Kilted interviewing...

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

So, I am in the process of hiring somebody new to my team, and was asked to perform an interview for one of my co-workers who is also hiring and she wanted to get my "read" on the person. Now, when I decided to wear the kilt full time, I never thought about it in this context, i.e. interviewing a candidate for a position within the company! I had no problems with it (and in fact was curious to see how professional the candidate responded), but I am curious about others viewpoints.

For those that have interviewed people:
Have you ever interviewed anybody while kilted?
What was their response/reaction?
Did they question/ask about the kilt?

For those that have been interviewed:
Have you ever been interviewed by somebody who was kilted?
What was your reaction when you saw the interviewer?
Did you question/comment on the kilt?
Did it change your perception of the organization?

In the end, the candidate in question did not end up being a fit for us, but I still have to fill the open positions in my team (have not interviewed anybody yet), and don't want to alienate a good candidate. That does not mean I am going to change wearing the kilt, but I might give the candidate some up-front warning during the phone interview so they are not completely surprised.

[Riverkilt]

Not sure if this qualifies for what you had in mind KCW,

Its common for me as a therapist to do many clinical intake assessments a week. A counseling intake assessment is a two hour interview of sorts that goes much deeper into a person's personal life than a job interview can.

So, new agency clients are meeting me for the first time.

Sometimes they comment about the kilt as we walk from the agency lobby to my office - maybe 200 feet of hallway.

Sometimes they ask sincerely about the kilt after their intake interview is completed.

Usually, they don't say anything.

I've decorated the back of my office door with a large collage of photos of kilted men so that sorta points out my interest in kilts.

Never had any "you're weird" comments to my face. Most appreciation seems to be from the gothic kids coming through in the criminal justice system.

My most common, and extremely gentle/polite response to questions is that I sit for a living and kilts just make sense for comfort...and yes I have Scottish, Irish, Celtic et.al. ancestry. I sometimes point out that there's a fashion boom for kilts in progress now and that more and more men are wearing them again, not just men of Celtic ancestry.

But, I think to your question, its never been a problem with clients or distracted from the interview process. Some expected jokes and teasing from coworkers early on. Today, I think if I showed up at work in pants it'd be more disruptive.

And, to clarify, I wear both solid color and tartan kilts to work; traditionals from Kathy's Kilts, Utilikilts, Freedom Kilts, Pittsburgh Kilts, AmeriKilts, RKilts, and even SportKilts (but only the new version with sewn down pleats).

Funny, when I wore pants to work I had a base rotation of five pair of chinos in a 5 pocket jeans cut. All my "fashion variety" was with different shirts.

Now, I have variety with the shirts, AND the kilts. A much more versatile wardrobe. I may not be much of a clothes horse, but I can't understand folks that wear the same thing to work day after day....unless they're real poor of course....

Don't recall where working kilted has been a problem since I started part time a year and a half ago and full time 4 months ago.

Looking back, growing a beard and growing my hair long 35 and 12 years ago respectively caused some problems at work back then due to actual, or perceived, customer reactions...kilts, no.

I wish I had time to take a week off, go to the big city and apply for a wide variety of jobs, and show up for the interview kilted...just to see what happens....

Once interviewed for a job bearded. Owner of the outfit said he'd hire me if I'd shave my beard. Told him, "Sure thing." then asked for my application back saying I'd forgotten to fill in some credentials. When he handed it over I put it in my inside pocket and excused myself. He babbled after me that he wanted the application form. Politely declined and left.

I'm too set on kilts now to waste time working for, or with, anyone who had a problem with my fashion freedom.

Ron

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Ron, actually I have no qualifications on what I am looking for, just trying to see what others have experienced.

I love your bearded interview experience! Let me give you a contrasting scenario. About.. hmmh let me see........ damn 11-12 years ago, my Dad decided that he was tired of corporate America and wanted to own his own business. He had always loved boats, and living in upstate NY, he naturally thought about buying a marina on one of the finger lakes. Now, at the time, he sported a full beard, and had done so for as long as I could remember. Anyway, buying a business means one needs to sell your business plan to a bank loan officer, a somewhat conservative bunch. So, my Dad decides that to make his dream of owning a business come true, he needs to get rid of the beard and go to the meeting with the loan officer clean shaven, so as to present the best possible image. So he dutifullly shaves off the beard, gathers together his business plan, sales goals, fallback plans, etc. and proceeds to the bank. He lets the receptionist know that he is there to see the loan officer and is led to the gentleman's office. And what should he be greeted with but a local loan officer with a fuller beard than the one my Dad shaved off to be "respectable"! Talk about irony!

[Riverkilt]

Crack me up. God has to be a coyote! Bet your dad got the loan anyway :grin:

When I was fired for refusing to shave my beard in New York City in 1970 (fear I'd be perceived as a "hippie" and one nutty customer complaint) my fear was that I'd have to shave it off anyway to get another job...

Turns out I was hired bearded, no problem, in short order.

The nice thing about being hired bearded, long haired, tattooed, kilted, whatever...is you don't gotta worry about it anymore.

Why work anywhere you can't be your true self?

Ron

[GlassMan]

The bearded story about your dad is hilarious!

