A word of warning about dressing for interviews

[FelicityMD]

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I just wanted to let you all know about a recent conversation I had with a physician who is both on residency and medical school interview admissions. I was working with him in clinic dressed in my 'professional' black pant leggings a black and white blouse and of course my white coat. After clinic he asked me if what I was wearing, without my white coat, would be considered appropriate for a medical school interview in my opinion.

Regardless of my opinion; he told me to that the they had recently noticed that (female) interviews had been dressing a bit more 'business casual' instead of 'business formal' and in essence they didn't think it appropriate.

So I just wanted to give back a little with a word of warning. There may be super modern physicians who care little for what you wear or more conservative physicians. But on the interview trail you want to play it safe. You will never be rejected for conforming***, but I think you might run into some people who find that your dress is important and may make negative judgments about you.

*** in dress- be 100% you on your experience and answers 🙂

 

[FutureDPM123]

When I went on interviews, I noticed all the girls wearing a black suit. Anything less than a suit I would think is too casual.

 

[FelicityMD]

I have my own opinions but the rules are clear. Conservative black or navy suits. I just would hate for anyone to loose an acceptance because they didn't follow them.

 

[Goro]

But please, don't dress as if you're going to a funeral.

 

[deleted480308]

I have my own opinions but the rules are clear. Conservative black or navy suits. I just would hate for anyone to loose an acceptance because they didn't follow them.

Leggings are not professional dress for interviews

 

[TheRealBatmanMD]

I have my own opinions but the rules are clear. Conservative black or navy suits. I just would hate for anyone to loose an acceptance because they didn't follow them.

So you're saying that my Joker themed suit wouldn't work out...

 

[TheRealBatmanMD]

But please, don't dress as if you're going to a funeral.

According to Dwight from the Office, black is the best color because it expresses dominance.

 

[Master Thinker]

Interview dressing is much more uniform for men than it is for women. All the men I saw wore suits, while quite a decent number of women dressed liked they are about to hit the club afterward.

 

[907914]

Interview dressing is much more uniform for men than it is for women. All the men I saw wore suits, while quite a decent number of women dressed liked they are about to hit the club afterward.

I ran in to that issue each of the three times I took my wife to a military ball...men, dress uniform or tux. Easy peasy. Women, dress uniform or...Something that is above the ankle but below the knee, doesn’t show the entire shoulder but doesn’t have sleeves, little cleavage but show some collar bone...And so on...

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Just wear a suit and a shirt, whether you’re male or female. Jesus... it’s not that hard.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Just wear a suit and a shirt, whether you’re male or female. Jesus... it’s not that hard.

Yeah it’s really not that hard. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is, OP. You’re going to an interview for a professional school. Wear a suit. It shouldn’t even be a question. The interview is not the time to take a stand on fashion. Their opinion can keep you out or get you in.

(I know you’re a med student, just speaking generally.)

 

[getdown]

Swallow your pride and don't show your "individuality" for one day. You have the rest of your career to do whatever you want. It's really not that hard.

 

[CharmCity94]

Someone at one of my interviews wore a PFG fishing shirt and jeans... you could see the self-disappointment as soon as he walked in and saw everyone else in suits. He was super nice, but I don't know what he was thinking.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I remember on the interview trail I sat next to a girl who was wearing a suit...a 3 piece suit...a white 3 piece suit...with GOLD trim.

Actually had one time where I was leading an Interview tour, saw one of my interviewees didn’t have a tie, and gave him mine. Poor kiddo had no idea he was supposed to wear one.

I don’t care how good you think your fashion sense is, don’t be that guy or gal.

Black, navy, or charcoal suit, white shirt, neutral tie (if you’re a guy).

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

Someone at one of my interviews wore a PFG fishing shirt and jeans... you could see the self-disappointment as soon as he walked in and saw everyone else in suits. He was super nice, but I don't know what he was thinking.

This is like... Third hand embarrassment. I wish they would have accepted him for a ballin’ acceptance story. “Kids are too neurotic these days. I walked into my interview with jeans and a t-shirt on. No big deal.”

 

[Master Thinker]

Someone at one of my interviews wore a PFG fishing shirt and jeans... you could see the self-disappointment as soon as he walked in and saw everyone else in suits. He was super nice, but I don't know what he was thinking.

Maybe he had already gotten accepted at his top choice lol but bought airfare for that interview already

 

[Goro]

Someone at one of my interviews wore a PFG fishing shirt and jeans... you could see the self-disappointment as soon as he walked in and saw everyone else in suits. He was super nice, but I don't know what he was thinking.

I remember on the interview trail I sat next to a girl who was wearing a suit...a 3 piece suit...a white 3 piece suit...with GOLD trim.

Actually had one time where I was leading an Interview tour, saw one of my interviewees didn’t have a tie, and gave him mine. Poor kiddo had no idea he was supposed to wear one..

Were these all at @gyngyn's school??

