This is how we do it

If you follow me on Twitter, (or Facebook, if it still steals my tweets), you'll remember I had 2 interviews last week. Despite having different titles, and being at two different organizations, it was for essentially the same position. It was interesting to note the differences between the two, as it provided me the opportunity to compare the organizations without different details of the job getting in the way. And really, what I've learned over the years that positions can change, but the company stays the same.

It was a cold day, so I knew a jacket was necessary. Of course, once you have to contend with a jacket, the traditional suit is pretty much out the window as I only have one or maybe two blazers that fit under my early spring / late fall jacket. Next best option? A vest!

I'm still not in love with my eShakti dress (now being certain it is a size to big, all over... and totally not good enough quality to justify taking it to a tailor... Mom, do you want to give it a try? Even just the skirt portion so I don't have puffy hips?), but I decided to go with it. The ruffled neckline doesn't work well with a blazer, but I like how it pops out of this vest.

I also had the opportunity to have a second, more casual interview at one of the organizations, over coffee. I scoured the internet for advice on how to dress, but I either found information about "second interviews" or "coffee interviews", and never both. Since I knew it was going to be grey and chilly, I decided to start with a blazer that fit under my coat. From there, it was easy to pull together! (But I may have removed the bow from my Shabby Apple dress to wear it with a blazer. I kept it, and will stick it on clips, so I can wear it with so many outfits!)

While I had very good reason to believe after Friday I would be offered the job, I finally heard back officially two days ago. Starting April 16th, I'll finally get my career underway! Wee! I can't wait to get back into my business tweeds!!

Indoor Outdoor

The weather is kind of going crazy here. Like shorts and tanks to winter coats in a matter of days. As a result, I felt like I had to re-learn how to do dress to impress in all kinds of weather.

I had to do some typing and clerical testing for an job for which I hope to interview. Since the testing was being done by a third party, I knew I could likely get away with showing up in any thing, without it implicating my chances at the position. But I also knew better than that. For those that weighed in on the defense-dress, you'll recognize the outfit. I initially ruled this outfit out because it was too short. It certainly wasn't as bad as I thought. And really, it pulled together the secretary vibe of the whole situation, too!

A day or two later, my sister and I embarked on a cross-city mission of vehicular shuffling (also known as picking my parents' car up from the airport, since neither of us were good enough daughters to chauffeur them at 4 am). It was a grey day, so I decided to go full on colour!

All right, I didn't actually make it out the door in this - it was far too cold to be barelegged. I swapped out the skirt for my grey skinny jeans.

Both outfits relied on black jackets. Say what you will about expressing personality through outerwear, I do love my basic pieces. Particularly, the leather jacket from the first outfit is possibly the most handy jacket I have, since it dresses up and down so easily!

Day to... Day?

So many bloggers do such a great job of showing how they take their daytime outfits and adapt them for the nightlife. While I finally have the time for the nightlife, I don't have the funds for it. Instead, I am finding my new schedule (of job interviews and distracting myself while waiting to hear back from job interviews) requires an equally as adaptable wardrobe.

Last Tuesday, I had a 9am job interview and a 1pm coffee date with a friend. While I didn't repeat any pieces, I repeated the colour. The interview, I stuck with a tailored jacket and a tweed dress, but added some personality with a bright red belt and floral tights. Not sure I like patterned tights with a tweed dress, but you never know until you try!

For coffee, I started with a black shirt, and threw on a plaid shirt. While I usually am afraid of pink and red, I figured the scarf actually worked quite well with red! And of course, I've been loving getting back into my shoe collection - cowboy boots were necessary.