Jobs and Clothing Sensitivities

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I have never been to an interview, but hope to be able to begin looking for a job in the near future. After reading the "Do You Like Dressing Formal?" thread on the General Autism board, I've begun wondering about what those of us with clothing sensitivities are supposed to do for interviews, or worse, jobs requiring uniforms or the following of dress codes.

I really cannot dress up at all. I have a single outfit, consisting of a T-shirt, a particular type of jeans (those are pushing it!), a particular type of socks, and a very restricted selection of shoes (none that I have found that are presentable). Is it possible to get a job without dressing up, or am I just screwed?

I think it depends on what kind of job you are trying to get. This is going to sound obvious but you should skip applying at jobs that require a uniform or a specie type of shirt if you have problems with that clothing. Some jobs may just want you too look decent. Perhaps you could find nice looking cloths that are made out of a more comfortable fabric if you search around or you could have something custom made to look nice in the fabric you like.Some employers are willing to make exceptions with certain clothing things if you have a doctors note. I hate dressing formal too but I can tolerate it when I have to for things like weddings & job interviews; I never submitted an app for a job that required formal attire but I dressed nicer than I would for the job for the interviews & I tell myself that I'll be home & taking it off in an hour or so

Yeah you should avoid uniforms. Have you tried going in stores and just testing the fabrics? Not like going all out and trying them on (that would be like a step two) but maybe just feeling them first? Maybe you could find something similar to what you wear, but a little dressier.

I wear khakis, a polo shirt and usually loafers.

But sometimes, if you want something bad enough, you'll learn to overcome it. I got a recent volunteer job where I have to wear screen printed shirts. I HATE screen printing, but I love the job enough to deal with it.

The idea of custom made clothing is interesting. I'll have to look into that. I'm sure I could drive a tailor mad.


I've only worn formal clothes once, when I went to a competition with a formal dress code. (My teachers talked me into it and only told me about the dress code after I had signed up. ) I managed to stay dressed (besides the shoes) on the drive there (about 30 minutes), with the help of a lot of stimming, but once we got there I couldn't take it any longer and took off the jacket, tie, shirt, and shoes, putting up with constant yelling instead. When the competition started I did poorly because all I could think about was the pants that I couldn't take off. I also yelled at a teacher, pushed a classmate, and kicked a table. So my ability to tolerate it is pretty low. I might be able to tolerate it for that hour or so (or I might go on a rampage), but probably not a countless number of those hours.


I haven't looked specifically for comfortable formal clothing, but I have spent A LOT of time looking for comfortable casual clothes. When I was younger my parents were constantly dragging me around to try on everything in the store, with little success. It took me until I was ten to even find socks that I could stand. I didn't find the jeans that I wear until junior high, before that I only wore sweatpants. Not just any sweatpants, I always had to go from store to store trying on all of them until I found a pair that I could wear. They all had something wrong. The ones I did buy generally had to be modified in some way, like cutting off the bottoms to rid of the elastic cuffs. The jeans that I wear went out of production years ago and I still haven't found anything to replace them. Shoes have to be wide (uniformly so, no constriction in the middle like most "wide" shoes have) and loose. If my feet are constricted then I'll become immediately violent. As far as I've found, that means "skate shoes". I've never found any long sleeve shirts that I could stand. This experience makes me very pessimistic that I'll be able to find bearable formal clothes. I would definitely have to try them on, because it's often just a seam or something that sets me off.


I don't think it's something that can be "overcome" with willpower. When I wear something uncomfortable it becomes the only thing I can think of and the stress builds until I "snap" and start kicking/hitting/throwing things. I can't control it.

I thought this was a common problem with ASDs, but I guess not?

(Sorry, I'm tired and think I'm rambling.)

I really hate wearing ties too. The kinds of cloths I wore for job interviews always was a short-sleeve button-up shirt; not very fancy but looked decent, dressy type pants like khakis, & typical dressy type shoes that weren't fancy & were cheap. The only very uncomfortable thing for me is the shoes & that's because my feet are wide & I don't see the point in buying new shoes that will only get worn a couple times a year at most. The places i had interviews were customer service type jobs.

If your not bothered too much by the environment your in & you don't have any physical disabilities & your motor-skills aren't bad; consider jobs like construction, lawn-care or shop mechanic. They tend to be pretty lax about dress clothing.

As I've mentioned before, even though I look fantastic in a formal suit, I HATE dressing up and usually wear jeans and a t-shirt/sweatshirt. I can't stand anything tight around my neck and feel awkward in a suit (hate the sensation of a dress shirt) even though I get so many compliments. I'm not a uniform fan but all but one of my jobs has required a uniform. I don't mind my current one because with all the things I carry on my belt and the dark blue color I look like a police officer and feel confident in it.

i cant wear formal trousers, i hate jeans, formal shoes, shirts and ties. i think im screwed.

What about wearing more comfortable clothing under the dressy clothing?

My biggest problem is I can't tie a tie.

My friend's husband wears zipper ties.

http://www.absoluteties.com/ziclonti.html

I HATE Screen printing. It's one of the few things I REALLY HATE!

But this job means so much to me that I have found a way to get around it.

If you disclose your diagnosis you could request a different uniform as part of a reasonable adjustment to your working environment.

How much you would be able to alter would depend on your sensitivities and the attitude of the employer. You would have to try to find clothing that looks close to the company uniform, but made out of fabrics that you can stand. If you present a simple solution to them they are more likely to accept it.

Uniforms are part of the corporate branding of a company, and make staff identifiable. The extent the uniform takes does vary, from a single company branded T-shirt (possibly with general colour/style guidance for the rest of your cloths), to a full outfit.

I like the idea of wearing a uniform as it means I don't have to think about my clothing choices and compete on fashion.

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It is said that in interviews the decision is made within the first few seconds of the candidate entering the room. You would have to decide whether the unease caused by wearing clothing you don't like detracts from your chance of success more than wearing less appropriate clothing.

Thanks. I can't tie a tie either and don't have the dexterity needed to do so from written instructions.

I suck with fine-motor skills. I have two clip-on ties that I wore in high-school; it was a Catholic school & we had to wear a special nice shirt & ties for mass 1ce or 2wice a month & a few special occasions. i hated having to wear it & would take it off as soon as it was appropriate. I don't like clothing that's tight around my neck; I wear vNeck tShirts

I have clothing sensitivities too. But, I have a couple of formal outfits, which don't irritate, which I can wear for job interviews and funerals, etc. So, it's possible to get formal clothing that's also comfortable. I actually wore a uniform in my last job. It was fine (but I was one of a group of employees chosen to test the clothes, before we decided on what was best).