Interview Hair Styles (for women)

[neuropower]

Most people that I've asked have said to wear my hair up in a tight bun...to be conservative I guess. But my mom thinks down is better, more easygoing and less uptight.
what about half up half down?
This isn't a big deal or anything, I'm just curious what other people are doing...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SFAJess]

For my first interview in Houston, I attempted to leave my hair down. It's about chin length and I don't play with my hair often so I didn't think it would be a problem. However, it was very hot that day when I was walking to the building where my interviewer was located and so I pulled my hair half up. I don't think they will determine if you will get into med school based on your hair style. I must qualify that statement--whether your hair is up, down or half-up just make sure it looks neat. There was a girl that day whose hair was half pulled up in a big bow with neatly placed tendrils of hair falling into her face. It was cute, but not for a med school interview. Also, another girl had her hair down and it was a huge frizz ball mess. I know some people can't help frizzy hair, but she should have pulled it back. The frizz was falling all into her face and looked really unkempt. Do what works with your hair...and also your habits. If you like to touch your hair a lot, pull it back. There were a couple of hair twirlers that day also.

 

[lorelei]

I'm wearing mine down, usually tucked behind my ears, which is my usual hair style. (I just pay more attention than usual to blow-drying it smooth.)

Personally I think wearing a tight bun is overkill; the point is to be conservative not look like a nun. If you want to wear it up, I'd consider a French twist or something a little more sophisticated. Half up/half down is good too.

I work in Washington DC, which is a pretty conservative place, and I see lots of women in suits and very few with their hair in buns. I would say most wear it down but neat. Definitely do what you need to do to avoid frizz, messiness, and playing with your hair.

 

[chickenpotpie]

i looked this up in the MSAR. women who wear their hair up have a 2.3% advantage on acceptance to schools east of the dippity-doo river.

 

[MsEvolution]

I'd consider a French twist or something a little more sophisticated.

I'm terrible with hairstyles. My hair pretty much does what it wants. I wash it, brush it out with a little gel or whatever... and then I let it do it's thing. It's shoulder-blade length. Sometimes it settles into nice smooth soft waves, sometimes it frizzes, sometimes it does half and half. So... I guess I just have to arm myself with barrettes and a small tube of gel in case it decides to misbehave.

Forget the blowdryer... I can't tell you just how horrible things can get with one of those... maybe that girl that was all frizzed out with hair in her face used a blowdryer!

I wonder if its too late to start practicing and learning to work with my hair now...

 

[Wiggy73]

i looked this up in the MSAR. women who wear their hair up have a 2.3% advantage on acceptance to schools east of the dippity-doo river.

Heh.

Seriously, even if you usually wear your hair down (like me), if you have luck anything like mine Ivan will park over your interview site and drench you as you struggle with your umbrella. I think it's a good idea to at least pack elastics or clips or whatever so you have the option of pulling it back if you need to.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

i looked this up in the MSAR. women who wear their hair up have a 2.3% advantage on acceptance to schools east of the dippity-doo river.

i laughed at the whole idea of this thread...then it mad eme start thinking about men. is there any preconceived judgements based on facial hair? What if it's neat?

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

Beehive!!!

 

[UTKB]

I wore my hair up in a LOOSE bun. I just used bobby pins to pin up any tresses that poked out of the bun, and it looked neat, conservative, but not too uptight. It helped with the Texas heat too...was already wearing a suit and it was so friggin hot outside! I brought extra pins just in case some of my hair fell out of the bun (I have shorter hair on the sides of my head that sometimes falls out and I tuck it behind my ears), and some hairspray to lay down any hairs that come out due to wind or whatever. Just be sure to hide the bobby pins in your hair so you don't have shiny things all over your head.

 

[gobblety_gook]

Has anyone considered the Princess Leah look? Or maybe Queen Amadala? Now I think those would be rememberable.

 

[fpr85]

Neon green, spiked up with gel! You'd be a legend!

