Interview attire

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Does anyone know how long your pants should be if you wear heels? I've heard that they should cover most of your foot, but some people say it doesn't matter and that they can show your ankle
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For regular dress pants they should cover most of your foot.

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Should add for clarity: if you are wearing pants that taper or are otherwise skinnier than standard trousers, then they should stop at your ankle. I will try to find a picture...

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This picture is for jeans, but same rules apply to dress pants. Hem length depends on the width of the bottom of the pant leg. Regular dress pants will probably be as wide as boot leg jeans, and should be tailored the same way (~1/4 To 1/2 inch off the ground with your heels on). However, there are certainly lots of narrower straight leg/ tapered styles in women's dress pants that should be tailored to the ankle.

I normally have my normal width trousers tailored to just barely above skimming the ground. Technically a little short for heels, but not too noticeable. And I can get away with wearing flats without them dragging on the floor.

ProperHemLengthForJeans-YesMissy.jpg
 
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spencerwt said:
Do you have to wear pants for a Skype interview
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Nope, I've heard other people on here have worn pajama pants with a nice top and blazer for Skype interviews, and had no issues! Just make sure you don't stand up at any point, of course. :p Personally I'd at least wear jeans since dressing up helps put me in the correct mindset for interviews and such, but some people are the opposite and feel less confident if they aren't comfortable in what they're wearing.
 
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For those of you who had helped my mission has been accomplished I now have a pant suit I love that only needs minor alterations. Thanks all! :love:
 
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spencerwt said:
Do you have to wear pants for a Skype interview
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I actually had a veterinarian tell my friend (also an applicant, interviewing with Ross) that don't be tempted to wear pjs or casual pants with skype interviews; she recommended going all out with dress pants/skirt/etc. I think it just gets you in the zone mentally to be "professional" even if you're at your kitchen table, etc. But to each their own!
 
Plus you never know when you need to stand up quickly because your smoke alarm decided to go off in the middle of a Skype interview which made your dog start barking frantically... not that that happened to me or anything...
 
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Not that I've received an interview invitation yet (patiently waiting and praying....ugh) but does anyone know what to do about nose rings? I wear a relatively small silver hoop, I wear it every day and haven't even taken it out in at least a year if not longer. I don't really want to take it out, but I will if I have to. Should I switch it out for a tiny stud, or take it out on interview day all together? Even if I take it out there will still be the small hole visible where the piercing is haha. Thanks in advance!
 
hopefuldogtor said:
Not that I've received an interview invitation yet (patiently waiting and praying....ugh) but does anyone know what to do about nose rings? I wear a relatively small silver hoop, I wear it every day and haven't even taken it out in at least a year if not longer. I don't really want to take it out, but I will if I have to. Should I switch it out for a tiny stud, or take it out on interview day all together? Even if I take it out there will still be the small hole visible where the piercing is haha. Thanks in advance!
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I would say take it out just to be safe! You never know if you might have the most conservative interviewer at the school, and you don't want to be left wondering if something silly like that was a factor in being rejected or waitlisted. But you'll most likely be fine to wear it once you're in vet school.
 
hopefuldogtor said:
Not that I've received an interview invitation yet (patiently waiting and praying....ugh) but does anyone know what to do about nose rings? I wear a relatively small silver hoop, I wear it every day and haven't even taken it out in at least a year if not longer. I don't really want to take it out, but I will if I have to. Should I switch it out for a tiny stud, or take it out on interview day all together? Even if I take it out there will still be the small hole visible where the piercing is haha. Thanks in advance!
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I have a stud and I am planning to keep it in. Is the hoop close to your nose or does it jut out further? nose ring sizes - Pesquisa Google: which one does it look like more? If it's closer to your nose, I think it's fine. But I also go to a liberal arts college and am from the West coast. It also depends on where you are interviewing. Afaik, nose studs are almost equivalent to earrings when it comes to employment and perception, even in the midwest where I live currently.
 
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So I am going to be 8 months pregnant at my interview (if I get one) in December. Originally I had intended on wearing nice form fitting slacks, blouse, tailored jacket (not a matching set) and black tall boots (quazi riding boots style). None of that will fit now except the boots and the jacket if left unbuttoned, and I will be huge. I'm 5' and already look big and obviously pregnant. Any thoughts? Interview will be in winter climate.

Edit: spelling
 
jumpingjacks37 said:
So I am going to be 8 months pregnant at my interview (if I get one) in December. Originally I had intended on wearing nice form fitting slacks, blouse, tailored jacket (not a matching set) and black tall boots (quazi riding boots style). None of that will fit now except the boots and the jacket if left unbuttoned, and I will be huge. I'm 5' and already look big and obviously pregnant. Any thoughts? Interview will be in winter climate.

