How Do You Get a Job as a Crossdressing Administrative Assitant?

I've been unemployed since August 15, 2008. But I would mind doing a temp contract job dressed in a skirt suit as an Administrative Assistant. One of out forum members does that and I pm'd him -- http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...-amp-night-out

Have any of you else got work dressed up in women's clothes? What kind of job was it? The closest thing I got was going to a job fair in a skirt suit and I was very accepted, even had a good talk with Frito Lay. But Northrop Grumman snubbed me.

Anytime else here try being a skirt suit wearing administrative assistant? What was your experience?

Somehow I think CD'ing won't improve your odds but considering your length of unemployment, it certainly couldn't hurt as a means to open up some new options for you.

Yeah, it's hard to imagine that going to an interview in a skirt suit will improve your chances of landing a job. Good luck though, maybe it will work!

I responded to a cheap insultingly low pay tech writer job on craigslist. Here is my cover letter:

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/wrg/2928732090.html

Dear Sir or Madam –

I might be interested in your Technical Writer position, depending on pay and your location. But $12/hr is entry level pay for a fresh college graduate [this is maybe what you can expect for your pay offer]. I’d do $12/ hr if it was remote “work at home” work, or else I’d do $18 / hr for part time work up to 24 hrs a week. If you want me to work full time as an experienced Technical Writer, I’d want at least $28/hr + benefits.

As a high level Technical Writer I have CAD, Mechanical Engineering, Programming, PLC, and Industrial Controls Knowledge. See my resume and work samples at my resume website at: http://www.

You can download my resume at http://www.

Otherwise, I’d rather work as a Mechanical Designer or Mechanical Engineer. If you’re gonna pay me $12 / hr I might as well work as a pretty secretary in a skirt suit! … Actually I do look very pretty in a skirt suit, but I’m a straight male to female crossdresser. I believe in having a career and having a wife though, and no, I’m not gay… I just like being pretty!

Thankfully,

JTE

I don't know that crossdressed will improve your job chances but what have you go to lose. I don't work crossdressed but it would be a dream of mine to someday be able to do so. Good luck on your job hunting and let us know how it goes.

AnitaH

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Originally Posted by KateSpade83

Otherwise, I’d rather work as a Mechanical Designer or Mechanical Engineer. If you’re gonna pay me $12 / hr I might as well work as a pretty secretary in a skirt suit! … Actually I do look very pretty in a skirt suit, but I’m a straight male to female crossdresser. I believe in having a career and having a wife though, and no, I’m not gay… I just like being pretty!

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No offense at all intended, but no wonder you didn't get the job. Save the CD-ing for your private time and get a job as a man.

I always go to job interviews and Job Fairs as a man, only went to one Job Fair as an exception for Secret Service work.

You are commenting on a job ad that I just replied to today... It's a throwaway jobs that doesn't pay well so that's why I said the heck with it and wrote my cover letter that way. I don't care if it gets tossed a $12 / hr job is insulting pay only good enough for a fresh college grad.

I think anyone trying to get an employment contact needs to research their state law as pertains to sexual identity. In Washington state the law is favorable to cross dressers. However, getting in the door as a cross dresser would seem to be somewhat of a remote possibility. To litigate on the basis of discrimination during the employment application process would probably require a showing of pattern in hiring. Now, how many cross dressers are going to apply for a job en femme? Once getting hired and through any probationary period, then come out.

Frankly, I would leave the cross dressing at home or get a second job in a venue accepting of cross dressing and not just tolerating. If I were forty years younger and prettier, I would love to waitress at a club patronized by men and women of a similar lifestyles.

If you need a job, I would say that you are better off staying off the CDing aspect. It's a tough market out there and with you being out of work for so long you better be as controversy free as possible

$12 / hr is more than you're making right now, I dare say. It'd only be insulting pay if you were already making $28 / hr and they were trying to hire you away for that much. I'm not trying to be flippant, just realistic.

I'm sorry but you cannot be serious about that letter. Not only are you trying to dictate terms of a job you are not even remotely close to having but to throw that CD'ing stuff in there, you are more likely to become unwitting fodder for their HR department's Christmas party.

