

In my agency this would tank her application because it shows lack of judgement. Even if you are business casual most days, you dress up for an interview. PP nailed it when saying we don't care if your clothes are expensive (or, I'll add, even flattering) but you have to approximate the business uniform. People who are too cool for that are not going to succeed.

I would feel differently if it was another sector, like IT or back office admin work.

[Anonymous]

It depends whether there is a more or equally qualified applicant. You pick the best-dressed one.
If you desperately need to fill this post and she's the only one, well, you'll have to educate her on appropriate attire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would it be an issue if she dressed for work that way? Was she neat, clean, and well-groomed?

She was neat, clean, and well-groomed. Just very casual. It made me question her maturity and judgment.

Would her outfit have been appropriate for a regular workday? Please answer this question.