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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| interview attire |
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| buL-buL |
| 09/04/03 at 17:02:48 |
| [slm] :-* :-* I'm in the process of looking for a job, haven't gotten any calls yet but expecting some soon inshallah. I need some suggestions on what a hijabi could wear to an interview, and still look professional :-) How have some of u dealt with that dreaded handshake? ??? [wlm] |
| Re: interview attire |
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| jannah |
| 09/04/03 at 17:45:50 |
| [wlm] Would recommend wearing a dark blue or black suit.. either a pant suit or a skirt/top... very formal is better.. very little jewelry, very little makeup, nice shoes... neutral color hijab... i remember this one girl was wearing blue shoes? and everyone made a comment on it after the interview!! you want them to focus on you and your qualifications not your dress!! as for the handshake try to keep your hands full and nod as to everyone you meet... hope that helps inshaAllah :-) |
| 09/04/03 at 17:46:33 |
| jannah |
| Re: interview attire |
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| bismilla |
| 09/05/03 at 03:42:28 |
| [slm] Sister, Insha Allah you will get call soon :-) Sisters Jannah's points are good ones, Masha Allah. I had this sleeveless Abaya (slips over the head, no front openings) made recently. It's comfortable for work and looks good if you add a formal jacket too. The bulky (wot i call "airy-fairy") sleeves are not in the way when you work or if you have to add a jacket. I wear it over cuffed long sleeved shirts (and skirts or pants) so it looks pretty formal. I would advise that if you are used to regularly wearing Abayas and Jilbabs, this is a something to consider Insha Allah. With regard to the handshake, i read in a previous post where a sister handed out little cards when someone extended their hands, with a Hadith or something ??? and a note that Muslim women do not shake hands. You might wanna hand out a little "business" card of your own - with all your contact details on them ??? I am seriously considering putting a note of some sort at the bottom of my CV's to say that i don't shake hands. I have come to a point in my life where i realise REALLY realise that Allah SWT has control over all things, and i am quiet comfirtable with leaving everything in HIS hands :-) I actually said that to someone who extended his hands (inspired once again by this board) "i don't shake hands" i said.....and Alhumdulillah no one took offence. But then i went right ahead and shook the hand of the next person i met...INSTINCT... :'( *sigh* As Salamu Alaikum |
| 09/05/03 at 03:51:25 |
| bismilla |
| Re: interview attire |
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| Kathy |
| 09/05/03 at 09:43:52 |
| [slm] What kind of job are you going after? Dress to fit the job. Recently I was helping out a Muslimah who had applied for a teachers aide for a pre school class in the public school sytem. (giving her interview tips and preparing her with probable questions) She is extremely timid and a beautiful mom. After a couple of times meeting her and seeing that she would be a great candidate, but she froze when I asked her some simple questions, we decided to do a mock interview... I told her to show up with what she planned to wear and I would give her a professional interview. She showed up in black! A black scarf and abayah. Granted... they were beautiful but she was applying for a job working with children! There is no way a secular HR person would hire a teacher covered in black. The amazing thing was, the Muslimah was totally shocked, she did not believe me. I was in total shock that she thought it was acceptable! :o It wasn't until I reminded her of when her daughter recieved an award and the reaction of the non Muslim audience when this beautiful 12 year old appeared on screen covered in black. There was a noticable hush that covered the auditorium. When I told her about it...she said her family had noticed it...but did not know why... Years ago, my neighbor asked me why I always wore black. She told me that it gave such a negative impression. I had never thought about it and she was right. I still wear black.. but not both head and body. |
| 09/05/03 at 09:45:29 |
| Kathy |
| Re: interview attire |
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| lala |
| 09/05/03 at 09:59:33 |
| [slm] Simple is best also clean and sharp.. Wear either 'power blue':), black or dark grey (dark). (in order of preference) Simple shoes no open backs. As for the style, stay with the traditional get a good suit. You can find loose fitted pants and longer jackets to go with them at most major dept stores etc.. just make sure they do not have any gold and flashy buttons on them. You can also wear a matching long skirt with a jacket. All topped off with a simple hijab (no designs all over it just plain. Under the jacket you can wear a plain white or cream colored collar shirt Make sure also that you are well groomed..etc..you dont want to stand out too much... Good luck!!! |
| Re: interview attire |
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| sofia |
| 09/05/03 at 12:49:09 |
