Interview attire

[MSKalltheway]

I was wondering if it was at all acceptable to wear more colorful things to interviews. Things like greens, pinks, lavendar, orange, etc. to add a little something to the common, everyday black business suit.

If done tastefully, I was wondering if it would be fine or considered "loud" and would turn interviewers off.

 

[pete27]

i wore a lavender shirt and purple tie to my first interview...i didnt get any comments or complaints...i thought i had a good interview

so i dunno...i didn't think it was too loud and i was thinking the same thing as you...break up the monotony of white and blue shirts. as long as you're not over the top and its done with class...i think it's fine!

 

[joseppi]

tasteful business atire is the norm. Wear what makes you comfortable, there are definately not strict guidelines.... but I if you wear that velvet paisley shirt with the long collar open to the third button, people will be talking and thats a given.

 

[Ludicolo]

Seriously, why chance it?

The majority of interviewers won’t care (I certainly don't). But there are still a handful of old school types out there that might raise an eyebrow. During the interview, you should be doing the talking. Not your clothes. No one ever got ranked first because they dressed better than their competition. But I’ve seen applicants dropped down for being dressed inappropriately, being disheveled, poorly groomed, etc.

Once you’ve matched – go Project Runway all you want.

 

[topwise]

I don't understand why you would take that kind of risk. Maybe I'm a young old fogie, but I think I'd be really turned off if I thought the person I was interviewing was dressed in any way inappropriately. If you want to impress someone with your outfit, stay conventional but get something expensive and really classy looking.

And I'd stick to that during residency as well. PM&R is a small field and if you're turning people off with your dress, it's not a good idea. We had a few residents who used to wear scrubs on a daily basis, even when not on call or in the OR, which a lot of attendings did not like.

 

[ColinHay]

I think its no risk.
if the program is so stiff they will not accept you because of a pink shirt you dont really want to go there.

 

[topwise]

I think its no risk.
if the program is so stiff they will not accept you because of a pink shirt you dont really want to go there.

I respectfully disagree. I think there's a lot that goes into making a decent program and I don't think that just because one or two interviewers think a candidate ought to dress conservatively during their interview, that means the whole program isn't worth it. Would you really rule out your dream program because they want you to dress a certain way during your interview?

 

[Sig123]

No need to be flashy during an interview. Opt for conservative, WELL FITTING clothing in traditional business colors and you'll be fine. In fact, with well fitting attire, you'll be miles ahead of most interview candidates.

Suit: Charcoal grey or Dark navy blue. Although black in acceptable, I would save it for the funeral or wedding. Most important is fit: the suit should drape you well, sleeve cuffs shouldnt be too long or short -- take it to a tailor and have alterations done as needed; and opt for for a 2 or 3 button suit

Shirt: White or pale blue, freshly pressed and of sufficient length in the sleeve to allow 1/4 - 1/2 inch of shirt cuff to show when the suit jacket is being worn.

Tie: Conservative colors in either blues, reds, yellows. Striped patterns or repeating polka dots. Brooks brothers has excellent choices.

Shoes/socks: Black captoes that are newly shined. Dark colored socks. I actually saw someone with white socks once and that was a sight to see!

I believe that being well dressed speaks volumes about someone -- this isn't the time to bring out the pinks and greens -- stick with classy.

 

[el piel]

I wore a dark green suit matched with various colored (not white) shirts and complimentary ties. I can't say for certain how that affected most of the interviewers, but I did match at my top choice. Overall, I think my attire was pretty conservative, but did depart from the normal stuff worn by everybody else. If you don't like the funeral black suit and the white shirt, I say go another way: nothing wrong with expressing a little of your personality on the inteview trail. After all, they call it a Match for more than one reason.

 

[rehab_sports_dr]

I am not an overly formal person, but I do note if someone does not take the effort to dress professionally for their interview

To me, it is a bit of litmus test of "do you know how to do the basic stuff"- if a potential resident cannot make the token effort to dress appropriately for an interview, it suggests to me that they may think other things are beneath them (like writing notes, showing up on time, etc)

I don't care about minor details like the type of shirt collar or whether the shoes are freshly shined (candidates may not have time between interviews), but I do find it off-putting if the candidate doesn't wear a tie (for a guy), or showing an inappropriate amount of skin for a professional setting