 

[yobo9345]

I remember on the interview trail I sat next to a girl who was wearing a suit...a 3 piece suit...a white 3 piece suit...with GOLD trim.

ma'am the circus ringmaster interviews are down the hall to the left

seriously though that's unbelievable

 

[965978]

I really do think that all interviewees should check in at the locker room, required to remove all personal clothing, and change into scrubs for the remainder of the interview day.

Pitch the idea to Harvard. All schools will follow.

 

[965978]

Were these all at @gyngyn's school??

Goro checking in with the savageness.

 

[965978]

An aside trivial story from many years ago.

All the well-dressed interview candidates were sitting nervously in the large waiting area, when the door opens and dead silence strikes as two young guys walk in dressed in dirty tee-shirts and shorts. Turns out they had flown in together to NYC the day before, dropped off their suitcases at a hotel, and enjoyed a day of the Big Apple. When they got back late to their hotel, everything was GONE. No suitcases, no interview suits, no nothing. One was accepted to the school

An aside trivial story from many years ago.

All the well-dressed interview candidates were sitting nervously in the large waiting area, when the door opens and dead silence strikes as two young guys walk in dressed in dirty tee-shirts and shorts. Turns out they had flown in together to NYC the day before, dropped off their suitcases at a hotel, and enjoyed a day of the Big Apple. When they got back late to their hotel, everything was GONE. No suitcases, no interview suits, no nothing. One was accepted to the school

They couldn’t have spent all day around NYC without their wallets. So they couldn’t even buy a pair of pants and a button up?

 

[965978]

I did pitch it to @LizzyM school but they scrubbed the idea

Lol

 

[pmcojm]

An aside trivial story from many years ago.

All the well-dressed interview candidates were sitting nervously in the large waiting area, when the door opens and dead silence strikes as two young guys walk in dressed in dirty tee-shirts and shorts. Turns out they had flown in together to NYC the day before, dropped off their suitcases at a hotel, and enjoyed a day of the Big Apple. When they got back late to their hotel, everything was GONE. No suitcases, no interview suits, no nothing. One was accepted to the school

I was thinking that maybe something like that happened to the fishing shirt guy.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Pitch the idea to Harvard. All schools will follow.

This is what they do at shock trauma in Baltimore when you interview for fellowship.

 

[CharmCity94]

I was thinking that maybe something like that happened to the fishing shirt guy.

That was the first thing that came to my mind, but he actually lived like 20 min from the school. He said he just didn't know he had to wear a suit

 

[Toutie]

Were these all at @gyngyn's school??

I would say the white suit with gold trim is a definite possibility for @gyngyn school. The fishing shirt and jeans...not so much. 🙄

 

[DrFortiusNatando]

One of our very good home med students came to our program for a residency interview. She wore normal black pants, but a casual shirt, and no jacket. That was 3 months ago. People still talk about it showing lack of proper respect and that it signaled that she thought she was a shoe-in for a position with us. That - and the fact that she was a few minutes late - ensured she was not ranked anywhere near where she should have been. Clearly, she was signaling to us that she had her sights elsewhere for residency - but it did annoy the PDs who are sometimes in a position to help students get into one of their top choices. I doubt any of the residency leadership was willing to go to bat for her at the end of her interview season if she asked.

There are times when an applicant's luggage has been lost etc and they let the admissions office know asap. In those cases, admission office staff emailed me that morning to let me know ahead of time about the luggage situation and that the interviewee would be showing up in casual clothes. That was fine.

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

For Men: Can we all agree to stop wearing ill-fitting black suits to interviews? Go with a navy, charcoal, or light grey suit. It looks so much better. (I know this might be controversial)

 

[965978]

Like I said, this was many years ago before stores were open 24 hours a day and we didnt have instant communication with cell phones. I mean, I am so old when I was your age we had to get up and change the TV channel

So this was like 1990s??????

Kids these days don’t even watch TV on an actual TV cause they’re too busy watching YouTube and Netflix on their phones 😉

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Hey, I am so old I used to have to watch TV by candle light

Lol the people on my first ship used to joke that I was an undesignated seaman on Noah’s ark.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

For Men: Can we all agree to stop wearing ill-fitting black suits to interviews? Go with a navy, charcoal, or light grey suit. It looks so much better. (I know this might be controversial)

I totally agree! Nobody should be wearing a black suit as that is reserved for funerals. Go navy or grey, that is it!

Love your username by the way (a #1 fan 😉 and was hurt by the All-Star snub).

 

[wysdoc]

So you're saying that my Joker themed suit wouldn't work out...

These are some actual suits for sale right now at JC Penney. I don't know why. I apologize for sharing them because now you can't "unsee" them.

Don't do this ! 🤣🤣

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

These are some actual suits for sale right now at JC Penney. I don't know why. I apologize for sharing them because now you can't "unsee" them.View attachment 251138View attachment 251139View attachment 251140

Don't do this ! 🤣🤣

That red one is toight.

