Uh, oh! What to Wear to My Job Interview?
Early in my career, I visited California for the first time. I was the Assistant Director of Admissions at my undergraduate alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis and had inherited the west coast as part of my recruitment territory. Lucky me! I traveled from San Diego to the Bay Area of northern California and on the approach to the San Francisco International Airport, the pilot directed our attention to the jet landing next to us on a parallel runway. Wait, what?!? Landing over the San Francisco Bay next to another jet was magical and I knew at that moment that I had found my place. The rest of my time there confirmed for me that this would become my home.
Years later, I was in my mid-corporate career stage and the perfect job opened up at Visa USA, then located in San Mateo, California. I became laser-focused on it and while attending a conference in San Francisco I met with the headhunter in-person. I was well prepared and well dressed, sporting a beautiful red and black color-blocked suit with a foulard print blouse. Accessorized with black stockings (yes, we wore them!) and black suede pumps, I was feeling and looking fine! I remember it like it was yesterday. I had splurged (made a strategic investment) on that suit on a random and aspirational visit to Saks Fifth Avenue and somehow it ended up in my closet. I thought it the perfect occasion to put it on. I was in San Francisco after all!
As the interview ended, the headhunter shared that Visa was a conservative organization which was code for “don’t wear that suit.” While I didn’t want to hear him, I heard him. In that moment I doubted that he had encountered many young, Black, corporate rising stars as we were as rare then as we are now. I knew that I was entering another space of being the “only”.
Shortly after returning to Philadelphia where I was living at the time, I got a call inviting me to come back to San Francisco to interview with a few folx. Incredibly grateful for the opportunity, I uttered “uh, oh” at the thought of finding something conservative in my closet! Not that anything was terribly extreme in there, but conservative wasn’t a theme for sure. I was on a mission and headed to the nearby premium outlet mall and found a taupe colored, light wool, double-breasted Henri Bendel coatdress. Conservative? Yes. Tolerable. Sure.
With the conservative theme firmly planted in my head – remember, I really wanted to move to the Bay Area and this was the perfect job for me – I added taupe stockings (again, yes, we wore them!), taupe shoes (please stop shaking your head), a white handkerchief in the top left pocket of my coatdress, and a strand of pearls. Yeesh!
I wasn’t feeling well on the day of my interview and the temperature was too warm for a light wool dress, but I persevered. Upon arrival, I checked in and took a seat. Soon after, a force of energy came down the stairs to greet me. Her name is Lisa Nash and she was wearing a fabulous raw silk, orange suit that was as vibrant as her smile and spirit. And in that moment, I longed for my red and black color-block suit!
I made my way through several interviews and lunch with Lisa. I felt great about the day, yet lamented my decision to wear that darn taupe colored, light wool, double-breasted Henri Bendel coatdress. Why? Because it wasn’t me. I was comfortable enough, but it truly didn’t signal who I was. I wore it because someone else indicated that I should. Heck, he barely knew me! Maybe I swung too far the other way? Nope. I swung completely out of my closet!
I never wore that taupe colored, light wool, double-breasted Henri Bendel coatdress again. And the stockings and taupe shoes were also immediately retired. A lesson had been learned. Always be comfortable with who you are wherever you go. Never let someone else’s idea of who you should be become more important than who you know yourself to be.
So, you’re wondering, “did she get the job?” I sure did! Did I wear my red and black color block suit to work at Visa? You bet I did. Along with my foulard print blouse, black stocking and black suede pumps.
And I never looked back!
P.S. I am happy to say that Lisa and I developed a lifelong friendship and often chuckle at our first meeting where a lovely raw silk, orange suit met a taupe-colored light wool, double-breasted Henri Bendel coatdress.