First Post-T job interview. FTM.

[BecomingShane]

I have my first Post T job interview at Target, Monday, the 22nd of December.

I'm thinking of just throwing on my Binder, A long sleeved sweater shirt, and a pair of Blue Jeans with black shoes.

I'm extremely nervous, I'm still not convinced I pass very well, But I am hopeful.
I am a little over 3 months on testosterone, and already have a fuzzy face. (blonde hairs, easier to feel than see unless you're up close.)

My question for you guys is, how did you handle coming out to an employer? And where was it you were applying for/working at? And what attire did you wear for the interview.

[Bimmer Guy]

I have my first Post T job interview at Target, Monday, the 22nd of December.

I'm thinking of just throwing on my Binder, A long sleeved sweater shirt, and a pair of Blue Jeans with black shoes.

I'm extremely nervous, I'm still not convinced I pass very well, But I am hopeful.
I am a little over 3 months on testosterone, and already have a fuzzy face. (blonde hairs, easier to feel than see unless you're up close.)

My question for you guys is, how did you handle coming out to an employer? And where was it you were applying for/working at? And what attire did you wear for the interview.

First up, I would strongly suggest wearing khakis (if not dress pants), rather than jeans to an interview.

People have approached coming out to new employers in different ways.  Some come out after they get hired (if you still have a female name).  You can go to the interview dressed in the usual male attire, but use your female name and let them use female pronouns.  Shave.  After you get the job ask them to call you by your preferred name and pronoun and then let the facial hair grow!  You can tell them on your first day and then you can make sure that they tell the other associates your preferred name.

The above is how I have known people who approached a new retail or similar job.  You have to go with what fits for you.  I'm sure some people tell at the time of interview or some tell when you get the official job offer, maybe before your first day.

Good luck.

[Sebryn]

Wear a suit. That is the best advice a friend of mine ever gave me. It makes you look professional and sets you apart from your competition....especially since no one wears suits to interviews anymore it seems. You might feel over dressed and silly but believe me the HR personnel notice.

I thought I was okay with just wearing nice dress slacks and a button down shirt with a tie. I never got call backs when I did that. I wore a suit to my interview for the county juvenile detention center and I start on the 30th....and yes they are fully aware I am trans, but I had to come out to them because of the nature of working for a governmental agency. You may not have to come out if you have all the legal loose ends tied up.

Look up your state, city and county policies on equal opportunity employment. When I told the initial interviewers (had multiple interviews for this job to qualify) that I am trans I was frank and to the point then moved on because that being trans is not the best quality I have and I didn't want to focus on it. It was more of a footnote answer really. An answer to a question about if I had ever faced discrimination. 

Also don't forget to shave before your interview.

[BecomingShane]

Wear a suit. That is the best advice a friend of mine ever gave me. It makes you look professional and sets you apart from your competition....especially since no one wears suits to interviews anymore it seems. You might feel over dressed and silly but believe me the HR personnel notice.

I thought I was okay with just wearing nice dress slacks and a button down shirt with a tie. I never got call backs when I did that. I wore a suit to my interview for the county juvenile detention center and I start on the 30th....and yes they are fully aware I am trans, but I had to come out to them because of the nature of working for a governmental agency. You may not have to come out if you have all the legal loose ends tied up.

Look up your state, city and county policies on equal opportunity employment. When I told the initial interviewers (had multiple interviews for this job to qualify) that I am trans I was frank and to the point then moved on because that being trans is not the best quality I have and I didn't want to focus on it. It was more of a footnote answer really. An answer to a question about if I had ever faced discrimination. 

Also don't forget to shave before your interview.

I feel as if, wearing a suit to a semi-Laid back retail job is unnecessary. I live in Tennessee and the only 'formal' jobs in my area is a law firm, some higher up management jobs, and rescue officers.
Target is one of the rare trans*friendly organizations in my area, And I was given the advice for the first day to tell him "I prefer male Pronouns and the Preferred name I wrote on my application"

My facial hair isn't out of control enough to shave, blonde hairs do wonders, and as recently stated, it's unnoticeable unless you are either feeling my face, or really looking for it. Plus, it helps to keep it due to extreme baby face dysphoria. It has taken me three months to grow what I have, and getting rid of it will cause my anxiety and dysphoria to overpower my state of mine, resulting, as it has before, in my inability to even attend the interview, so that's a no-go

[Kreuzfidel]

I was passing pretty well at 5 months post-T when I interviewed for the job I have now.  I wore casual neat clothes (black long-sleeve button-down with some black dress slacks). 