 

[MeowMix]

Most people that I've asked have said to wear my hair up in a tight bun

in all my corporate and professional years I have never seen women resort to a bun simply in order to look professional

do whatever is comfortable and convenient for you but still looks neat

 

[pushkin]

in all my corporate and professional years I have never seen women resort to a bun simply in order to look professional

do whatever is comfortable and convenient for you but still looks neat

Isn't a "bun" the way Ma on "Little House on the Prairie" used to do her hair? Or not even Ma, but that uptight librarian at the school? I can't think of anyone since about 1920 being REQUIRED to do their hair that way.

 

[constructor]

i'm a guy, but if i were interviewing you you'd get major plus points for bringing back big hair from the 80's...

 

[tinkerbelle]

So what do you guys use to tame super frizzy hair? Usually I don't bother using gel (i think it's called Dep or something), because it leaves white crap in my hair. Are there any really good products y'all use?

 

[nimer1456]

So what do you guys use to tame super frizzy hair? Usually I don't bother using gel (i think it's called Dep or something), because it leaves white crap in my hair. Are there any really good products y'all use?

I have really thick, curly hair so it hard to control the frizz... especially when it is humid outside. I like to use Frizz-ease extra strength hair serum followed by the frizz ease hair gel. It helps to make my curls manageable whether I keep them tight or reduce them to waves. I never go straight b/c it takes too long and I always get frizz.

My hair is short, right above my ears so I am limited with what I can do. For my first interview I curled my hair out into a flip type thing to keep the curls under control. Hair spray works well to keep the hair in place I have to wear it down.... it would take a lot of clips to keep it up :0/

 

[tinkerbelle]

Frizz-ease. Got it. I'll look for it at the grocery store. Thanks nimer1456

 

[nimer1456]

Frizz-ease. Got it. I'll look for it at the grocery store. Thanks nimer1456

You are welcome!

 

[aparecida]

You should pull your hair back somehow for the interview. No, you don't need a bun (ack), but a chignon would be awesome. A low, neat ponytail can look nice and professional. At minimum, do the "halfway up" thing where you pull back the top layer of hair.

 

[chickenpotpie]

Frizz-ease?

you might also check for elmer's. i have found it at home depot or lowes. it is white but dries to a clear shiny finish and really REALLY holds!

 

[Ames980]

personally, my hair has managed to challenge the frizz-ease - and my hair won! if you try it and it doesnt work, id reccomend a product in the kerestace line -- i believe its called o-something relax -- its #3 on this page: http://www.kerastase.com/_en/_gb/Conso/Products/gamme2.aspx?CategoryCode=F1_Nutritive^F2_Nutritive_Lissage

[sorry! i dont know how to put it in as a hyperlink!!]

 

[tinkerbelle]

Hmm... I couldn't get your link to work, so I googled the name. So this product:

http://www.canoe.ca/LifewiseBeauty0305/product_update18.html

I wonder if Safeway even carries frizz-ease or this product. Yay for living in the middle of nowhere. Although I suppose as a last resort the Elmers glue suggestion could work -- no frizz and I'll never have to use hairspray ever again

 

[Sweet Tea]

your hair should be neat and out of your face. as long as it's clean, presentable, and you're not fiddling with it all the time you'll be fine.

i have short, thick, curly hair and i live in the south so i wage a constant battle against frizz. i wore my hair halfway up for one interview b/c it was really humid that day, and i wore it down for another interview. i've seen lots of different hairstyles come through here and really, it just doesn't matter. neat, clean, and professional is fine, and that can be up or down or halfway. just keep in mind that this is a med school interview...do you really want them to talk about your hairstyle at the end of the day?

 

[NubianPrincess]

I'm in the minority I am bun-ing it all the way and happy about it . It looks super sexy when I wear my bun and a suit. Besides, my hair can be rather unpredictable, and I don't want any last minute frizziness or puffiness.

 

[VienneseWaltz]

Agreed--bun is not necessary. Just don't do what a girl at my Duke interview did: long stringy hair she hadn't bothered to dry or pull back. (And I don't mean that she let it air-dry--it was wet at the interview.) What counts is that you aren't sending the message that you don't care about your presentation.