Edit: spelling
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Hmm. The only thing I can think of is if you're worrying about pants to go with boots or even a full suit, there are maternity suit pants and even full suits available. Honestly I don't think it will matter about the jacket being buttoned or not but for the rest of it, I know A Pea In A Pod sells some options and so does Motherhood Maternity. Blouses you may just have to shop around for, and I think it might be easier to shop for that.

I am also not well versed in maternity clothing so maybe other people will have ideas based off of personal experience.

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Just bought my suit today and shockingly didn't need alterations I'm excited

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I have a quick question about accessories :)
I want to stand out in a good way during my interview next weekend and was wondering if a small cat pin would be inappropriate for an interview? I have worked with cats for over 7 years and thats primarily been my focus so I thought it would be cute to have a small cat pin on my suit. A decent one. :)

Any insight would be awesome :)
 
FutureCrazyCatDVM22 said:
I have a quick question about accessories :)
I want to stand out in a good way during my interview next weekend and was wondering if a small cat pin would be inappropriate for an interview? I have worked with cats for over 7 years and thats primarily been my focus so I thought it would be cute to have a small cat pin on my suit. A decent one. :)

Any insight would be awesome :)
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I think that would be fine? I don't know how small yours is, but lapel pins are very common for suits (you could always look them up to see where it should go and what not) but I don't see the harm in it. Plus then it's a conversation starter too for people who notice and that might make you more comfortable too.

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10999KL said:
I think that would be fine? I don't know how small yours is, but lapel pins are very common for suits (you could always look them up to see where it should go and what not) but I don't see the harm in it. Plus then it's a conversation starter too for people who notice and that might make you more comfortable too.

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Perfect! Yeah that's what I was thinking :) I'll look some up and see if I can post here. Thank you!
 
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Question about shoes.... I’ve read that it’s advised to wear something comfortable and don’t wear heels if you don’t normally wear them. I’m not someone who wears heels, but I do wear Tieks (ballet flats) when I wear dress clothes. Are these acceptable? I only ask because the bottoms are teal and they are ballet flats and I’m not sure what the status on either of those is. I plan on wearing a pant suit for interviews.
 
BlueGoose said:
Question about shoes.... I’ve read that it’s advised to wear something comfortable and don’t wear heels if you don’t normally wear them. I’m not someone who wears heels, but I do wear Tieks (ballet flats) when I wear dress clothes. Are these acceptable? I only ask because the bottoms are teal and they are ballet flats and I’m not sure what the status on either of those is. I plan on wearing a pant suit for interviews.
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I think those would be fine honestly. The main concern is as long as you're not dragging your suit pants on the ground with flats, that should be okay. I did get a pair of baby heels because I normally wear heels and the ones I purchased have extra cushion so I could wear them for a tour etc. Just be comfortable regardless but I think you're safe with flats. If you're concerned or if your pants are longer and you don't want to tailor your suit, you could always go and get a short pair of heels. I went to DSW (unsure of where you live but out here this is what I have) and mine were ~$35/40 for a size 10? So not too bad.

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BlueGoose said:
Question about shoes.... I’ve read that it’s advised to wear something comfortable and don’t wear heels if you don’t normally wear them. I’m not someone who wears heels, but I do wear Tieks (ballet flats) when I wear dress clothes. Are these acceptable? I only ask because the bottoms are teal and they are ballet flats and I’m not sure what the status on either of those is. I plan on wearing a pant suit for interviews.
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I agree those would be fine!
 
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I hate heels and can't walk in them to save my life. For my interviews last year, I got a super comfy pair of shoes that have a small wedge but the wedge is thick on the bottom so there's still tons of stability to the shoe. And as with any new shoe, you wanna make sure you break them in a little bit before your interviews so when you're touring you're not dying and getting blisters. I wore mine everywhere I went in my house for a couple days to make sure they were broken in a bit, even though they were comfy from the start.

These are what I have. They're by Life Stride and I got them at a Famous Footwear outlet last October. Super comfy and have memory foam insoles so it's not something rock hard that I had to walk on all day.
image.jpeg
 
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Thanks everyone! I hate to buy new shoes if I don’t really need to, but at least I know I’ll be ok if I choose to go with what I have.
 
Anyone have recommendations where to get very small waisted pants? I'm 5'7" and a 00 or 0 (24 waist). A lot of brands don't go as small as I am, or if they do, they are made for people a half a foot shorter than me.
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
Anyone have recommendations where to get very small waisted pants? I'm 5'7" and a 00 or 0 (24 waist). A lot of brands don't go as small as I am, or if they do, they are made for people a half a foot shorter than me.
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Macy's has an entire section of suits that they call "petites" but it is more catered to tall people in smaller sizes. I also recommend Macy's to as they sell suit separates so if you need to get different sizes in the Blazer versus pants you can. I know there's other places that sell suit separates but I just can't name any off the top of my head.

