On Sun, 31 Oct 1999, Rachel Greenham wrote:
> > You can also dress too casually and yet still be too stuffy for almost
> > any company. For example, I was once flown to a place where I wore a skirt
> > suit and a bright blouse -- but I found out when I arrived that it was
> > strictly a grey-suit white-shirt type of place. I got the fact of suit
> > right but missed by a mile. And yes, I still regret not getting that job.
>
> Ick. I wouldn't want to work for a company that put its programmers in suits.
> They're obviously missing the point.
It was a consulting company whose programmers would be on-site in a
similar environment. Thus, you have to fit in. I'd have done it because it
was biotech and the work sounded fascinating. I wouldn't have liked the
dress, but the kind of projects would have made up for it. These days, I
wear jeans, sandals and a top (sometimes a t-shirt but usually more
dressy).
> > There are companies that relish the concept of difference. One of my old
> > companies had 'hawaiian shirt day' (a different day for different groups)
> > and each group would wear hawaiian shirts on their day. For product
> > management, it was Thursday. It was kinda cool.
>
> I think I'd hate that. A kind of nonconformity-by-the-book.
No, I think it was more team pride for different groups.
> > That said, being TOO different can be problematic.
>
> My problem I think. I recently got turned down for a job I really should have
> got (not only am I more expert than anyone they've got for the technology
> they're using (JSP on Unix), but it's to the extent that I know how to fix
> specific stuff that's wrong on their site - like the BST/GMT rollover that
> their sites can't cope with and mine did - their error made me miss the
> Walking With Dinosaurs repeat and a DS9 episode today because their TV
> listings were out by an hour). But I noticed going into the place, there was
> not one single female face in the entire IT development department and there
> must have been at least 50 people there. The only women I saw working in the
> entire organisation were the dolly-bird-PA types. Apologies for any
> stereotyping but I'm sure you know what I mean.
Yes, I do indeed know. ::sigh::
It's fairly obvious, when my new boss came in and I asked how many female
candidates he'd interviewed for the positions he'd already hired for and
he replied, "Oh, I don't know any of THEM." He's based in the south.
I hope this isn't an indicator of Bad Things To Come.
> People like to hire people like themselves. I'd probably be the same if I
> ever get into that position - geeky TSs welcome!
I for one wouldn't have a problem with that.
> The biggest thing I lost in transition, I think, is the assumption of
> competence. I got jobs *much* easier Before, when, in relation to now, I knew
> practically nothing.
You know, if you're not in San Francisco, perhaps you should be. There is
a tolerance here for differentness that I haven't seen elsewhere.
--
_Deirdre * http://www.linuxcabal.net * http://www.deirdre.net
"Mars has been a tough target" -- Peter G. Neumann, Risks Digest Moderator
"That's because the Martians keep shooting things down." -- Harlan Rosenthal
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, retorting in Risks Digest 20.60
************
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.linuxchix.org