| As-salaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah, Insha'Allah you get the best job for you. Try to make istikhaarah prayer/du'aa before every interview, it makes things go a lot more smoothly. When I got my current job a few years ago (corporate, research, client-focused), I was wearing a brown skirt or something. Now, I don't really wear skirts and normally only wear jilbaabs. It hasn't hindered anything, alhamdulillah, and I think it helped that it was a gradual change. Now maybe it's not so strange if my co-workers see another jilbaabed/hijaabed girl elsewhere, insha'Allah. I've actually just started experimenting with jilbaabs for interviews (don't need another job alhamdulillah, but change is sometimes good, Allahu A'lim). Here's what I've found so far: -It really depends on who's interviewing you, how open-minded they are, etc. Ideally, we'd prob all like to work with a Muslim comp/employer. My current boss is really open-minded; she even lived in Egypt for some time, although she's not Arab or Muslim. She prob would have hired me with jilbaab on. Some employers are turned off by the hijaab, some by jilbaab, etc. It depends on the person and the job type (if it's client or customer focused, they may be more hesitant, for ex). Of course, they'd have to find a different excuse to let you go since they apparently can't discriminate based on religion. -Try to be as clean and neat as possible and match. No loud colors and no all black. People really have been programmed to be scared off from all black on Muslims. Subtle prints are ok as long as you're not wearing only print and it's not a weird print. -If you're more comfortable with dresses, you can easily wear a jacket/blazer or something over it (I've never worn a blazer in my life, but light jacket is do-able). This is what I usually go with when I can't find an appropriate jilbaab. "Business-casual" does not mean you have to wear a blazer, you just have to be neat/tidy. -Be comfortable and confident. Alhamdulillah, I've mostly only interviewed with females, but if it were male, would still want to be confident in your speech and manners. You can explain to him that you do not shake hands with males or busy your hands with something, as already mentioned. But at some point when you actually have a job, if it's important to you, it should be upfront and early on that you don't shake hands with males so it's not always a surprise/issue. Then, even others can explain for you if you have good co-workers, insha'Allah. Brothers need to do this too, so it doesn't look like Islaam allows them to shake hands with women, but not Muslimahs with men. -General stuff: have a good quality folder/notebook and pen to take notes (only when necessary, otherwise you'll look like a brown-noser). And know a bit about the company before you get there, etc etc. Be optimistic and have a positive attitude. -Maybe fix up the resume if you need to, since that's the foot in the door, so to speak. The resume should almost speak for itself. -When I've had to interview people, I was most impressed by their manners and neatness, and their ability to do the job. So focus on your abilities and manners. That's what should stand out to them after the interview. And even if you have no hope for the job (say, it had different qualifications than you expected), leave them with a good attitude towards Muslims/Islaam, at the very least. There's a da'wah opp everywhere you go. So if you don't get a particular job, don't blame it on your hijaab/jilbaab (unless you really clashed). If it's Allah's will, He'll put in you the best environment for you. |
| Re: interview attire |
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| buL-buL |
| 09/05/03 at 21:17:34 |
| [slm] May Allah reward all of who responded ameen. Mash'allah every one of you gave great advise. Sister Sofia i especially like the idea of praying istikharah before every interview. :-* I always knew in the back of my mind wearing all black would scare ppl away....thanx for making it more clear...i'll be conscience of it from now on....but remember also that it's sunnah to wear black 8) Well now im more concerned about how the actual interview is gonna go...i'm pretty shy and not very talkative so i just hope i can keep the convo going at the time inshallah. May Allah make it ez for me and du'as would very much be appreciated :) :) |
| Re: interview attire |
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| Kathy |
| 09/05/03 at 21:37:17 |
| [slm] [code]but remember also that it's sunnah to wear black [/code] Wow :oI did not know this! :)Got hadith? |
| Re: interview attire |
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| knowledge_seeker |
| 09/06/03 at 09:57:25 |
| [slm] I remember my last interview I wore a nice pink scarf (not bright it was pinky purple kind of light at the top and darker at the bottom). I wanted to wear something a little bright like that scarf because I had been wearing black and blue prior and didn't get the jobs. It is Allah who contols our rizq though so don't feel too bad if you don't get the job ;) |
| Re: interview attire |
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| AyeshaZ |
| 09/06/03 at 12:48:27 |
[wlm] I had an interview yesterday!! Alhamdullilah went smoothly :).. it's hilarious that it takes the interviewer a good one minute to register that ya, I do speak normal english! **But working on campus is totally different than in the real world.. Everyone is much more open and our campus is full of diversity, soo no matter what u wear, you'll be accepted! But as everyone is saying it boils down to what's in your naseeb! However, even for public/da'wah purposes i would advice sisters to minimize wearing "ONLY" black! Allahu 'alam wassalamu' alaykum |
| Re: interview attire |
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| knowledge_seeker |
| 09/06/03 at 13:34:02 |
| [quote author=AyeshaZ link=board=madrasa;num=1062705771;start=0#9 date=09/06/03 at 12:48:27] I had an interview yesterday!! Alhamdullilah went smoothly :).. it's hilarious that it takes the interviewer a good one minute to register that ya, I do speak normal english! [/quote] lol I got asked if I could hear through my scarf in one interview lol :-/ I was tempted to pretend I couldn't :P |
| Re: interview attire |
