That time of my life has arrived: it's time to get a real job. While I cringe at the idea of no longer getting to sleep in until noon, read books for pleasure all of the time, or flood Pinterest with new pins, I am a little excited to start a career.
I recently had multiple interviews for a job at a start-up in Silicon Valley. What I quickly realized, is that I do not have very many interview outfit options. While I am having to watch my bank account like a hawk at the moment, I decided that it was a worthy investment to pick up some new interview threads. And with the help of my favorite store of all time, Goodwill, I put together an entire outfit for a measly $18.47!
First, I scanned Pinterest for some ideas. I wasn't too excited about the pencil skirt option because they tend to show off my butt more than I would care for at a conservative interview. I also feel that blazers make me look manly. I already owned a dress suited for interviews, so I decided to try out the pants and cardigan route.
Here are a few of my inspirations from Pinterest.
Goodwill performed perfectly as expected. I actually had to (sadly) put some items back. I just loved everything! There is usually a plethora of dress pants to choose from, as well as sweaters. The only difficult part came with the blouse. Goodwill is a hit or miss with fancier tops. Luckily, after a half hour of investigating all of the flimsy sleeveless shirts, I landed upon this purple gem.
And the best part was that when I got to the register, the tag on the black cardigan had fallen off somehow. It was originally priced at $7.99, but they lowered it to $3.99 because of the no-tag issue. Score!
As for the shoes, I already owned a pair of black suede pumps from Target. I assume that most ladies would already have a pair of black flats or something similar, so I did not include them in the pricing.
If you are like me and are beginning the whole job thing, don't fret! You seriously can find some of the best work and interview outfits at Goodwill, and for a small fraction of their original price! It just takes time and patience when perusing through the massive amounts of clothing.
Good luck!