I actually had the opposite issue because I am a thicker individual and needed to find something that would fit me as someone who is 5'9" and size 12-14 depending on the brand and cut I had success at Macy's.

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ziggyandjazzy said:
Anyone have recommendations where to get very small waisted pants? I'm 5'7" and a 00 or 0 (24 waist). A lot of brands don't go as small as I am, or if they do, they are made for people a half a foot shorter than me.
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I'm your same height but not as small waisted and I had pretty decent luck with the Tommy Hilfiger brand of separates (got mine at Macy's). I might have needed the hem let out on the bottom of the pant legs to make it long enough for me (I can't remember and my pants are not with me at the moment), but looking online the size chart says the size 0 is for a 24.5 inch waist, so you could check that brand out.
 
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ziggyandjazzy said:
Anyone have recommendations where to get very small waisted pants? I'm 5'7" and a 00 or 0 (24 waist). A lot of brands don't go as small as I am, or if they do, they are made for people a half a foot shorter than me.
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I am your waist size, but only five foot. I have great luck at Banana Republic. They're double zeros are very small waisted. If you could go for a regular or a tall, I think it might work for your height. I usually do 00 petite to get them to be the right length.

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@StayingPositive2017 @10999KL @SkiOtter thanks for the advice! I already have a tweed jacket I am going to try and wear. I will definitely check out Macy's and Banana Republic. I have a pair of 00 Gap jeans that I love the fit on and they are the same company as BR.

I also just assumed petite meant short lol
 
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ziggyandjazzy said:
@StayingPositive2017 @10999KL thanks for the advice! I already have a tweed jacket I am going to try and wear. I will definitely check out Macy's and Banana Republic. I have a pair of 00 Gap jeans that I love the fit on and they are the same company as BR.

I also just assumed petite meant short lol
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At BR, petite definitely means short, the waists are usually pretty similar. They also have different cuts, the Sloan and Regan cut I find are tightest in the waist, the Jackson is very large for me in the hips.

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StayingPositive2017 said:
At BR, petite definitely means short, the waists are usually pretty similar. They also have different cuts, the Sloan and Regan cut I find are tightest in the waist, the Jackson is very large for me in the hips.

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Turns out BR only has 00 pants in petite. I tried on the logan pants which I loved and fit so well besides being too short. I'll keep looking around but I might get those and have them taken out. The 0 were too big in the waist and the surrounding area so they wouldn't look good taken in.

Also went to the loft and they only had 00 in P in store but can order regular. White house black market had 00 regular but the fabric felt cheap and looked really bad when I tried them on.
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
Anyone have recommendations where to get very small waisted pants? I'm 5'7" and a 00 or 0 (24 waist). A lot of brands don't go as small as I am, or if they do, they are made for people a half a foot shorter than me.
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I don't know what your budget is, but Ann Taylor has sizes down to 00 and the regular length on a lot of their trouser pants is 33". I'm also 5'7" and the length was perfect for me - no hemming required.
 
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BlueGoose said:
I don't know what your budget is, but Ann Taylor has sizes down to 00 and the regular length on a lot of their trouser pants is 33". I'm also 5'7" and the length was perfect for me - no hemming required.
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Oh wow I thought the Loft was Ann Taylor. But based online Ann Taylor is a bit more high end. I will have to check them out when I am home from break, thanks for the suggestion! Since I already have a jacket, I'm willing to spend a bit more to have them fit right and look nice. I think 33" would be about perfect too.
 
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ziggyandjazzy said:
Oh wow I thought the Loft was Ann Taylor. But based online Ann Taylor is a bit more high end. I will have to check them out when I am home from break, thanks for the suggestion! Since I already have a jacket, I'm willing to spend a bit more to have them fit right and look nice. I think 33" would be about perfect too.
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I always thought the same too, but the LOFT is a more budget friendly, semi-casual off shoot. Ann Taylor is very professional, work wear clothing from what I can tell. That's where I got my pants from and am very happy with them - I just tried not to look at the price tag too much. Lol.
 
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BlueGoose said:
I always thought the same too, but the LOFT is a more budget friendly, semi-casual off shoot. Ann Taylor is very professional, work wear clothing from what I can tell. That's where I got my pants from and am very happy with them - I just tried not to look at the price tag too much. Lol.
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I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and order an Ann Taylor suit. They are the only pants that fit me and everything is 50% off right now. Express and J Crew also had options but the material was too stretchy and tight in my thighs and it was just panty lines galore/not flattering or professional. I really liked the Ann Taylor pants and jacket. My mom said to go with navy instead of black because it looks less harsh. Thoughts?
 
