The Hunt: Job Interview Heels

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1. The Lifestride heels featured above are my interview heels. They’re easier to walk in than a lot of other heels because of the lower and slightly chunkier heel, and they’re incredibly comfortable for someone who isn’t used to wearing heels. Love love love them.

2. Has anyone had revlite treatment done on their face? I have mild hormonal acne and some minor acne scarring left over from my teenage years. My derm recommended revlite to improve both. I read up about it online, but would like to hear about any firsthand experiences. TIA

   1. I have NOT, but Myrna had Dermaabrasion b/c of the same thing, and she looks great now. No one knows she had pipples when she was growing up, as now she could be a model. She also has NO tuchus, but she needed no work on that one. I wish I had her tuchus, b/c if I did, I would be MARRIED by now. FOOEY!

      Myrna is not married, but that is b/c she thinks most men are loosers, interested only in s-x, and you know what, she is RIGHT! YAY Myrna!!!

3. Does anyone have any experience with the rescue City of Elderly Love? I (somewhat unexpectedly) had to put my tiny senior pup to sleep this weekend and my house is so, so empty. I am not quite ready, but I’d like to have a good organization to look to (aka see if a dog speaks to me) and came across this organization today. I didn’t even know I needed a dog until I came across my dude a year and a half ago, so I’m open to all possibilities when it comes to tiny old special needs dogs :)

   1. I am so, so sorry about your pup.

      Sending a lot of love and luck filling the dog shaped hole in your heart.

      1. Thank you. He had a lot of health problems when I adopted him and I knew I would likely only have him for a short time, but I am thankful I was able to provide him with at least a good year and a half. It’s so funny how a tiny dog can fill up so much space. (It’s also mildly embarrassing how many tiny dog clothes I amassed in that short period of time . . . oops.)

   2. I’m sorry about your pup! You are an awesome person for adopting a senior dog. I’m sure he had a wonderful life with you!

4. My interview heels are Nine West, similar to the ones in the post but the toe is more almond. They get the job done and they’re pretty comfortable. I HATE heels and never wear them normally, so that’s high praise from me!

5. I can’t put my finger on it but all of these feel a little dated to me, or maybe just like “intern” shoes – which is fine, but there’s something vaguely stepford-y about them. The high heels are a little too high, the low a little too obviously sensible but probably still not all that comfortable, the block heel to clunky at that height/width.

   I think I’d go with something like this instead:
   http://www.zappos.com/p/nine-west-margot-black2-leather/product/8261936/color/258499

   or, this for a little bit more interest:
   http://luxury.zappos.com/p/kate-spade-new-york-dolores-black-crinkle-patent/product/8745058/color/10715

   1. I should add (having just looked under my desk) that I have the Nine West Margot pumps in black suede and they’re actually very comfortable for what they are, and I’m not normally a fan of NW shoes. Now I am really tempted to get the blue suede pair…

      1. The Margot are actually in the roundup (number 3 under classic). That said, these all look so similar to me I do not understand this criticism at all.

         1. You’re right, I didn’t notice!

   2. The Kate Spade ones you linked to are too trendy for my taste.

      1. I *know* they are very “now” but those Kate Spades are so grandma to me.

         1. Completely agree. I cannot get over block heels. They are uber grandma and I will never be convinced otherwise.

            1. I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way. I tried on block heels and I felt so frumpy. Just can’t do it.

      2. I think they also look more frumpy than on-trend for anybody who’s not a 20-something fashion maven. This is a really hard look for most people to make it look intentional and not dowdy.

         1. +1

      3. I think they definitely have more personality – whether that reads as trendy or grandma. And I am very aware that the standard issue advice is to be as dull as possible lest you offend in your interview choices. But having now had the luxury of observing the process from the other side, I think that there is a lot to be said for “wearing” your interview look vs. having it wear you. Too much of what people wear for interviews actively feels like a costume. My best experiences interviewing, oth, have all been when I took a small risk and wore something a bit more “me” (jewelry, shoes, scarf, blouse, whatever). I feel like it always worked out better than when I just looked like a generic stepford candidate.

         Also – I know the post is called interview heels, but totally recommend wearing nice pointy flats if that’s your style! Our of a batch of summer interns and a recent hire, we have two young women who typically wear nice flats and they all look so much more confident/comfortable/at ease in the workplace than the women wearing their “work” shoes.

         1. I definitely agree with the personal style point you make. I just posted a similar comment below.

            1. +1 I just realized that for the past several interviews I’ve gone on and nailed jobs from (legal world), I’ve worn something with more pizzazz (which autocorrected to Pizzas, which would be great). I wear some non-cray color of the Joan and David Dagardener or Gila kitten heel and feel amazing in it.

