Interview attire

[KCgophervet]

Sure I mean the director of the place I interviewed most recently was wearing jeans and a t shirt, but he didn't have to impress anyone, I did. Once you reach a certain level you don't have to give a crap what people think about what you're wearing but until you get there I think you err on the side of professional clothing.

Hmm.

I am also in the more traditional camp for my personal choices for interview attire itself (although I look terrible in pant suits so I wear conservative, "corporate-style" dresses in solid, neutral colors)... but I disagree that the possibility for incurring gossip is a reason to fret over something that small. Unless your outfit was chosen deliberately to shock and offend people, it's petty and ill-mannered for other people to act like a bunch of Mean Girls about it, so nuts to them for feeling insecure enough to need to do that.

I also feel it's inappropriate to equate fashion choices with competence, unless the outfit makes people actively uncomfortable. Honestly, props to whoever was judging that competition -- women in the sciences have enough obstacles without people saying she won "even though she wore" xyz thing.

(I also am of the opinion that nicely tailored jeans can look a heck of a lot more professional than a crummy fitting suit, but I come from a world where CEOs make board presentations in graphic tees or black turtlenecks. Interestingly, they are still massively successful for other reasons, like I dunno... aptitude and motivation and stuff.)

...That said, please don't take this as my advice to "wear whatever" to an interview, because it's important to err on the side of conveying respect and you only have one shot, and I don't work in admissions.

Sent from my phone using the mobile app because I bought it and I'm stubborn

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[SardonicWit]

I am also in the more traditional camp for my personal choices for interview attire itself (although I look terrible in pant suits so I wear conservative, "corporate-style" dresses in solid, neutral colors)... but I disagree that the possibility for incurring gossip is a reason to fret over something that small. Unless your outfit was chosen deliberately to shock and offend people, it's petty and ill-mannered for other people to act like a bunch of Mean Girls about it, so nuts to them for feeling insecure enough to need to do that.

Okay, please don't judge me...

At one point, I was interviewing for barn staff at a therapeutic riding center, and a woman actually showed up for her interview in a skirt suit and heels. It was a lovely suit and she looked fantastic, but I admit, in that situation, I did laugh (privately, after she left!). There was also no shortage of giggles around the center surrounding her interview appearance. I think that was one of the few cases where a suit wasn't exactly the best way to go.

On the other hand, it probably worked out in her favor. I couldn't hire her, as her (six-page!) resume did not provide any indication of horse experience, and I certainly couldn't evaluate her skills in the barn given her attire, but her appearance and preparation did indicate to me that she was strongly motivated. I passed said resume on to administration, she was invited to interview for a different position (and showed up in another gorgeous skirt suit), and she was subsequently offered a job in an office capacity.

So, I guess this scenario does validate the "better overdressed than underdressed" crowd - her lack of horse experience meant that she probably wouldn't have been hired for a barn position regardless of her outfit, but without the suit, I wouldn't have passed her on to admin. But there was definitely some petty giggling for a while.

 

[PippyPony]

Sure I mean the director of the place I interviewed most recently was wearing jeans and a t shirt, but he didn't have to impress anyone, I did. Once you reach a certain level you don't have to give a crap what people think about what you're wearing but until you get there I think you err on the side of professional clothing.

Sent from my phone using the mobile app because I bought it and I'm stubborn

I don't disagree, and I would not show up to an interview dressed in what I wear on the weekends. I'm not recommending a lassez-faire approach to choosing interview attire.

Spoiler: Spoiler tag because I'm off on a soapbox tangent

I just think that deciding to wear dark jeans vs a pair of slacks isn't a good excuse to question whether someone "belongs" or whether they deserve something they have clearly earned. It undermines forward progress of women in historically male-dominated fields when people act overly catty about that stuff.

Nevermind that it's just generally unnecessary and rude to vocally shame people about how they look. Like, you can judge people all day in your own head, but there is no reason to say things behind someone's back unless you are trying to raise yourself up by dragging other people down.

