Need advice for Interview...bizarre but very real problem

LegacyUser

Hi. I'll just get straight to the point, I have a fear of buttons, some sort of phobia I think.

Iv'e had this all my life, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. As a child I attended counselling for it but it never worked, I attempted to go back to counselling as an adult but again it never worked, I just can't get passed it.

I never wore buttons to school, ever. In primary school I had Velcro sewed in and in high school I kept the shirt together with my tie and by leaving my jumper on at all times. As you can imaging this has held me back a lot in life, in terms of jobs/interviews etc. At the moment I'm doing a course and next week we have 30 minute mock interviews, which have gone from not mandatory to mandatory which has completely knocked me for six.

They say they can't put names forward for jobs without the interview being done, is there anything I can do? I don't really even no why Im writing this but I no I won't come dressed appropriately that's for sure, and we get marked on appearance. Is there anyway around wearing a shirt and tie for an interview. Im desperate now.

LegacyUser

ANONFEAR1234 wrote: »

<Snip> No need to quote the entire post.

Sorry I'm a woman so I'm not very familiar with men's shirts etc but is there not a sort of shirt you can get that has no buttons on it?? What about those ones that you pull over your head? You could pop a suit jacket over it so not much of the shirt is showing? Have you Google searched for shirts with no buttons? There has to be some in existence somewhere!!

lifeandtimes

You could wear one these with a tie and a suit jacket, will look the part and there's no buttons involved

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Is it just the buttons that go through the holes, or is it the sewn on ones too?

The fashion and appearance forum or somewhere similar could be worth a shot as well.

Addle

Can you just wear a jumper over a shirt and tie?

Colser

Could you remove the buttons from a shirt and use double sided tape or velcro to keep it in place,the tie should cover the problem..you could also use the tape to stick the tie to the shirt to be sure it stays in place.

Does anyone know about your phobia that could help you out with getting sorted for the interview?Best of luck with it,phobias are tough but if you ask for help it will ease the anxiety.

LegacyUser

Taking buttons out of a shirt wouldn't cut it now unfortunately as I seem to have gotten worse with age. I associate the appearance of a shirt with buttons and that drives the anxiety/fear/disgust through the roof. That picture of the guy in the shirt a poster linked turned my stomach to the point where I had to actually go to the toilet for a poo out of pure anxiety, the writing about it doesn't help either.

I get the same feeling with all small plastic type things all be it not as extreme, for example, the little plastic bits at the end of pens, any small bits of plastic really, It's so bizarre I no but its bad, I mean I find myself having to call people in the house to get rid of bits of plastic type things on the ground if something falls, as I get sick at the mere thought of doing it myself, a recent example being when the dog got a hold of a toy from a happy meal, he chewed it up and one of the plastic eyes dropped out, I left the room and had to call someone in to get rid of it.

I suffer with anxiety in general, im on medication and that controls it enough to where I can function day to day as best I can but a pill wont cure this. I even get the buttons taken out of my boxers, I wish I wasn't like this but I never new a time when this wan't an issue, it's been this way forever.

Lackey

https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/boss-marlyn-sharp-fit-stripe-french-cuff-tuxedo-shirt/3386848

bring to dressmaker to remove buttons...then add Velcro.
No one will see because of fabric over whwere buttons are anyway.
Tie will keep top button closed.
Cufflinks on sleeves.

Buy a few, get them all done in one go....you'll have a wardrobe of shirts.

Good luck with interviews.

miezekatze

Could you wear suit trousers and jacket with a smart looking t-shirt, no tie? Or trousers and a smart jumper? You can get jumpers with a shirt collar sewn in too.

I've interviewed people before, mainly for entry level type roles, not all of them wore suits/shirts. It probably depends on the type of company and industry and the type of job you're looking for. Just make sure your clothes are neat and smart looking.

SATSUMA

This issue is going to come up repeatedly through out your life. The dressmaker is a great idea. Use this as an opportunity to get some outfits made so you don't have to relive this experience again.

Another thought is "dickie collars". It's basically a shirt collar without the shirt so it would look like you are wearing one. You would have to wear a smart jumper or something.

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This post has been deleted.

GreeBo

Can you get a shirt with metal or wooden buttons if the problem is just plastic?

baby and crumble

Your best bet OP might be to wear a thin poloneck with a suit. It (I think- some might disagree) looks great and really smart, although for a VERY formal job interview it won't cut it. But I wore a smilar outfit recently (trousers and blazer with a poloneck underneath) and got loads of compliments.


Something like this.

thelad95

I call windup.... “turned my stomach to the point I had to run to the bathroom for an anxiety poo”.

OP take a Xanax or something and cop yourself on a bit, far more important things in life to be worrying about.

Neyite

Mod:

thelad95, posts here in PI should be civil and helpful to an op otherwise may incur a warning or a ban. Your post was below the standard expected here.

allybhoy

You can get shirts with magnets instead of buttons...they are designed for older people with dexterity issues such as arthritis etc but they are just standard shirts with magnets instead of buttons...

http://www.magnaready.com/shop/

http://www.designedtocare.co.uk/p-69-magnetic-shirt.aspx