   3. Agreed for all of the picks listed above–nothing except the CH Julianne (which I own in…3 colors/materials) seems right.

      The picks just strike me as what rising 2Ls wear to OCI when all they’ve had are internships in college.

      1. Agreed.

      2. Would you mind elaborating, please? I’m a 0L, nearly a decade out of college, but a 0L nonetheless. I know better than to wear my 4 1/2″ club-attire platforms, but as far as choosing pumps, most of them pretty much look the same to me.

         Any tips on differentiating between pumps that scream “college internship” and those that look more professional?

6. Haven’t interviewed in a while, but I do a fair amount of walking in heels (when I wear them..which is 2-3x per week). I like the MK flex pumps recommended on here. I also have some old Cole Haans that are just ok. Does anyone have experience with NW’s Scheila? I want to try the block heel trend but don’t want to look like a weirdo. I’ll be wearing them with dresses. I’m also looking at the NW Margot as a second, more standard (boring?) option.

7. The Michael Michael Kors Flex 2.5 inch pump fits the bill perfectly; I find them comfortable.
   Another good one is the Cole Haan Outlet one, the Hellen Grand Pump in the 2.5 inch heel. Also a comfortable classic look and they hold up as well as the Julianas from “real” Cole Haan.

8. I am not sure where we came to the decision that black leather pumps are literally the only shoe to wear to an interview. I agree it is not the time for cobalt strappy sandals, but we could perhaps branch out into something with some sort of strap for the sake of interest. No one is going to get discounted as a candidate for a t-strap instead of a pump.

   1. +1 I literally cannot wear a shoe without some sort of strap or something across the arch. I have very narrow heels and just walk straight out of them. For my coming OCI, I will be wearing a pretty mary jane and if anyone chooses not to hire me because of it, I wouldn’t want a job at somewhere that hypercritical anyway.

      1. Oh, and in a dove grey, not black, to coordinate with the grey and white top I wear under my black suit.

         1. I’m a huge fan of mary jane heels and have been searching for some in grey. Where did you find yours?

            1. I think I got them at DSW two years ago. Right now I can’t remember the brand. I’ll try to look tonight and get back to you.

            2. I don’t know if this will work for your situation but my favorite heels are a pair of Capezio dance shoes – literally made for dancers. Look for “character shoes.” Mine are T straps but they have many with just a regular ankle strap. They come with just leather soles so you might need to get rubber treads put on. They have thicker heels and given some of the comments above I am guessing many on this board wouldn’t like the look, but they are inexpensive, comfortable, and durable. And you can install taps on them if you decide to take up tap dancing.

9. My lucky interview shoes finally gave out. They were suede Bandolinos that I wore for every interview since my junior year of college, and they held up pretty nicely until we had a giant rainstorm yesterday. Now, the suede doesn’t seem like it will bounce back. That being said, I’m in the market for new heels. I’m trying to avoid suede this time around–should I go plain leather or patent? Which is easier to clean? I like the idea of patent leather being virtually waterproof, but they remind me of tap shoes.

   Also, any opinions on Target shoes? My friend swears by them, but I’m wary.

   1. Try before you buy, definitely. I can’t speak to the quality, as I’ve never owned a pair, but for whatever reason their shoes just don’t fit my feet. Ever.

   2. I feel like all my patent leather shoes show wear more easily and it’s just so easy to scuff them, which I have not always been able to get out.

   3. I miss Bandolinos! And Copper Key. Anyway, I’ve never had luck with Target shoes (they fit weird, in addition to being throwaway quality) but a gf of mine wears them all the time. Know your office: they always look too casual to me, even for my biz casual office. Also, patent always seems cheap/little girly to me. But that’s just me. I’m sure patent Christian Louboutins don’t look cheap. :) Good luck finding your new lucky pair!

      1. Personally I like patent leather better. I think they hold up better than regular leather. Honestly, I have bought nice dress shoes at Kmart. Plain black heels for only $14.99 and the hold up for a long time. I have bought Nine West shoes and they are always garbage. They cost a lot more and don’t last very long. Plus sometimes they hurt. I shun all Nine West shoes now.

         With regard to an interview, I don’t think it matters what shoes you wear as long as they aren’t so high that you can’t walk in them. What I see that is more of a problem are young woman who wear skirt suits that are too short and too tight. When you pair that with heels that are too high that they can’t walk in, then it starts to look ridiculous.

10. I think the heels should match the scale of the person wearing them. Bigger/wide feet generally look better in chunky heels and small feet in low, narrow heels.

    I actually wore slightly muted purple heels with grey pants to my last interview and I don’t think anyone noticed… or if they did they hired me anyway.

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