The Thrift Store Outfit That Got Me Hired

I am a clothes horse, which tends to come with the territory as a lover of thrifted clothes. (When a blouse is under $3, why not buy every pattern you love?) However, when faced with dressing for a specific occasion, I suddenly find myself saying, "I have nothing to wear!"

I found this was especially true in the case of a recent job interview. The company is a PR firm and said their dress code was business casual. The in-person interview was the third and final phase before hire, and I wanted to make sure I made the right impression.

I had thrown together probably 20 options--mostly solid dresses and blazers that projected, 'professional, mature.' This ensemble was not in that original mix. But once I ran the floral shirt across the skirt, it was hard to concentrate on another option. The cuts are modest but the mixed prints pop together in a good way (IMO). The satin-lapeled blazer counteracts all the color, and hides some of the floral design when I'm wearing it.

This outfit cost me $10. I found the red tank at Value Village for $1.98. The blazer also came from Value Village and cost $4. The skirt, $4, was snagged at a Goodwill store. I kept my feet basic with opaque black tights and black ballet flats.

It took some convincing to actually wear this to the interview. While I believe it's a pretty accurate representation of my style, it's kinda loud. Right? So I wore the outfit out shopping as a test run (also because I was hoping to find some better shoes. I didn't.). A cashier at Anthropologie complimented me on the outfit, so I asked her if she thought it was interview-worthy.

"If you've gotten through multiple interviews, they already like your work. Why not show them what personality comes along with it?" she said.

Have wiser words ever been spoken by a salesperson? She's right--if hired, I'm still going to dress with my own flair. If they can't deal with it in the interview, perhaps it wasn't meant to be.

But, they did. And I'm hired! This blog was started as a meantime project while I was on the job search, but I'm so excited to have money to fund future clothing purchases to share with y'all!

 

For the record, I wore a much plainer necklace to the interview--although I like this cameo best.