And, keep in mind that sometimes people attend professional conferences and interviews after traveling long distances, too. Wardrobe choices in those situations aren't always under your control. For example, I once showed up to a wedding in Hawaii wearing a dress covered in water stains, because my luggage sat on the tarmac for 2 hours at the airport in a monsoon-level rainstorm, it was a raw silk dress, and the schedule didn't afford me any time to get another outfit.

Did I feel bad about it? Yes. Was wearing the sorta ruined dress better than wearing my bathing suit? Yes, I think so. Would I have felt even more self-conscious if I had overheard people sniggering about how I looked like I rolled out of a drainpipe somewhere? Probably, so I'm glad the other guests were focused on the people getting married instead of a random guest's dress.

 

[that redhead]

Thanks you guys! Not that I have an interview in the near future but I wanted to get a feel for it anyhow. I really appreciate the advice! Now I gotta find a suit.

I wore a suit to my first job interviews out of school. I wore business casual to interviews for a second job because I had lost a ton of weight and nothing fit. One place I wore a professional dress and flats, another slacks and blouse.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

I also feel it's inappropriate to equate fashion choices with competence, unless the outfit makes people actively uncomfortable. Honestly, props to whoever was judging that competition -- women in the sciences have enough obstacles without people saying she won "even though she wore" xyz thing.

There was an image that was going around a while ago of Ed Sheeran performing with Beyonce, and he was wearing baggy jeans while she was dressed to the nines. Their individual styles aside, it seemed to provoke interesting questions about gender norms in the celebrity world. This is making me think of that.

I'm conflicted because I think you're right about hurdles in science, but I also don't think I'll ever consider jeans appropriate for that type of event. I might ultimately be wrong or closed minded here, but my gut reaction to someone dressed that way (be they male or female) is to think that they aren't taking this (interview, event, conference, etc) seriously.

 

[SARdoghandler]

Tbh I wore a nice pair of dark jeans and a tailored blazer to all my recent job interviews. It was what I was most comfortable in, would be flexible for any on the spot working interviews, and I got multiple offers in it.

This is also my go to for conferences.

However, that said I was typically applying for rural positions (though ended up in the same outfit for multiple inner city interviews) and attending cattle conferences where that attire is the norm. I didn't feel judged at all for my choice in attire so I think this all comes down to what level of risk you are willing to take.

 

[PippyPony]

*Editing this to once again reiterate that I'm absolutely not recommending applicants show up in casual or flashy clothes to the interview portion of vet school interviews*

I'm conflicted because I think you're right about hurdles in science, but I also don't think I'll ever consider jeans appropriate for that type of event. I might ultimately be wrong or closed minded here, but my gut reaction to someone dressed that way (be they male or female) is to think that they aren't taking this (interview, event, conference, etc) seriously.

Fight the power, Peebs

Kidding. ...Sort of.

Spoiler: Still off topic so still in a spoiler lol

It's a good point, and I don't think there's a clear right or wrong answer tbh. And I can act all righteous and rant on the internet about how we should be allowed to wear what we want after spending this much time/$/effort becoming experts in our respective fields, but that's not where our society is at right now, and not everyone agrees with me.

It's also hard to figure out where the line is for stuff like this, and it opens up a whoooole other can of worms when you start to incorporate questions of attractiveness. For example, a couple of my vet school friends wear layered outfits w/ crop tops (even to school) with relative frequency...and I don't bat an eyelash at it because they can somehow pull it off in a way that doesn't look remotely scandalous or inappropriate. But if I tried to do the same thing, I am pretty sure my stretch marked, ghostly pale jelly belly would be gross enough to cause a legit distraction and negative reactions. I also will freely admit to being a little snobby sometimes about clothes that look "cheap" or ill-fitting, and that's probably just as bad.