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| buL-buL |
| 09/06/03 at 22:53:06 |
| [slm] Sister Kathy i couldn't find a hadith....maybe someone else can help us with that. Perhaps it isn't sunnah ??? [wlm] |
| 09/06/03 at 22:54:13 |
| buL-buL |
| Re: interview attire |
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| bismilla |
| 09/08/03 at 03:11:36 |
| [slm] i asked our local Jamiat Ulema the question as to whether i could wear any other color besides black (Abaya, cloaks etc) for work. He said there is no significance to the color black, people use it because of it's practicality more than enything else. We can wear any earth tone colors, even white (white being favoured by the Prophet Muhammed SAW especially). The wisdom behind the color we choose that it should not draw attention to your physique..it should basically blend in..... ....And if i am not mistaken, black is also worn predominantly by "power-dressers" :D so if one did choose to wear black, provided it was worn neatly (correct length, shoes, scarf worn neatly and hair properly done so strands don't keep sticking out etc.) one should be able to "blend in" so to speak :-) Also, here's something from the [url=http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=3591][u]Ask-Imam[/u][/url] site :- [quote][u]What is the justification, in Islam, of women wearing black, and men wearing white in some Arab countries?[/u] As salaam wa'alaikum, I don't mean for this question to be provocative. I'd just like to know, what is the reason from Quran or Sunnah, that women should wear black abbayas and men white clothes in Arab countries like Saudi Arabia. Its so hot over there anyway, and black is the colour that absorbs the most sunlight, so its even hotter for the women. Can't they wear white, like the men, as long as it's not see-through? Or is the colour of the clothes just Arabian custom?.... Jazak Allah Khair [i]1. When a female leaves her home due to necessity, she should cover herself by concealing the form and shape of her body. For that, the outer garment should be thick and loose. As regards the colour of the outer garment, there is no restriction. That may be any colour as long as it is not attractive. 2. It is permissible for a male to wear any colour garment on condition the colour is not a feminine. However, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) 8br>recommended men wearing white garments. ...... and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best Mufti Ebrahim Desai FATWA DEPT.[/i] [/quote] Further about the interview tips..... a manicure before hand should be good, as this is the only area EXPOSED...and your hands can speak volumes about you.. LOL |
| 09/08/03 at 03:17:38 |
| bismilla |
| Re: interview attire |
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| panjul |
| 09/08/03 at 20:00:36 |
| [slm] I don't understand why everyone wants to wear black? I mean it's a nice color but not every day of the week, the entire year round! I have never heard of a hadith encouraging to wear black. Maybe there is, Allah knows best. However, that doesn't mean that we have to wear it like there is no other color in the world. And in the summer a black headscarf is a lot warmer than soft colors. Today i'm wearing soft pink and white. ;) And of course freshwater pearls. Tip: Never wear anything but pearls with pink; looks very nice. |
| 09/08/03 at 20:01:48 |
| panjul |
| Re: interview attire |
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| panjul |
| 09/08/03 at 20:03:59 |
| [slm] As regards the colour of the outer garment, there is no restriction. That may be any colour as long as it is not attractive. Why is black not attractive? My husband likes it a lot. (not one of my favorites) I go for green. |
| Re: interview attire |
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| WhiteSomali |
| 09/08/03 at 20:57:10 |
| [slm] ;D [QUOTE] Why is black not attractive? My husband likes it a lot. (not one of my favorites) I go for green. [/QUOTE] I think the meaning of attractive in this case is, a color or pattern that really draws attention to yourself. Allah knows best ;D [slm] |
| Re: interview attire |
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| sofia |
| 09/09/03 at 10:33:09 |
| As-salaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah, Not to say one shouldn't wear black (actually my favorite color to wear). My point was, if you experiment with earth-tones versus all-black (as a covered Muslimah), there is sometimes a marked difference in the way people look at/interact with you. Conditioning by the media, I think. Anyhow, I still wear all-black sometimes, at least for people to get used to it. Otherwise, just meant to advise not to do so for a job interview. Allah A'lim, there's no hard-and-fast rule on this, just a suggestion. Also, black may have been common for the Prophet's (S) wives and companions wives' because of the verses in Surah Noor and/or Al-Ahzaab re: covering and its associated ahaadith. The Ansaari women were reported to have used pieces of their overgarment to cover their head/chest when it was revealed. Additional accounts report that they looked like crows or like crows were on their head -- because of their garments. Some scholars say this is because they were wearing black. Allahu A'lim. When you see sisters wearing Emiriti-type abayas nowadays, they really do resemble crows, masha'Allah. :) But again, not to say women can only wear black, it's just considered the least adorned color, depending on how you wear it and that's probably why it's so common. Otherwise, our clothes just have to be not-tight, not-see-through, not too adorned and not imitating a man - no special color indicated. Allahu A'lim. |
| 09/09/03 at 12:49:00 |
| sofia |
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