 

[Toutie]

Hey, I am so old I used to have to watch TV by candle light

At least you had TV. I had to look at cave drawings and blink fast so it looked like they were moving. 🤣🤣🤣

 

[precisiongraphic]

Leggings are not professional dress for interviews

100% agree (first time 😉 )

Leggings are not professional dress, period. In my opinion leggings are not even appropriate under white coat or a business blazer.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

100% agree (first time 😉 )

Leggings are not professional dress, period. In my opinion leggings are not even appropriate under white coat or a business blazer.

Unless you’re wearing them with a very long sweater that covers your butt. I do that, and some boots, in clinic. Super cute.

 

[deleted480308]

Unless you’re wearing them with a very long sweater that covers your butt. I do that, and some boots, in clinic. Super cute.

Definitely butt coverage. Can be very cute.

 

[965978]

Sorry, just my personal opinion: if something can be described as "cute" it is not appropriate for professional setting

"Cute" is extremely subjective.

My mom thought I looked cute in my interview suit because I looked like a virgin.

 

[kbRD2MD84]

Be careful with navy pants. I wore navy pants (nice, legitimate dress pants from Lane Bryant) with a blazer and nice top for a dietetic internship interview, and I think it was misunderstood as jeans. Yikes. If it's a matching suit set, you're probably good, but the feedback from that interview still haunts me.

 

[atomi]

I just wanted to let you all know about a recent conversation I had with a physician who is both on residency and medical school interview admissions. I was working with him in clinic dressed in my 'professional' black pant leggings a black and white blouse and of course my white coat. After clinic he asked me if what I was wearing, without my white coat, would be considered appropriate for a medical school interview in my opinion.

Regardless of my opinion; he told me to that the they had recently noticed that (female) interviews had been dressing a bit more 'business casual' instead of 'business formal' and in essence they didn't think it appropriate.

So I just wanted to give back a little with a word of warning. There may be super modern physicians who care little for what you wear or more conservative physicians. But on the interview trail you want to play it safe. You will never be rejected for conforming***, but I think you might run into some people who find that your dress is important and may make negative judgments about you.

*** in dress- be 100% you on your experience and answers 🙂

Forget about interviews, I’ve noticed this trend in younger female residents at work. Wearing leggings and a sweater. Often it’s the same outfit every day, weeks in a row. Which makes me wonder if these garments are getting washed.

The leggings are basically skintight sweatpants, barely a step above yoga pants, and the shape of your butt is clearly on display for everyone. It’s often not flattering, and it doesn’t look professional. I can’t even fathom someone thinking this would be ok in an interview.

 

[atomi]

Swallow your pride and don't show your "individuality" for one day. You have the rest of your career to do whatever you want. It's really not that hard.

This. The whole purpose is a common sense test. Like the pre-employment drug screens. Can you not drink alcohol for 24 hours or smoke weed for 2 weeks? Surprisingly people think they can bend the rules and it will still be fine because they refuse to conform for even a second.

 

[vm26]

For Men: Can we all agree to stop wearing ill-fitting black suits to interviews? Go with a navy, charcoal, or light grey suit. It looks so much better. (I know this might be controversial)

For some reason it seems that us men have a hard time figuring out how to pick the appropriate size/cut when it comes to clothes

 

[ciestar]

Sorry, just my personal opinion: if something can be described as "cute" it is not appropriate for professional setting

Definitely think we have different definitions of cute here.

I call many of my dresses cute. They’re all very appropriate for a professional setting.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I’m a girl who loves clothes. For me “cute” means girly. Thankfully, I can wear whatever I want now. But I did it as a resident and no one complained.

In an interview setting yes fine, suit. But you’d be hard pressed to find a female doctor who wears a suit to every clinic. Most of us wear dresses, or leggings/pants with sweaters if it’s cold. I don’t shy away from cute clothes at all. My patients love it— they comment on my shoes all the time.

My daughters’ pediatrician back in San Diego always dressed very nicely, but she never wore a suit. She always looked great and put together. I never thought she looked unprofessional despite not wearing a suit or anything really close to a suit.

 

[plshelpvanxious]

Also girls, I'm not sure what the rules are for skirts, but if you choose to wear one to an interview please make sure the slit in the back is appropriate. A girl at my school wore a tight pencil skirt and the slit in the back ended just under her bottom. It really stood out when the rest of the group had pants.

 

[DrRiker]

But please, don't dress as if you're going to a funeral.

Should I pitch my veil, too?

 

[Goro]

Should I pitch my veil, too?

And the hankies

 

[OchemOficionado]

Just wear a suit and a shirt, whether you’re male or female. Jesus... it’s not that hard.

Agreed. I’ve seen so many variations of this though. The men usually look very dapper, and the women more varied and, many times, more casual. Ruffled blouses, jewelry all over the place, and the shoes! The shoessss!

 

[PA_dud3]

I was thinking navy blue suit with white pinstripes and black and white wingtips.

 

[differentiating]

100% agree (first time 😉 )

Leggings are not professional dress, period. In my opinion leggings are not even appropriate under white coat or a business blazer.

As a woman, agreed. Leggings are not professional as a bottom - go for comfortable slacks if you want pants. I love leggings and sweatpants, but would never wear them in clinic or the hospital.