 

[jennie 21]

I think wearing it down is absolutely fine if your hair's shoulder length or above. Longer than that, you may want to consider pulling it back or partway back...it's hard to have your hair look neat and professional worn down if it's longer than that (unless you're really good with a blowdryer...I'm not...or are blessed with that stick-straight shiny hair that looks neat no matter what). Either way, I agree, just make it look neat, that's all that matters. "Neat" just tends to be harder to achieve on long hair when it's worn down.

 

[Ypo.]

I think wearing it down is absolutely fine if your hair's shoulder length or above. Longer than that, you may want to consider pulling it back or partway back...it's hard to have your hair look neat and professional worn down if it's longer than that (unless you're really good with a blowdryer...I'm not...or are blessed with that stick-straight shiny hair that looks neat no matter what). Either way, I agree, just make it look neat, that's all that matters. "Neat" just tends to be harder to achieve on long hair when it's worn down.

My hair is long and wavy-kind of fluffy. What about if I fix it and brush it out right before I go in, and then don't toss my head? Would my hair detract from the interview?

 

[aparecida]

Seriously, if your hair is long enough to be pull-back-able, it needs to be pulled back. I spent hours and hours reviewing interview dress tips on the Internet and every single page I looked at said that long hair must be pulled back from the face.

 

[CoverMe]

Seriously.... the interviewers are professional people, who care about how you will do at that particular medical school... they do NOT care about your hair. What they DO care about, is that it is not MADE an issue (by tossing, in your face, flopping around, weird style etc).

Typically, that means BACK and out of the way... short, long, curly, straight... whatever your hairstyle is, get it back and out of the way so you're not tempted to play with it or have it in your face.

I have long hair, no bangs. I'll probably pull the top back with a nice clip, or possibly french braid the top part.

I'd recommend trying the hairstyle several times before your interview, not only to get used to "doing" the "do"... but to get a feel for how well it stands up to being worn all day.

 

[Ypo.]

Thanks, for my last interview I wore a simple ponytail, but I brushed my "mane" until it was wavy and silky smooth. I personally like to have my hair out of my face, and when I want to be taken seriously, I pull it back (I feel more serious with it back)-but it looks very nice when its brushed out.

I agree, no head tossing, flicking, playing with, peeking out from under, etc...
I never put hairspray in and have no bangs and its all the same length, so the only way I can keep it back when its down is to tuck it behind my ears, and have a nice neat part.

 

[Spin]

The video's a bit long, but I like this hairstyle. It's easy, out of the way, and not as plain as a bun.

youtube.com/watch?v=_HVQ3LChJ2o

 

[skyeblue0610]

When I'm dressed up my face looks good with my hair pulled back with a few pieces around my face A sort of loose messy/neat bun, almost looks wavy.

I'm a hair twirl person so it definitely needs to be up....I don't even notice when I'm doing it

 

[Concordia]

I wanted to wear my hair down for an interview--my suit was a little on the severe side and I wanted to "soften" the overall look. I put all the appropriate stuff in my hair, but the weather (and the hair) didn't cooperate, so no matter how hard I tried I could not get rid of the little baby-hair frizz. I gave up 10 minutes before the orientation began and pulled it back into a ponytail. Of course, every other girl at the interviews that day had perfect glossy hair. Oh, well, it worked out anyway--I guess as long as you look like you actually care about how you look little things like crazy hair that refuses to behave won't be a deal breaker.

 

[jmw38]

personally i wear my hair pulled back into a low bun. i feel like a high bun looks rather spinster-ish.

then again, my hair is EXTREMELY long (three feet)

so, wearing it down would look rather odd with my suit.

i think it's slightly more professional to wear your hair back (not up. this is strange to me. like going to a dance.) but i think as long as your hair looks neat and you DON'T MESS WITH IT, it shouldn't make or break your interview.

