next »

[browneyedgirl]

Sorry for the 2nd question about this but the first time I didn't realize they wanted me to first have dinner with them. 

3 day interview, Day 2 is interview/Q&A/presentation so I'm wearing a suit.  Day 3 I teach, so I'm wearing pants and a cardigan sweater set.

Day 1 I arrive in the evening and they are planning a dinner.  I want to make a good first impression but don't want to wear a suit to dinner (I only have one suit and am planning to wear it day 2).

Any suggestions for that initial dinner?

TIA!

[scampster]

I usually just wear nice pants and a nice shirt, since usually I have to fly in whatever I am wearing to dinner that night. Frankly, after multiple occasions where whoever picked me up and took me to dinner was usually in jeans, I stopped bothering wearing heels on the plane either (I will wear nice-ish shoes, but more likely cute Mary Janes than my black pumps). But having nice clothes that are comfy is key, as I don't mind flying in my nice clothes.

[ls410]

When I've been picked up from the airport and gone immediately to dinner, I wore nice black pants, flats, and a cardigan over a shirt.  I kept the cardigan in my carry-on and put it on before meeting the SCC at baggage.

When I've had time at the hotel to change first, I've worn pretty much the same thing.  One time I did wear heels and then regretted it as we walked to dinner.  The SC memebers all were pretty casual - jeans or khacki pants for men, slacks for women.

[browneyedgirl]

Thank you so much!  So glad to hear not everyone wore suits to the first dinner.  I am planning to wear flats (nice shoes) the whole time I'm there, I'm short but I'd rather be comfortable and short than in heels and in pain!

I'll wear black or gray pants and a different cardigan sweater set.

Maybe I need to start finding a more 'professional' looking winter coat too, argh!


Thanks all!

[ls410]

I honestly have never interviewed in a suit.  I've worn blazers but never a full-fledged suit.  But I'm in a field where that is pretty common.  Even men in my field don't always wear suits.

I have a nice black pea coat that I've worn on interviews but I don't think it really matters.  It spends most of the time on a hook as you get shuffled from office to office.  I've also carried a plain black laptop bag as well as a newer but more casual Patagonia messenger bag.  The only thing I regretted about the Patagonia was the noise from the velcro when I had to open it.

[seniorscholar]

The post from ls410 reminds me of the year I had taken a couple of grad students to the faculty club for lunch to talk about interviews and noticed, across the room, a table with six people, one in a suit and the other five (of both genders) in rumpled jeans or corduroys and sweaters or fleece tops. "Guess which one is the job candidate?" I said to the grad students: the point being that not only are some schools more casual than others, but also some field are extremely unconcerned with clothing as long as it can stand mud and keep you warm when necessary.

[proftowanda]

Thank you so much!  So glad to hear not everyone wore suits to the first dinner.  I am planning to wear flats (nice shoes) the whole time I'm there, I'm short but I'd rather be comfortable and short than in heels and in pain!

I'll wear black or gray pants and a different cardigan sweater set.

Maybe I need to start finding a more 'professional' looking winter coat too, argh!


Thanks all!

Be comfortable, above all.  What you plan sounds just fine for a range of possible restaurants.  If you can get a clue as to the restaurant and can look it up online, that could help.  At my campus, we don't go fancy; we don't have the budget.  At my spouse's campus with lots of bucks, the faculty use the opportunity to go to places we never could afford! so I never have been; sigh.

As for a winter coat, don't worry too much, but possibilities on a tight budget are, if you have these in your area, nice recycling boutiques or borrowing from a friend about your size and with a better budget.  I always recall my poverty years as a grad student and on the tenure track, and I also know that when we bring in candidates from far warmer climes, they may not have or have need to purchase a coat for our climate, unless and until we make a job offer.  Occasionally, seeing a candidate land without something suitable for our climate -- or, like the rest of us, not ready for our sudden changes in climate -- I've loaned a winter coat, myself!

[merinoblue]

The only thing I regretted about the Patagonia was the noise from the velcro when I had to open it.

That's funny.  Velco is very noisy.  It's noticeable when you open a Velcro seal bag during a talk.

[ursula]

I interviewed a candidate this week.  It was on the day of both his job talk and his interview with the Dean.  In our field, it is customary for male candidates to wear suits, or at least jackets and ties.  This guy showed up in khaki slacks, with a v-neck sweater (no shirt underneath).  Many people afterwards dismissed him as not serious about the job.

[xckrx]

This guy showed up in khaki slacks, with a v-neck sweater (no shirt underneath).  Many people afterwards dismissed him as not serious about the job.

V-neck sweater w/ no shirt underneath is gross, to be sure. But I'm freaking out a little about the khaki issue?

I have a three-day campus visit coming up. I have a suit to wear on the day I wear the provost, and nice pinstripe navy dress pants with a button-down shirt and a jacket, for when I meet the dean. But there is one day on which I will be doing just the teaching demo and then a meeting with the search chair. I was planning on wearing khakis and a nice top and nice cardigan to teach in. But are khakis considered totally gauche on a visit? If so, I would probably wear the pinstripe dress pants again with a different top, or I guess go out and find another pair of pants or a skirt.

My thought on the teaching demo attire was, I want to be dressed up so I look professorial, but wearing a suit to teach students in is, IMHO, overkill. So I am trying to strike a balance between professional and approachable.

Any advice, wise forumites?

[msparticularity]

I think that khakis, properly dressed up and accessorized, will look just fine--and probably would have on the guy, too, if he'd worn them with a jacket and tie.

I, too, would avoid wearing a suit to teach, both for comfort and for student perceptions. The one thing you might want to consider changing up, if you are feeling uncertain, would be to wear a jacket rather than a cardigan. It wouldn't need to be a tailored, lined blazer, either; an unlined jacket and perhaps a nice scarf to accessorize could look quite polished and professional.

[ls410]

We're in the midst of campus interviews and the first 2 (both men) wore Khakis for their teaching talk with button down shirts.  The big difference was that 1 candidate's pants were wrinkled while the other's were obviously clean and ironed.  I'm in a pretty casual field but I expect the clothes to not look like their were wadded up in a backpack all day. 

[xckrx]

I appreciate these responses. Thank you!!