Re: Now This Is What We Call a "Meet n' Greet"

I own one grown-up outfit that I only wear for interviews. I've never had a job that required me to dress like an adult, so I never saw the reason to buy adult type clothes, or "business casual" as it's called in that world. My token interview outfit consists of a button down, black, dress shirt type deal and a dark, cotton pencil skirt that is both conservative in its look and length...a far cry from the skirts I usually wear. Both of these items I got at the Gap a few years ago, and both of these items I keep in the back of my closet like a dirty secret.

I had to breakout this outfit for an interview yesterday in Soho. Yes, I had an interview to be an Office Manager in Soho, because I figured holding such a title in such a location at my last two jobs just wasn't enough for one lifetime...I wanted to go for a third time. In fact, this company was in the building right next door to my most recent job...so, of course, my brain immediately went to the possibility of Balthazar Fridays making a comeback in my life.

I scurried along Houston in my beat-up Chucks and tossed on my heels when I got to Broadway. I took a packed elevator up to the fourth floor, and met the girl whom I would be replacing, should they be smart (desperate?) enough to hire me. I was there for less than ten minutes.

The interviewer, let's call her Jessica...yes, Jessica explained to me as she showed me a pile of resumes that was similar in page count to that of War and Peace, that this was just merely a "meet and greet, so we can put a face to all these resumes, you know?" I tried not to furrow. Before I knew it, I was back on Broadway putting on my Chucks and heading to Balthazar.

I'm not sure how I came off during the "meet and greet." I was told the age of the company, where the other offices were and how the New York office was made up of twenty-five girls - no boys. I was asked if I'd ever used Microsoft Word, if I knew what "troubleshoot" meant, and if I'd had experience answering phones...and that was it. I was complimented on my coat and told that she, Jessica, had the same one in grey. Then it was over.

As I walked home with my coffee and croissant in hand, I started to get a lil' miffed. I had broken out my one grown-up outfit for seven minutes, and what this meant is if I made it to round two of interviews, I'd have to buy another grown-up outfit...another plain shirt and equally plain skirt to hide in the back of my closet. Ugh.

So I headed directly to the Gap, because there's nothing quite like jinxing yourself and wasting money on clothes that you'll probably never need...and I'm a big fan of their knee socks.

xo.

Mandy.

My neighbor Jerry looks Then Penguin and is a Nobel Laureate on Pomegranate Seeds...