On a slightly different note, my company is growing to the point where I'm probably going to have to hire some new people for inventory management and packing/shipping.

Well, I made being kilted company uniform (existing employees grandfathered in and allowed their choice of kilt or pants) but new hires are to be kilted.

I'm always kilted and we have some local notariety as being the place to go for stained glass but also if you want to have made or make yourself a piece of glass art with a Celtic theme.

So it should be interesting to see what happens at interview time when they find out that they'll get a clothing allowance for an inexpensive kilt and be expected to wear it.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Crack me up. God has to be a coyote! Bet your dad got the loan anyway :grin: ...

Actually, YES! Shocked the s#$* out of him!

The nice thing about being hired bearded, long haired, tattooed, kilted, whatever...is you don't gotta worry about it anymore.

Why work anywhere you can't be your true self?

Amen! I am already thinking about my next job change (Chicago is great in the summer, but single digit (or double digits under 40) temperatures really leave me cold!) My best hope is to finish my MS (expected graduation May 2006) and find a new job back in warmer weather. Maybe I will have to see if there is anything in AZ at that point in time!

[Rick]

If one is an interviewer, the question about whether or not to wear the kilt ultimately comes down to the technique to be employed in the interview and what kind of responses are desired. The kilt could make some candidates nervous, even those who under normal circumstances would not have an issue with the kilt or who might even wear one. So, one must ask if this is a desired situation for the interview. Having performed mock interviews with students, I, as well as the students, am often amazed at how they perform when the tape is on vs. when it is off. Sometimes they are different people, sometimes they are the same. Thus, the interview creates a very stressful situation which can elicit many intended and unintended responses, responses which may have some or no bearing on job performance. So do the thought experiment first: what will the candidates perceive, what are the possible outcomes based on that perception, and given that, decide if being kilted is the right thing to do. Just as there is no single method for doing the prefect interview, there is no single answer here.

Rick

[Angus MacSpey]

That does not mean I am going to change wearing the kilt, but I might give the candidate some up-front warning during the phone interview so they are not completely surprised.

If I were your potential interviewee, and I heard you say, "Oh, by the way, I'll be wearing a kilt when I interview you," I wouldn't just find it weird. It would be downright creepy. It makes it sound like a bad thing.

"Oh, by the way, when I interview you, I'll be picking toe jam with my teeth, and cleaning my assault rifle on my desk. I hope you don't mind, and we'll like having you here at ABC Corp. Mwuhahahahaaaa! Do you like fava beans and chianti? ftptptptptp!"

You wouldn't bother to tell your interviewee that you'd be wearing khakis and a polo shirt, would you?

KCW, you seem very - overly, I think - concerned about what other people think of you. That's evident from many of your posts. Just remember this: if someone doesn't like you, it's THEIR problem, THEIR loss. Not yours. Tell yourself that, every day, for a while. You can't please everyone anyway, no matter what you do. But you can make yourself happy, and that's infectious.

Riverkilt and Bear have the proper attitude. The people who don't respect them for that aren't worth knowing anyhow.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Angus,

Good point. I had not thought of it from that angle. I will just continue doing what I have been doing, which is that i wear my kilt and part of the whole interview process will include their reaction to the kilt as it will indicate the candidates acceptance of new and different ideas.

As for your second comment, damned if I respond and damned if I don't! Anyway, I don't think I am overly concerned with what others think of me. I would not be wearing my kilts full time if that were the case. But given the newness of kilts to most people, I am fascinated by people's reactions to it and other kilt wearers experiences.

[MACKAY]

Throughout my corporate career I have had the opportunity to interview many candidates for various positions and levels within the companies I was working for at the time. Some of the interviews were for direct hires who would be working for me, or in my department, and many others were as part of a round table of interviews.

While I have never interviewed anyone kilted, I would not hesitate to do so in your situation. As you indicated, you wear a kilt to work daily, so wearing one to the interview would not be inappropriate as you are conveying the same work environment and image as that the candidate will be working under. If you never wore a kilt to work, and did so for the interview purely to see what happened, or throw the candidate for a loop, then I would say that would be completely inappropriate and unprofessional.

One thing I focus on when interviewing a person is their ability to think dynamically. Outside the box if you will. I want to find out how they can handle an agile approach to problem solving and operational development verses regurgitating conventional wisdom and saying what they ‘think’ I want to hear.

Now usually I present some type of a case study, or example of a real life situation or challenge as it relates to the position, and get a feel for how they approach the solution as we discuss different angles and perspectives.

However, I would be interested as to how they approached the kilt. I would fully expect the candidate to inquire about it, and at least be inquisitive. I would see that as someone who is interested in engaging me and shows me that they can be a team player, not afraid to ask questions and speak out and learn something new perhaps.

I actually would not be too sure about someone who just ignored it, or pretended to, as that person may also show the same trait on the job.

Do I want someone who is inquisitive and is looking outside the box and is not afraid to engage me in a conversation about what is, one must admit, and unusually site in the corporate world (for now) or someone who is just looking to play along and sees just the paycheck, and not the job?

Just my thoughts ... best of luck with your interviews,

Brian Mackay