How should older women dress to get a job – and what if we break the rules?

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/may/14/how-should-older-women-dress-for-a-job

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If you have ever wondered where the weekly inspiration comes from for this column, I can tell you that it often moves like God – mysteriously. It might strike while I'm walking around Greenwich Park, when I see someone dressed particularly well, or not ("or not" is more interesting). It could be that I overhear something that piques my interest: "Well, it's difficult to tackle that when you share a bed" (no, me neither). Sometimes I'm part of a discussion. I recently went to a business breakfast for City women. It was hosted by The Fold (which I have mentioned before) and the subject was "dressing the part", ie business wear. I can hear you muttering already about London bias and the rarefied atmosphere of the City, but this kind of event allows people to hear from those who know their stuff – in this case Barbara Cassani, Birgit Neu, and Jo Glynn-Smith.

Now, given that unemployment is so high among older women, surely one of the things we should look at is how we present ourselves for the job market? I have made no secret of the fact that, so far, I have applied for in excess of 90 jobs and failed to get anywhere – I announced as much on Woman's Hour. Of course there's more to it than wearing the right clothes, but there's no getting away from the fact that we live in a judgmental society and the right clothes will at least ensure that you look the part and feel confident. Doing the rounds of the agencies last summer, I asked what they felt was the most common failing in job applicants of 50-plus and the unanimous answer was the way we present themselves. It seems we are either stuck in a rut and dress as though we are 30 or we have embraced the "classic" ranges featured in the back of the Radio Times. So, on the one hand they're telling us not to dress like pensioners, but on the other not to dress too "young". To look at it less negatively, if you dress appropriately you do at least demonstrate knowledge of the organisation you want to work for together with good manners and respect. However, as a guest at the City breakfast asked pertinently: "Why can't women be judged by the job they do and not how they dress?" Well, quite. But, as yet, employers are not that enlightened and until they are I'm afraid we're stuck with it.

It is also true that these "rules" are not clear and vary from company to company. Sartorial freedom in the office is unusual, even in the media, and sadly for us, given that clothing is an extension of our personality, dress codes usually apply. A project manager, the audience at The Fold were told, was taken aside and told she had the skill and ability to rise through the organisation but wouldn't be considered for promotion unless she dressed like an executive. Men choose between one suit and another but women have more choice. Accordingly, we have to bend to accommodate, even though we might feel that in our 50s and 60s we have earned the right to dress as we please.

There were some good tips for making sense of all this. Start with the shoes. Think about what lends you confidence, whether it's getting your brows groomed, your hair done or wearing a lucky pair of earrings. I asked about advice that might give confidence to older women and was more than a bit annoyed when the suggestion of Spanx was handed down. I refuse to believe that getting a job is in anyway dependent on ironing out my hips and middle-aged spread.

I have spent a couple of weeks thinking about that advice and I have stopped feeling angry, worked through sadness and begun to feel fired up instead. What it shows is a complete lack of understanding of our demographic. It shows me how much more work older women will have to do before we are accepted as we are, with all our wisdom and experience, which, coincidentally (and unavoidably), come with lines and grey hair. We need to get on with it and keep trying. That said, I might wear my lucky earrings if I ever get another interview.

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