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ziggyandjazzy said:
I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and order an Ann Taylor suit. They are the only pants that fit me and everything is 50% off right now. Express and J Crew also had options but the material was too stretchy and tight in my thighs and it was just panty lines galore/not flattering or professional. I really liked the Ann Taylor pants and jacket. My mom said to go with navy instead of black because it looks less harsh. Thoughts?
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I think blue would look really nice. Mine is black pants and jacket and I have colored tops.
 
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SkiOtter said:
I think blue would look really nice. Mine is black pants and jacket and I have colored tops.
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What color top are you going for? I think I'll figure that bit when I'm home for break. I was thinking plum or emerald. Are you going for a button up or something else? I also have a light red cashmere sweater that could work but I could also get very toasty lol.

The woman also told me that generally people don't button their suit. Is that correct? I don't want to go in unbuttoned if that is too casual.
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
What color top are you going for? I think I'll figure that bit when I'm home for break. I was thinking plum or emerald. Are you going for a button up or something else? I also have a light red cashmere sweater that could work but I could also get very toasty lol.

The woman also told me that generally people don't button their suit. Is that correct? I don't want to go in unbuttoned if that is too casual.
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That is more true for women than for men. I've never heard somebody called unprofessional for not buttoning a suit jacket though, unless it was obviously so small that it was too tight to be buttoned. (Even then the comments were about how tight the jacket was, not the buttons themselves.) Some women's suit jackets and blazers don't even have buttons...

You can also have it buttoned or semi buttoned when standing and then unbutton it when you sit down. This is a pretty common thing to do. Just button however many buttons you think looks best on your body type and for the style of jacket... for women, all buttons, or top button only for 2 button jacket, middle button only for a 3 button jacket, or top two for a 3 button jacket. (Men should not button the bottom button ever, but men's suits are tailored differently than women's so...)

I have now typed button so many times that it just looks... wrong somehow. What a ridiculous word.

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ziggyandjazzy said:
What color top are you going for? I think I'll figure that bit when I'm home for break. I was thinking plum or emerald. Are you going for a button up or something else? I also have a light red cashmere sweater that could work but I could also get very toasty lol.

The woman also told me that generally people don't button their suit. Is that correct? I don't want to go in unbuttoned if that is too casual.
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I have a couple tops because if I only have one I will **** something up and get something on it with no backup. So I have a purple, a blue, and a red. Mine aren't button up but are more flowy(?) dressy sleeveless tops idk lemme see if I can find them online.
And I don't button my suit, the personal shopper lady at Macy's told me that not buttoning it was standard for women (or maybe it was my style of jacket? Idk)

Edit: it was something similar to this, but isn't a v neck and is a scoop I think? Idk I only vaguely know clothing terms....
I went for only solid colors because I personally don't like prints all that much and I knew if I was wearing one id feel more uncomfortable.
 
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My Ann Taylor suit fits pretty much perfectly! I have to wear small heels or the pants are too long. In case anyone sees this in the future and has weird proportions like me. I'm 5'7" with a very small waist but relatively large butt/thighs comparatively. So I am a waist size 00 but I don't look like a long distance runner (think slim soccer player), at least on the bottom. I got pants from Ann Taylor in the Kate fit, although I initially wanted Ann fit in 00 regular. I got a jacket in 0 regular. These pants are the only ones that fit in the waist yet don't look like yoga pants with a massively inappropriate fit. Banana Republic carries only 00 petite. Express and J. Crew pants were too tight in the thighs (like yoga pants), but they do carry 00 regulars if you have slim legs.

In other news, I have a hilarious story. I went shopping with my mom to try on shoes. I found a pair I really liked but they were $150 so I decided to skip it. I went out to dinner and spent more time shopping. Both of my parents wanted to go to Goodwill on the way home but I was tired. My mom, as a joke said, "hey I bet if we go to Goodwill we will find those shoes you liked earlier, in your size" as an attempt to convince me to go. And I am not kidding, that is exactly what happened. They were not the same color but literally the exact same shoes, barely worn, in my size. I still kind of can't believe it. It is such a random coincidence. My mom even paid the $20 because she was so amazed.

The next day, I went to a different goodwill and found an awesome silk blouse. Tried it on, looks awesome. The brand is Lafayette 148 and it appears their shirts retail for around $400 (!). Well, there was another $12 well spent. And my outfit for interviews is complete!! Hooray!!
 
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