I didn't reveal my trans* status to the guys who interviewed me.  My name was already legally changed anyway, so I figured that I didn't need to reveal something like that unless they hired me - which they did.  The HR lady called me after they told me I had the job in order to get a copy of my passport - which was in my female name.  I told her my trans* status and she didn't even blink.  She was the only person at my job who knew - now she's gone, so I suppose no one does!

[wheat thins are delicious]

Wear a suit.

Honestly, for something like a job at Target, a suit is over dressed.

Khakis and a polo will be great.  I work at a store similar to Target and we get people in here all the time wearing all sorts of things applying and getting jobs, but I think wearing something like khakis and a polo make a better impression, than some jeans and a sweatshirt. 

[Sebryn]

http://www.job-applications.com/target-job-interview-tips/

I dug up this link for you that may be helpful. Business attair is apparently what is best, unless you applied for a higher position and then it appears that a suit would be best. Good luck to you.

[Ayden]

Wear a suit. That is the best advice a friend of mine ever gave me. It makes you look professional and sets you apart from your competition....especially since no one wears suits to interviews anymore it seems. You might feel over dressed and silly but believe me the HR personnel notice.

This is extremely good advice. You may find that you feel uncomfortable being "overdressed" but this was how both myself and my husband got out jobs when we were working retail in a "big" Alaska town. (He worked for Kroger and I worked at Wal-Mart). I was told flat out that I was hired because I cared enough to put a suit on. By dressing nicely you are showing the HR folks that you take work seriously. Please don't discount this bit of advice.

As for coming out, I would advise you to take several things into consideration. First, how conservative an area you live in and how conservative the company is will be important. Look up company policy on LGBT employment. Once you've read up on that, I would suggest that you get a feel for it. If you go in and you feel comfortable disclosing at the interview, go ahead. Even if its just "I go by xxxxxx name." If you feel it's better to wait until you are officially hired, then wait until you find a manager you are comfortable with.

[Alexthecat]

As for coming out, I would advise you to take several things into consideration. First, how conservative an area you live in and how conservative the company is will be important. Look up company policy on LGBT employment. Once you've read up on that, I would suggest that you get a feel for it. If you go in and you feel comfortable disclosing at the interview, go ahead. Even if its just "I go by xxxxxx name." If you feel it's better to wait until you are officially hired, then wait until you find a manager you are comfortable with.

To add on to this, I just said I go by Alex. I've never said that I am trans. If you can put up with being called she then using a different name isn't an issue.

[Bran]

I agree-- if you can do a suit, do.  You will never loose a job by wearing a suit ("He's too pretentious for Target!" nope, doesn't happen) and you can get a job that way. If you don't have a suit, the closest thing you can manage is a good idea-- best pants, button shirt, jacket/blazer or sweater.  You will be overdressed, but that's kind of the point. 

I've actually dressed up more to apply for retail and secretarial jobs than for professional positions.  When there's a large field of applicants, there's a need to distinguish yourself quickly based on first impressions. 

[BraydLee]

The first place I ever interviewed with was McDonalds but it was one of those things where they interview around ten people during that day.

The first job I got was as a cashier at Hobby Lobby, of all places. I had relatives that worked there for years and when one left for another job, I was recommend and later hired.
Im sure the manager knew but I never had any trouble. There were actually a couple of people who knew, well... After three months I had to leave suddenly due to emergency health issues and apparently one of the girls working there started a rumor that I was getting a sex change and joked about it, but she was confronted by one worker who looked after me confronted her about it even though I had quite a week prior and the girl actually began to cry once she realized what she was doing.
I don't like Hobby Lobby but it was a job and an experience. It did get old after a while, these ladies stopped in while on a road trip for a convention and while checking out she leaned over the counter and whispered in my face, "You know that God is our lord and savorer, don't you?"

For formal occasions such as an interview I wear black jeans that were not too tight nor too loose or even a pair of gray jeans that look like slacks, and a nice button up shirt or a polo and a pair of black chucks.
It depends on the employer. A suite would be a bit much. Someone at some point told me that wearing something similar to what the employ attire is not a bad choice. Such as hobby lobby is brown/tan pants and a blue shirt.

As for the employer and being transgender and transitioning it depends on their judgment, but mostly if they see you as a good candidate is what is important. I have met people who's manager was supportive of employes who are transitioning, especially when it comes to paper work and legal name and gender. Places that are a large corporation such as target, Walmart, Meijer, are not a stickler to who they hire.
If you walk into a hobby lobby you will notice that all the employes are well groomed and well mannered, for the most part. There girls were allowed to have earrings but men were not allowed to.