I had just said something in another thread about looking professional on the job, and it reminded me that I myself am now officially in the job market. Vocational Rehabilitation has referred me to two local agencies that help people with disabilities in their job search, and I am to call them tomorrow for appointments. This causes me to wonder what the rules are nowadays, and how they differ from what I was taught in college. Understand that I was a business major, and business was the theme of the "professional development" class I was taking toward my degree. Further understand that this was the 1980's. I'm sure the rules are out of date now. Questions, how *far* out of date? And what are the rules now?

Here's what they told me. When going on a job interview, there is a strict uniform, and if you deviate from it, you likely won't get the job. For a woman, the uniform is:

• Skirt suit, navy or navy pinstripe. No other color permissible. No black, gray, red, green, white, or whatever. Not if you want to be hired.
• Flesh-colored hose if the person interviewing you is a man, navy hose if the interviewer is a woman. (Yes, it actually made a difference. A woman would be looking for the continuous line of color, and consider that a professional appearance, while a man would be looking for traditional dress.)
• Shoes, pumps. Navy, of course, to match the suit. No open toes. Heels had to be present--no flats--but not too high. One woman back then told the class she had actually been passed over for a promotion because she wore flats to work, and management didn't think it was professional enough. At the same time, it was also said that high heels are appropriate only if you are a secretary and wish to remain one.
• Navy handbag to match everything else, and a briefcase with an extra copy of your resume in it. The interviewer might suddenly pretend to have a question about your resume and want to refer to it, but "I don't have it in front of me--would you happen to have an extra copy?" This is a test question. If you don't have that extra copy, you don't get the job.
• Hair conservative. Not short enough to look butch, but up off the shoulders if it's longer than shoulder length.
• Makeup not extreme, of course, but absolutely required. (Yes, I actually got bad marks on "hygiene" once, and when I asked about it, it turned out the only reason for it was that I wasn't wearing makeup. Geez, they made it sound like I hadn't showered, or something.)
• If you have anything pierced other than one hole in each earlobe, take it all out except only one set of earrings. Then make sure they are studs, buttons, or small hoops. No big jewelry pieces. No more than one ring on each hand. (Bridal sets--the engagement ring and wedding ring together--count as one ring.) Nail polish colorless, or light-colored neutral-toned.

Note that for a man, the rules were just as strict. Navy suit, socks match the pants, neutral (black or gray) belt matches the shoes. The accessory rules didn't apply except to say DON'T wear makeup or jewelry. While women could wear one set of earrings, men were not allowed piercings. Cover up tattoos.

OK, there it is. I wonder, if I showed up to an interview nowadays following that 1980's "dress for success" look, would it still score me any points, or would it scream "old lady who hasn't worked in years"?