40-year-old woman wears a suit to director-level job interview, HR tells them they didn't like they wore a suit: 'I didn't get the job'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 8, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

What should you wear to a job interview?

There are all sorts of advice out there about how you should present yourself in a job setting. What you should wear, what you should say, how you should comport yourself. Every little detail gets scrutinized, so they say. You want to make sure you're making the best impression you could possibly make, and that can come down to details. But sometimes these details get in the way of the bigger picture. At the end of the day, it's all about your credentials. If you don't have the goods, then you don't have the goods. You shouldn't get too bogged down in the way that people are perceiving you, or else it'll be all that you think about. But sometimes hiring managers don't have the right amount of tact, and let some things slide that they shouldn't let slide. 

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  • A woman wearing a suit looks at materials on a tablet
    via Unsplash+ (Ahmed)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I wore a suit to a job interview.

    I (40F) recently had a job interview for a director level position. I wore a black business jacket, black pants and a hunter green blouse. Interview was with their C-Suite hiring manager and HR VP.
    via Haddar
  • I was later told that they liked me, but they didn't like that I wore a suit. To clarify, this was at a very white collar, very finance oriented company. Everyone else was was also very formal.
    via Haddar
  • The eff was I supposed to have worn? Edit: I didn't get the job.
    via Haddar

  • Commenters commiserated with this job seeker.

    mooseplainer Woman wears suit. "Way too uptight and formal, makes us look bad. Rejected!" Woman dresses business casual.
    via mooseplainer

  • There are plenty of ways that prejudice shows up in the hiring process. We all have internal biases that we should do our best to acknowledge and get in front of. We might subconsciously think that some people will be worse or better at certain jobs just based on the way that they look. And this is not a truthful or good thing to lean into. It just reinforces the inequality that already exists in our society. So when we see that in action, we should do our best to speak up about it. Especially when it happens to us. That's what happened to this woman who tried to look her best for a job interview, and was quickly told that her best wasn't right. She dressed to impress, but left the hiring manager feeling like she wasn't the right fit. The problem was that there was a deep double standard going on here about the way we dress in the workplace. She was left feeling like she was being skipped over for a job just because of the way she looked. Nobody wants to feel like they're losing something on a technicality. Keep scrolling to see what happened here and see what you think about it.

  • "How are we supposed to take you seriously as a director at a finance level position when you can't even dress the part? REJECTED!" When they cite reasons like that, I suspect they had no intention of hiring you in the first place.
    via mooseplainer
  • defenestration4eva The cynical part of me says they just wanted to have it. on record that they interviewed female candidates, so they can claim they don't have discriminatory hiring practices. I guarantee whatever they recorded internally for why you didn't get a job offer had nothing to do with what you wore.
    via defenestration4eva
  • A woman in a suit talks on the phone in the office
    via Unsplash+ (Ahmed)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • BeMancini "I mean, that's just how I dress. Isn't that how all of you were dressed?" I guess they wanted you in a dress?
    via BeMancini
  • Spirit Trail Walker They just want to find something to reject you. Don't take it personally. I know it's hard. I would have walked out the second they made that comment. Try to use your intuition during these instances.
    via SpiritTrailWalker
  • No_Structure7185 what? you dont wear a short skirt and a half-translucent tanktop for interviews?? you are a woman! why would they hire you if they cant see anything! .../s
    via No_Structure7185
  • TheRealTowel "Woman" is a legally protected class. "I didn't like the way you were dressed" isn't.
    via TheRealTowel
  • jaskier89 Lol, that confirms to me that being competent has NOTHING to do with getting into C-Level
    via jaskier89
  • Leonum "That's ok, I don't have to wear a suit :)" "It's still gonna be a no from us" "Then why the f did you comment on it?"
    via Leonum
  • LL ReaverRogue F 'em. If that's what they fixated on, it wouldn't have been a great place to work.
    via ReaverRogue
  • mariposa314 This is funny because my husband was once on a hiring committee for a white collar position. The committee didn't like that she didn't wear a suit. We can't win.
    via mariposa314
  • OnTheEveOfWar Male here. I work a suit/tie to an interview years ago. I did really well in the interview but didn't get the job. Some of the feedback from leadership was they didn't like that I wore a suit. F me for dressing up for a job interview, right?
    via OnTheEveOfWar
  • WittyAvocado Toast That is wild. Sounds like they just made something up after the fact and didn't even notice how dumb it sounds.
    via WittyAvocadoToast
  • ku... This happened to me! I'm still ped about it! I wore a nice suit for an interview, and the feedback I received was that they liked me, but wearing a suit was too formal for their office and I was too finance. !? It was
    via kumocat
  • years ago and it still has a stranglehold in my mind. I had always been taught that a suit was always appropriate for an interview, and it displays that you care about presenting yourself professionally for the role. Now if I interview, I have no idea to wear! God forbid you don't dress exactly like the rest of their employees, and clearly someone can't dress less formally once. their hired. That would be crazy.
    via kumocat
  • beerboy80 They already had someone in mind for the position. They had to interview to say they found the "best candidate" for the job. Don't take it personally. Good luck. for the job search.
    via beerboy80
  • Fit_Competition_... We just hired a woman wearing the exact outfit you described to a high level, high paying position. One of the interviewers said, "I am wearing green to my next interview! She really lit up the room!"
    via Fit_Competition_4432

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boss antiwork woman job working workplace job interview interview toxic-work-environment
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