 

[surfstarj]

I will look like this (minus the soup) if I wear a bun...My hair is about that length and almost that color naturally. I don't think i play with my hair but now I'm paranoid about wearing it down...thoughts?

 

[jmw38]

first: ahahahaahahahahahaah that is hideous, and what's with the soup

is your hair straight? how long? if it's neat and not too long, go ahead and wear it down. just practice not playing with it for like 30 minutes! have some one watch for it so you're sure. or just make sure you like, have your hands folded in your lap the whole time or something.

=)

 

[surfstarj]

Haha, it's from america's next top model when they did some soup commercial. i remembered it from the all-day MTV marathons I've been watching in between checking status pages...

My hair is long (mid back) and not straight at all but I have a flat iron and it flattens out well.

 

[ARoseIsARose]

down...that way you don't have to worry about the bun slipping!

 

[katherinesummey]

I have short hair that just stand up on the top so I thought of get a longer hairstyle that would look sober. Thus I got the Tape Hair Extensions and glued them to my real hair to get a decent french braid for my interview.

 

[snowflakes]

I play with my hair when I am nervous, so I tie it back. Plus, if its really windy, snowing, or humid, having your hair down will mess it up. Remember, you may have the tour before the interview, and may be spending quite a bit of time outside.

I wore a ponytail at about this height, with my bangs pinned up. http://newwomenhairstyles.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/new-ponytail-hairstyles-6.jpg
I can't recall seeing any girls with a bun or a french twist or anything that formal. Actually, I saw one girl with a messy casual bun (would not recommend) and another with a french twist (looked too formal). I think most people wore their hair down or in a ponytail (my height or lower), and a couple had their hair in a french braid. I don't think it really matters as long as you look neat and aren't going to be touching it.

 

[CW 2010]

One big general rule is that your hair should be away from the face. Straight across bangs are fine, but side bangs should not fall over your eyes. Nothing should fall over your face. A neat low bun (doesn't have to be super sleek and tight!), a low ponytail or (not messy) half-up is fine. If you absolutely need to wear your hair down, make sure it's neat and away from the face. That's all

 

[MDreamaker]

-

 

[walala]

I have long hair, that's past mid way down my back. Its almost always down because I have a sensitive scalp, but on days I wear slacks, as in for interviews, internships, days I shadow, its almost always up in a loose high bun with my bangs down front. Its notuptight at all, in my opinion, and it just makes it one less thing to be self conscious about all day!

It honesty really probably doesn't matter, just a conmfort thing for confidence.

 

[The Buff OP]

Dinosaur Thread​

 

[DokterMom]

I have short hair that just stand up on the top so I thought of get a longer hairstyle that would look sober. Thus I got the Tape Hair Extensions and glued them to my real hair to get a decent french braid for my interview.

This reads like robo-SPAM (What do they call that? Robo-generated blog posts...) to get us to look up the product she's touting...

So long as your hair is neat and of a plausibly-natural color (not pink, burgundy, uber-platinum, pitch-black if you're fair or blond if you're Asian or Black), I think you're half-way there. There's a wide latitude of styles, but not something that looks high-maintenance, fussed-with, night-club, or most of all, performance-impeding. That's what's great about a ponytail or half-up style. Short styles are great on their own, so long as they're over 1.5" or so on top so they're not too punk.

 

[frosted_flake]

Dinosaur Thread​

I just laughed too hard at that.

 

[WillburCobb]

Automatic acceptances to anyone who shows-up with a quality devilock.

 

[optimistic3]

So what do you guys use to tame super frizzy hair? Usually I don't bother using gel (i think it's called Dep or something), because it leaves white crap in my hair. Are there any really good products y'all use?

Yeah I used to use Garnier scrunch cream/gel but I noticed it left the white crap in my hair as well. I have recently found Redken 06 pomade and it's wonderful. I do have short hair though (above shoulders - between a pixie and a bob) so I'm not sure how it'd work if you have pretty long hair.

 

[moop]

Damn what a necrobump