Your goal is quite a long shot, odds made longer with such a letter.

Do the opposite of everything you are doing now and you might get the job you want. It doesn't pay to burn bridges and it really helps to have a positve attitude ...

Looks to me like you are angry and frustrated, Kate. Can't blame you after the long jobless spell that you've had. Our economy has grown steadily worse over the past three years since you've been out of work and many people who previously earned much more are willing to take jobs that pay much less.

To answer your question, yes, once upon a time I did temp as a female secretary. The identification requirements were less stringent in those days and I applied using my femme name and my actual social security number. (When my accountant looked at the W-2 he said, "this isn't yours." I said, "yes, it is, I did the work and they got my SSN right but the name wrong." He said, "Oh. Well, we'll just toss it in and see what happens." Never caused a problem).

Anyway, I'd gone to a few temp agencies and ended up at a small agency with a very frazzled boss. One of his best clients, a major company, urgently needed a temp secretary and he didn't have anyone to send them. I showed up at the right place at the right time. I'm certain he didn't read me, but at that point I think he would have settled for any random zoo creature if they could type. He gave me a typing test, had me fill out papers, and sent me to the client.

I worked there for about two weeks and had a ball. The other admins were very nice to me and were even trying to convince me to look for a permanent job with the company. Afterwards, the temp boss kept calling me because the company was asking for me by name! That's a high compliment in the temp field. Alas, I decided not to continue as my vacation was over and my face was as raw as hamburger from super close shaving it every morning.

Hugs,
Persephone.

I don't agree with some of the remarks I'm seeing. If you've earned $28 an hour, $12 can indeed feel like an insult and depending on Kate's situation (and level of desperation), I think it's reasonable for her to negotiate specialized job conditions if she's going to work for that salary, which is little more than a checker gets. It all really depends on how long she can hold out for what she wants. Good luck, Kate :)
Lisa

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Originally Posted by Persephone

Looks to me like you are angry and frustrated, Kate. Can't blame you after the long jobless spell that you've had. Our economy has grown steadily worse over the past three years since you've been out of work and many people who previously earned much more are willing to take jobs that pay much less.

To answer your question, yes, once upon a time I did temp as a female secretary. The identification requirements were less stringent in those days and I applied using my femme name and my actual social security number. (When my accountant looked at the W-2 he said, "this isn't yours." I said, "yes, it is, I did the work and they got my SSN right but the name wrong." He said, "Oh. Well, we'll just toss it in and see what happens." Never caused a problem).

Anyway, I'd gone to a few temp agencies and ended up at a small agency with a very frazzled boss. One of his best clients, a major company, urgently needed a temp secretary and he didn't have anyone to send them. I showed up at the right place at the right time. I'm certain he didn't read me, but at that point I think he would have settled for any random zoo creature if they could type. He gave me a typing test, had me fill out papers, and sent me to the client.

I worked there for about two weeks and had a ball. The other admins were very nice to me and were even trying to convince me to look for a permanent job with the company. Afterwards, the temp boss kept calling me because the company was asking for me by name! That's a high compliment in the temp field. Alas, I decided not to continue as my vacation was over and my face was as raw as hamburger from super close shaving it every morning.

Hugs,
Persephone.

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Persephone, what fun!! If I had any chance at all of passing, I would love to try this. Unfortunately my legs are so muscular that I can't even hold them close enough together to sit sensibly in a skirt. In fact when I work on my computer for hours in a dress I actually strap my knees together so my dress and petticoats don't fall between my legs every few seconds. I guess "hot secretary" is out for me. Sorry if that's TMI.
Lisa

Kate, don't use words like "gonna". That's a big no-no for technical writers. It's "going to".

If you want the job, don't demand more than twice their offering in your letter. And it's a bad idea to discuss salary in your cover letter period. Tell them about your experience and what you feel you can offer. Salaries normally come up once they express an interest in your skills.

And I would definitely not mention anything about the CDing. The field you work in is not known for it's liberal social views. And you really need to remove any reference to your sexual preferences. This does not belong in a cover letter, nor is it discussed during the interview.