So, is it in fact easier/better to have a dress code because it doesn't allow for those kinds of double standards based on things like weight, youth, economic status? I'm not sure.

But regardless, I think it's probably always good to err on the side of more tolerant of that kind of stuff than less. Who knows -- maybe jeans girl just missed the memo, thought she would look great, and then felt horribly awkward afterwards. I wore a mostly white dress to a wedding when I was a teenager because I'm a ***** & it didn't even cross my mind, and I felt like a complete doofus (also my mom yelled at me, always a bummer).

N.B.: Take everything I say about this with at least a few grains of salt, because I've worn stretchy pants/jeans almost every day of my life for the past 3+ decades... and < 3 weeks from now, I have to start wearing "real" pants with buttons and zippers for 16 hrs a day, 7 days a week. And I'm more than a little grumpy about it.

 

[PippyPony]

This is also my go to for conferences.

However, that said I was typically applying for rural positions (though ended up in the same outfit for multiple inner city interviews) and attending cattle conferences where that attire is the norm.

Someone in the vet field (my old boss, I think?) once told me it was easy to figure out who else was attending the vet conference instead of whatever other indusry conference was staying at the hotel, because the vets always had the worst fashion sense lol

I'm just waiting for Figs to start making sharp-looking fake dress pants so I can feel like I'm wearing pajamas to work without looking like I'm about to star as one of the kids in a local production of Peter Pan

 

[that redhead]

It isn’t about equating “fashion sense” with competence, it’s about presenting one’s self professionally when indicated. I don’t assume the girl in jeans is an idiot unworthy of an acceptance, and I don’t think anyone on admissions or job interviews thinks that either; like @kcoughli says, it’s about imparting to the “viewer” that you’re taking this opportunity seriously. And I mean that for both male and female applicants- I don’t mean to call BS on obstacles for women in the workplace, but I also don’t think wearing jeans to stick it to the man is the right way to go either.

Society is skewing more and more casual and maybe one day we’ll all be cool with jeans and a T-shirt for your vet school interview or clinics or whatever. Heck, my dad used to wear a full suit and tie to work every single day for an office job- not the normal anymore, and that’s fine. But if you have arguably one of the most important evaluations of your person in your life thus far, why risk it? (Of course tailor your attire to the situation; “professional” doesn’t always mean a suit. It can mean clean coveralls and boots, an ironed polo and khakis, etc. depending on your environment.)

 

[PippyPony]

It isn’t about equating “fashion sense” with competence, it’s about presenting one’s self professionally when indicated. I don’t assume the girl in jeans is an idiot unworthy of an acceptance, and I don’t think anyone on admissions or job interviews thinks that either; like @kcoughli says, it’s about imparting to the “viewer” that you’re taking this opportunity seriously. And I mean that for both male and female applicants- I don’t mean to call BS on obstacles for women in the workplace, but I also don’t think wearing jeans to stick it to the man is the right way to go either.

Society is skewing more and more casual and maybe one day we’ll all be cool with jeans and a T-shirt for your vet school interview or clinics or whatever. Heck, my dad used to wear a full suit and tie to work every single day for an office job- not the normal anymore, and that’s fine. But if you have arguably one of the most important evaluations of your person in your life thus far, why risk it? (Of course tailor your attire to the situation; “professional” doesn’t always mean a suit. It can mean clean coveralls and boots, an ironed polo and khakis, etc. depending on your environment.)

Edited my previous post to make it clear I'm on the same page with you in terms of interviews. I think that message was getting lost in the rest of my ramblings.

I still feel it is not very kind or professional to make vocal comments about what others have already chosen to wear, and that goes for people who are attending interview days.

Even if you personally hate someone's decisions on something that's kinda minor on the grand scale of professionalism, there's no need to bust out the sneers or the "oh my gosh did you see what she was wearing?!" comments. Just keep it to yourself instead of detracting from their efforts by ragging on them. That's the only point I was trying to get across.