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11 October 2007

AskMecha: What should I wear? Interview tomorrow for a volunteer position with a nonprofit.[More:]The organization serves underprivileged urban youth, but the position is technical in nature. I admire their mission, but I also hope to network with the director and eventually find a job in the nonprofit sector. Do I go casual, since it's an unpaid thing? Do I dress up and risk appearing arrogant/like I'm just job-hunting? I have a wide range in my wardrobe, from super-casual to ultra-professional. This is downtown Chicago, just NW of the Loop, if it matters.
I guess it would be relevant to note that I'm female.
posted by desjardins 11 October | 20:08
I posted about a similar dilemma, in case you want historical opinions. :-)

It was for a paid position, however, and I did not end up getting the job, so take all that with a grain of salt!
posted by occhiblu 11 October | 20:29
Somewhere in between seems about right - a cut above "smart casual" and fairly conservative.
posted by dg 11 October | 20:45
I agree. Dressing a little better than necessary will show you are impressed by/respect their organization.
posted by Doohickie 11 October | 21:01
It occurs to me that they actually canceled the second interview on me (they hired someone else in the meantime), so I can confidently say that my sartorial choices played no role in my not getting hired. (Plus, I ended up with a much better job.)
posted by occhiblu 11 October | 22:20
I work at a nonprofit and we hire volunteers all the time. Looking back, all the ones we've wound up hiring dressed as if interviewing for a professional, paid position, even though the interviewers were dressed pretty casually. I say dress professionally, and impress them with how seriously you view the position -- there'll be time to dress down (starting probably with your second day on the job).

Caveat - the nonprofit I work at is a legal services organization. It may very well be that lawyers don't know how to dress down for an interview -- it's one of the things they beat into us in law school I think.
posted by Lassie 11 October | 23:41
For my first volunteer interview, I decided what the hell, I'd wear my best business suit and accessories. Of course when I got there, all the staff and the facility manager were wearing street casual.

While I talked to the manager, the state director of the charity stopped by after having lunch with the mayor. She was, of course, dressed to the nines.

When she heard I was interviewing for the media relations position (unpaid), she handed me a notepad and said, "Here are my notes. Email me some copy by noon tomorrow." That was the extent of my interview; they never even looked at my writing samples.

posted by mischief 12 October | 01:44
It probably won't hurt to dress up but personally I can never bring myself to wear a suit to volunteer interviews. I go with slacks/khakis, non-sneaker closed toe shoes, button down shirt and a thin cotton vest to go over that. I guess that would be business casual to some people. :)
posted by PY 12 October | 03:28
I'm another longtime nonprofit worker, and I agree with the "nicer than casual, but not necessarily full-on professional" suggestion.
posted by cobra! 12 October | 09:20
For posterity's sake: I went with a cropped black jacket, v-neck red shell, black boot-cut slacks, and dressy boots. The guy didn't seem to care at all (he was wearing a suit, oddly, but I got the impression he was meeting a donor later). I think he was just thrilled to have someone taking on a project that has languished for years.
posted by desjardins 12 October | 15:19
Yay! Glad it worked out. And that outfit sounds both stylish and perfect. I want one.
posted by occhiblu 12 October | 17:29
Sadly, I bought the pants in Paris (at a store called La Cité), so I won't be getting more anytime soon.
posted by desjardins 13 October | 09:14
Stacy Hedger's Star Wars trumpet performance. || Well, this is googlerific.

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