In a day and age where finding a job that just affords basic survival is getting harder and harder, why on earth would you throw crossdressing into the mix? Being formerly in the IT field myself I think it is a safe bet to assume there are dozens (maybe hundreds?) of folks with similar credentials vying for the same job. Telling them you want to work as a woman is an immediate strike against you, they can just go to the next eligible candidate (or just outsource that job to the third world for peanuts and let someone else handle the employment hassle at the same time.) It is sad but today it is an employer's market and they can be picky as they want to be. Even if they discriminate in employment based on gender role preference and it is illegal in your state, it is still the prospective employee's burden to prove it.

In the depressed region I live in, I know folks with similar education and experience who would now be thrilled to find work for $12 an hour. That's the horrific state of the economy, and probably won't get better any time soon. Give yourself the very best chance right from the start.

Mostly you have to do all of the "leg work" and provide all of the information of your experience for a potential employer. They are not going to go out of their way looking for your qualifications unless it is right in front of them. You also do not demand what you want to be paid. Not only is that in poor taste but basically an insult to the potential employer. It's a tough job market out there these days Kate. You need to realistically adjust to the current climate.:)

Kate,

That's called transition.
You would be attempting something that requires following Standards Of Care protocol.
That includes therapy, approval letter for HRT, doctor approval for HRT, continued monitoring of mental and physical health by both therapist and physician.
Your presentation, your voice, your mannerisms, your reactions to topics in discussion all have to be honed to an art prior to you even thinking about existing in the real world.

If it is your first job as a transitioned female it is wise to have all psychological and physician's letters validating who you are and what your doing.
HR will need these for your file when the inevitable employee commentary comes rolling in about you to them.
They wouldn't be showing other employees these letters of validation but would need them in order to speak to others from a basis of truth about who and what you are.

Your legal ID also must be given consideration including your drivers license.
States that allow gender marker change regardless of surgery will require a physician to attest that you live full time as your true self before changing your gender marker.

I have to hand it to you Kate, you have some balls to go to a job fair dressed.
If you are TS and decide to transition you'll need those balls to carry you through.

I transitioned in 2006. I lost everything and everyone due to it.
Now I've finally rebuilt my life and am doing quite well as who and what I am.
It takes you being able to leave everything and everyone behind in order to transition.


Tell you what, first learn how to walk before attempting to run.


Julia

well, I guess the thing to do is to start applying en femme and see if it works.

The whole tone of your letter tells me you would be a difficult and demanding employee.

Imo, the position of on-staff or freelance writer might be ideal for a TG, but honestly, there are so many things wrong with your letter that I don't even know where to start, so it's easy to imagine the recipient's reaction. If your true objective was to actually land the job, you definitely shot yourself in the foot. But if it was just to let off a little steam, well, do you feel better now?

Kate, I would suggest that you consider some broader options than traditional job hunting at this point. You obviously have Internet access, can write and are reasonably computer savvy. The Internet has changed a lot of things regarding not only getting jobs, but the concepts of training and employment in many ways. It is possible to quickly learn very valuable skills in a short time with little or no cash outlay if one wants to. The vast emergence of home businesses and outsourcing has greatly increased the demand for contracted-- and often long distance-- labor and services. If you look into some of these avenues and have good self discipline you can be adaquately employed at home-- and wear whatever you want all day.

You might want to start by check these online contract employment sites: Guru.com, Elance.com, Vanetworking.com. That's a drop in the bucket, though. There are many and, in fact, with forums and social media you can often hook up with people needing services directly with out the need for such a service. If you can design websites you can sell them at sites like Flippa.com. I know people who do such things very lucratively. If you want to look into Internet marketing, check the forums at Warriorforum.com/ or forums.digitalpoint.com.

I think forums, such as the one we're using right now, are really the secret gold mine on the Internet. There's practically nothing you can want to learn you can't ask about on the right forum and get an answer. In some sectors, forums are probably replacing university educations. We all have access to the best experts on anything we want to learn.

The biggest obstacle is overcoming one's old fashioned attitudes about learning, employment and business.

