In Fashion Part 5

For a Guy

A narrow-fitting, single-breasted navy, gray, or black suit with an open-collared shirt or sweater underneath. Loafers, monk strap, or wing tip shoes. Use a roller-tape lint remover before you leave the house or your current job to make sure the shoulders of your jacket are spotless.

Carry a neat, clean backpack (solid dark color) or a postman's-style bag.

GUYS' DON'TS Don't wear sneakers or grungy T-shirts with writing or designs on them.

Don't wear jeans, team jerseys, ball caps, flip-flops, sweats, or shorts.

For a Woman

The best and easiest possible look is well-tailored wool trousers (white, black, navy, or gray) with a neat shirt and high boots, sandals, or pumps depending on the season. A snug-fitting jacket worn on top is fine as long as it doesn't match the trousers. Show your creativity in how you layer a thin sweater over a patterned blouse, which is over, say, a shimmery tank top. If it's spring or fall, wear a trench coat on top. If it's winter, wear a fitted knee-length coat. Skirts or dresses make it seem like you're trying too hard. Plus, you'll have the more complicated issues of wearing stockings, or not, and a more frightening exposure of your choice of footwear.

Carry one purse big enough to hold your portfolio, if you have one, plus all your personal necessities-lip gloss, comb, tampons, and so on.

WOMEN'S DON'TS Don't wear a suit to a creative interview.

Don't wear anything that isn't well pressed.

Don't carry multiple bags or shopping bags.

Don't drape on too much jewelry-no major bling.

Don't wear head-to-toe one obvious designer-you'll be tagged a fashion victim, and your resume will be in the bin before you're out of the building.

Interview Wardrobe Don'ts

Don't dress too casual. What you threw on to make your 9 a.m. art history cla.s.s is not what you should wear to an interview.

Do not wear more than one excitement piece. Either carry your most fabulous orange Dior bag or your most excellent high-alt.i.tude gold Prada sling backs or throw on your grandmother's orange A-line Courreges coat. Gold metallic ballet slippers, white leather and gold metal-trimmed Prada bag and gold mesh Marc Jacobs trench coat: Fashion overload invites ridicule, not job offers.

Don't show too much skin. Not wearing stockings is fine in warm weather, but wear opaque tights if it's freezing outside.

Avoid showing off piercings. No nose rings, tongue rings, toe rings. Navel rings (see skin warning, above). Just take them out for the day. Or, better yet, forever!

Never chew gum. Even if you think they won't see it floating among your molars, they will.

Never show up late. (Duh!) Do not be in a rush to leave. Do not look at your watch. You might be asked to budget one hour for an interview, but if things are going well, you may be asked to hang around and meet others on the staff. This is a GOOD SIGN. Don't be a nerd and say you need to get back to your unpaid, comparatively pointless internship!

Never have cigarette breath. A robin's-egg-blue pack of Indian Spirits stuck in the outside pocket of your roommate's grooving Marc Jacobs white bag is not a status symbol in this situation. Even fashion people these days don't like smokers. Smokers take more sick days and need long breaks to indulge in their habit on the streets outside the office when they could be inside answering phones. If you smoke, whatever, that's your choice. Just be wise enough not to reveal it at the interview.

Do not bother to explain why you need the month of July off for the extended family cruise to Alaska. Or why you need a week off in August to attend your best pal's wedding. Deal with this stuff once the job is offered to you. Right now, no one cares. Really.

Avoid asking personal or "career path" questions of the interviewer. Don't ask about personal effects in the office. This is neither the time nor place. If you don't already know everything about this person's background, you didn't do your homework.

Do not babble on. Keep your answers crisp and clear. Remember, you have only ten minutes.

Never be arrogant about where you went to school or all the fabulous people you know or are related to. Never be arrogant about anything. Yuck.

Do not ask about t.i.tle, salary, benefits, laptop, BlackBerry, office or cubicle size, vacations, or perks.

Never wear a blank, pa.s.sive face. Blase is the kiss of death.

Practiced Sound Bites

When you have a series of interviews at the same place, make sure you stick to your story with a few well-rehea.r.s.ed lines. Use the same sound bites with everyone.

WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE?.

"I'm from Wisconsin so I understand how real American women think."

"I'm an army brat and can quickly adapt and contribute to new situations."

"My parents ran a printing shop so I've always been around words and pictures, editing, and proofreading. Seeing typos is my thing."

