Clothes and cold weather for beginners
A suit is an absolute must for the job market. It doesn't need to be massively expensive. Most academics are not fashion experts, and they know you are on a limited budget. My advice is to buy a decent off-the-rack suit for a few hundred dollars and then take it to a tailor to get alterations. A second suit is optional but a very good idea. On the job market, you will probably end up wearing a suit 3 or more days in a row. If you have a second one, you won't be wearing the same clothes again and again consecutively, which is a good thing. It also means that if you spill on your suit or fall and split your pants, it isn't a disaster. You can send one suit in to be dry cleaned while you wear the other (although keep in mind suits are not like tshirts, you only clean them after every 5-10 wearings unless you get them dirty).
One other advantage to having a second suit is that often flyouts have events over two days. You might not want to show up wearing the same clothes to see the same people two days in a row. If you don't have a second suit, the best thing to do is to wear a very different shirt (and tie, if you are a man) underneath. It will change the appearance quite a bit.
One other advantage to having a second suit is that often flyouts have events over two days. You might not want to show up wearing the same clothes to see the same people two days in a row. If you don't have a second suit, the best thing to do is to wear a very different shirt (and tie, if you are a man) underneath. It will change the appearance quite a bit.
In general, sober colors are best. A really unique suit makes a "statement", which isn't always the best thing. A navy blue or charcoal suit is perfectly safe for both genders.
Learn to use an iron! It's not hard, but a lot of grad students really never need to know it and so don't. Your hotel rooms will come with an iron and ironing board, and your clothes may be wrinkled or creased from being in your suitcase. Watch a youtube video on how to iron and make sure you know what temperature to use on what fabrics. Generally, suits, especially suit jackets should be ironed very carefully, if at all. A reader has pointed out to me that a good option is to use the bathroom in your hotel room to steam your clothes. Hang your clothes up on a hanger in the bathroom, turn the shower on as hot as possible, and then shut the door and leave it for 15-20 minutes.
The AEA meeting is often held in a cold weather city in early January. This means the weather can be very nasty. (Before you complain, take a look at your very low hotel bill and consider the laws of supply and demand!). Other job market advice sources do say "dress warmly", but I think I can add some more specific advice. The main thing to keep in mind is that employers know it is really cold outside and won't judge you for trying to stay warm (all of this holds for flyouts to cold weather places as well).
The AEA meeting is often held in a cold weather city in early January. This means the weather can be very nasty. (Before you complain, take a look at your very low hotel bill and consider the laws of supply and demand!). Other job market advice sources do say "dress warmly", but I think I can add some more specific advice. The main thing to keep in mind is that employers know it is really cold outside and won't judge you for trying to stay warm (all of this holds for flyouts to cold weather places as well).
Logistics: If the weather is bad, pause in the hotel lobby before and after each interview and take off or put on all your outerwear. Carry your coat over your arm and put gloves, scarves etc. in the sleeves or pockets of your jacket or in your bag. When you get to the room, either hang the jacket where the interviewers ask you to, or just put it over the back of your chair.
Jacket: Ideally you have a fairly formal winter jacket. Those can be expensive, so if you just want to use an informal one, don't worry. Remember that employers aren't going to judge you for trying to stay warm. Besides, by the time you get to the room, you will have taken the winter jacket off and will be dressed in a suit.
Earmuffs: Most of the warmth of a winter hat, none of the hat hair.
Overshoes: I have found that a lot of people not from cold climates don't even know these exist. They are made of stretchy rubber and fit over your dress shoes to protect them from salt and snow (and rain, so no reason everyone shouldn't use them). You can put them on or take them off in 30 seconds and they fold up very small so you can fit them in a brief case. They are great, and not expensive ($20 or so). Bring a high quality plastic bag to put them in so they don't get everything else wet.
Gloves and scarf: Good ideas. Again, more formal/dressy is great, but not crucial.
Long underwear: This is a tough call. It keeps you warmer when you are outside, but may be uncomfortable when you are inside. If you haven't worn it before, try wearing some long underwear around for a few hours before the AEAs so you can see where you stand on that tradeoff.
Restroom breaks: If you are not used to cold weather, you should know that it can make you pee more. Your organs constrict to stay warm and put pressure on your bladder.
Hi, thanks a lot for writing this post!
ReplyDeleteI have a question. Are briefcases strictly necessary? I wonder if not having one could make things easier in the hurry of moving from one interview to the next. WHat are we carrying in the briefcase (assuming no snow, so no need for overshoes)?
Also, if carrying stuff is necessary, are backpacks possible? Or will they wrinkle suits too much?
For interviews, I would suggest a briefcase, nice messenger bag, or at least a portfolio. While unlikely you will need it, it is not a bad idea to have a couple extra CVs. Also, employers will occasionally give you a brochure or some other literature.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what you mean about backpacks. I wouldn't take a backpack to interviews in place of a briefcase, it isn't as professional. But if you are asking about wrinkling suits, you are probably asking about using one instead of a suitcase for plane travel. I'm not sure about that one, probably depends on what type of backpack. You definitely don't want to scrunch your suit into a bag, but if it is a big one, it might be fine. Or at least salvageable with an iron.
Should female candidates necessarily wear a suit? Business casual dress code allows women to wear a simple-cut dresses too. Or is that too casual for the job market? What is better: a skirt and jacket suit or a pants-suit? What a bout the shoes for female candidates? How high the heel is to high? Most women tend to change shoes in hotel lobbies, as wearing court shoes outdoors in snow and rain is neither comfortable, nor good for the shoe. Where to carry this extra pair of shoes? I guess a plastic shopping bag is not a good idea.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I am male and not an expert in female clothes, but here is my best guess.
Delete1. The standard is to wear a suit for both men and women. I would say most dresses would be too casual, but there might be an exception. I don't think there is an appreciable difference between a pants suit and a skirt suit.
2. If you are changing shoes, you could try bringing a large briefcase or similar type bag to put the plastic shopping bag in. There are women's overshoes to deal with the weather damage issue, and they fold up smaller, but that doesn't deal with the comfort issue.
The general rule still holds. Employers know that you are wandering around through nasty weather. There is an expectation you are dressed professionally when you arrive at the interview suite, but that you wore weather appropriate clothes to get there. So you don't need to go to extreme lengths to hide that.
You can wear a dress with a blazer/ jacket as long as they are part of a set. You could also wear a skirt suit. Pant suits tend to overwhelm petite women unless of the right style: tailored jackets and tapered ankle length pants are good. Pointy flats are fine, low heels are good too (1.5-2 inches are best). I did not carry extra shoes, also carried a backpack (all black laptop backpack, a bit formal compared to most varieties). You can get a warm over sized puffer coat (very long) to wear over the suit to stay warm and take it off when you enter the interview room.
ReplyDeleteThanks for offering the female perspective to fill what is definitely a gap in my knowledge!
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