~ Lyric ~

I doubt that the employer would use the crossdressing against you. Your letter would land in the trash can long before he got to that part.

If I was writing a letter in hopes of landing a job, especially a tech writing position, I would cut down on the contractions and wouldn't even think to use "gonna" in the letter. The use of "..." is something I use a lot in casual text, but again, something I wouldn't even think to use on a letter trying to gain employment.

Unemployed for going on 4 yrs... it is time to stop going to job fairs dressed in a skirt suit and start to better edit your letters.

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Originally Posted by KateSpade83

I always go to job interviews and Job Fairs as a man, only went to one Job Fair as an exception for Secret Service work.

You are commenting on a job ad that I just replied to today... It's a throwaway jobs that doesn't pay well so that's why I said the heck with it and wrote my cover letter that way. I don't care if it gets tossed a $12 / hr job is insulting pay only good enough for a fresh college grad.

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The longer you remain unemployed by not taking something... anything to close the nearly four year work history gap, the lower the value of your work. Pretty soon, you will fall behind those recent graduates just because of technology advances in the technical field. I don't think your are in the position to turn down any work even remotely close to your field. what looks better on a resume, 4 years taking a check from the government or 4 years doing work even close to your field for lower pay?

I don't care if the job I posted paid $3 an hour. If I state the job requirements and you come back stating your terms of employment, you don't make the first cut. Someone may be able to get away with demands when it is a high pay, specialized job and you have a background that makes you highly desirable. But the fact is the lower paying jobs are more of a commodity. You just can't make any demands.

I hate to sound negative, but is that cover letter for real? I know after 4 yrs it has to be hard to stay positive and upbeat, but as many have already said, that letter got tossed way before the CDing part.

I work in a call center and have been given the ok to dress how I like within the bounds of the dress code. My recommendation would be to get the job first then find out if you can dress how you like. It is much better to be employed and dressed like a man than unemployed in any condition. :) Thankfully I'm in a state that gender identity is protected within the work environment.
Good luck
Kerry

Resumes get about 10 seconds to be read if that. I've worked and hired for corporations. Only had about 30 technical writers at one time. Your attitude needs readjustment. Unless your old bosses are calling you with offers you need to demonstrate that you still have what it takes.

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Originally Posted by KateSpade83

It's a throwaway jobs that doesn't pay well so that's why I said the heck with it and wrote my cover letter that way. I don't care if it gets tossed a $12 / hr job is insulting pay only good enough for a fresh college grad.

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IMHO, $12 an hr is better than nothing, and that's where you are now, RIGHT?
Honestly, You may need to re-adjust your standards and attitude a bit.
Here's my observation: You're frustrated and may have too much time on your hands from being unemployed and have allowed your CD interests to drift over into your job search, which you never should have done. Put the CD-ing on the shelf and forget about it for awhile. Your job right now should be finding a job as a male. Period.

Am I the only one on the forum who STILL laughs about the whole "Applying en femme for secret service" thing?

I can tell right away that you were not serious about that job. Would you like to know how? I believe it was the fact that your second sentence was a fragment.

What I can't figure out is if you knew you were not serious about it, because you flipped from being crass and sarcastic to almost hopeful.

I agree with others that if I were in your shoes, getting a job, any job, would come first to me and then gender expression would be second.

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Originally Posted by Nicole Erin

Am I the only one on the forum who STILL laughs about the whole "Applying en femme for secret service" thing?

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The only laugh I do is a nervous tittering, because I've been around these boards long enough to know that:

1. Kate suffers from mental health issues.
2. Those issues caused her to lose a nice job.
3. She was once in a "supported environment" though I don't know if that was either an institution or a group home. I think she needs to be in one now, if she isn't.
4. She has been on powerful anti-psychotics.

Around here, I'd guess she'd be in a group home of some sort, but even though the places that run them mean well, they don't really know how to deal with GLBT issues in the clients. (one problem is that there are often guardians involved and they have their own ideas)

So, though I sometimes just want to confront Kate with reality, her issues just make me sad.

Veronica