"I grew up in Southern California with Asian parents and traveled globally, so I always see things from more than one point of view."

WHY CAN YOU HANDLE IT?.

"I've never been afraid of hard work."

"I work best under deadline pressure."

"I have thick skin and welcome criticism."

"It's how I'm programmed: I played varsity sports and earned top grades while helping my mom at home with my little sisters."

WHY ARE YOU THE BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB?.

"Pa.s.sion and training. Everything I've done leads to this position."

"Discipline and gut. I'll work as many hours as it takes and create systems out of chaos."

"Nothing you've described is new to me. I can take this position to the next level."

Follow-up

Immediately

Later the same day or the next day, do quick, topical e-mails to every a.s.sistant you met. Lots of people no longer use fine stationery on which to write the perfect thank-you note to the person doing the hiring. Handwriting, they insist, doesn't matter in the twenty-first century.

SAMPLE LETTER.

Dear Marc, It was my pleasure to meet you yesterday at Vuitton. I was there to speak with Antoinette about an internship. b.u.mping into you in the hall afterward helped put the whole thing into sharp focus for me.

My internships at Lucky and NBC, as well as all the learning and hard work at Parsons, have prepared me for this challenge. I'd be privileged for the opportunity to work for you.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

India Cosgrove-St. Pierre

I'm old fashioned on this count. A handwritten note will set you apart. It shows elegance and good manners. I also know that fashionistas love handwritten notes on good stationery. It's part of our genetic makeup. This is especially crucial if you meet someone stratospherically important in pa.s.sing. Take the opportunity to pen a quick, grown-up note so they'll remember your name.

Within Three Business Days

Call the office of the person in charge of hiring. Say you are checking in, wondering if there is anything else you can do to support your application. Is there anyone else you should meet? Ask when the decision will be made. Best to call early or late in the day, so that you might catch the actual person (not a bored a.s.sistant or intern) at her or his desk.

When You Make the Cut

Imagine that you are now standing there with Miss California and it's her beauty contest to lose. Don't do anything stupid, aggressive, or c.o.c.ky. This is your chance to ask someone you know who knows someone at the company to call on your behalf and put in a nice word. You might call your references to alert them to the fact that they might be hearing from someone at the company and to see whether they might make a call to a friend there, as well.

Now is also the time for you to make absolutely certain you want to commit the next twelve months of your life to this gig. Once an offer is made but before you say yes represents your turn to articulate any seemingly minor issues. These include start date, where you will sit, to whom you will report, what your t.i.tle will be, what the pie chart of your day should roughly look like (that is, 60 percent of your time devoted to the regular business of the office and needs of your boss, 20 percent to reviewing unsolicited ma.n.u.scripts and making recommendations about them, 10 percent to attending industry events or reading industry periodicals, 10 percent to special projects), whether you'll have someone to help you cover the phones when you need to take a break, who makes those schedules. What computer you'll be using. Vacation allowances. Benefits. You are not being a nudge by asking about any of this: You are showing initiative, reinforcing why you're the person for the job, and, most important, you are equipping yourself to succeed. The sad truth is that your future boss probably has not had a chance to think through all of these issues. By being proactive, you eliminate first-day awkwardness.

The Right Way to Accept the Job

When you finally hear that The Job you've been obsessing over is yours, you should calmly thank the person for the "excellent" news. Don't scream, gush, kvell, drop the phone, or in any way, act like you're on TV. This isn't American Idol. Calmly, then and there, review the particulars, including salary, t.i.tle, benefits, and start date. Communicate with words that you are very excited but that you'd like one night or the weekend-if it's Thursday or Friday-to think it over before giving your final answer. By not gushing your acceptances on the spot, you show that you are a careful person, and you put yourself in control of the process. Full disclosure: I'm not sure I ever actually did this in my career-I was too enthusiastic and unedited. And whenever someone I have wanted to hire has asked me for a day to think over a job offer, I have been impressed and I have wished I'd been able to do this myself.

The person offering you a job probably has a.s.sumed that the matter will be tied up immediately and will probably take you more seriously for not jumping to yes. Since you've taken time to reflect, your future boss will probably be more open to little tweaks or requirements you may have in your new role. A delayed yes to a job provides you with time and s.p.a.ce to carefully consider what might seem like minor issues before you start. And, trust me, issues that seem minor before you start can easily become the bane of your existence.

Standing Out from the Crowd: Job Fair Basics