Men's Interview Attire?

[YungBrev]

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I wanted to get things straight before my interviews start. What is the most accepted interview attire?

Suit color: black, grey, navy, charcoal?

Fit: body(slim) vs. classic?

Undershirt and tie colors????

Shoes and belt should match.

 

[Iridescent]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/mens-interview-clothing-3.842733/

 

[YungBrev]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/mens-interview-clothing-3.842733/

Thanks! That thread is so painful to read. I was hoping for more concise answers, but I will just read through that!

 

[Iridescent]

Thanks! That thread is so painful to read. I was hoping for more concise answers, but I will just read through that!

What you posted is fine. Stay neutral and traditional.

 

[LizzyM]

I wanted to get things straight before my interviews start. What is the most accepted interview attire?

Suit color: black, grey, navy, charcoal?

Any of those is fine. Ideally, anything but black but you'll see plenty of male applicants wearing black.

Fit: body(slim) vs. classic?

either is fine. If you have the build for "body (slim)" then go for it but classic is, well, classic, and that can be a good thing.

Undershirt and tie colors????

If you typically wear an undershirt, wear one. Try to avoid a vee-neck as it will show up through your dress shirt in a way that a round neck will not.
Tie can be any color. Most guys go with a small pattern or stripes but solids can be ok, too. Avoid anything cartoonish or silly.

Shoes and belt should match.

Sure. Just don't wear white shoes and belt. I think that used to be called a "full Cleveland". Not sure I've ever really noticed shoes and belt given the seating arrangements I have for interviews.

 

[bc65]

Agree with the above.

I recommend a dark navy blue suit if you will only have one, as it's the most versatile. Solid, no stripes. Two button. Medium styling ( i.e. not extremely narrow lapels or very high placed buttons, and not one of those skinny short suits. Those features will quickly go out of style.). Subtle pattern tie, blue or red. Black belt and shoes ( in Europe, brown is worn with blue, but not in the US ). Don't wear a watch; if you do, you may look at it, and that makes you appear bored.

 

[YungBrev]

^^exactly the answer I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[bc65]

Also, a white shirt, or maybe a light blue shirt. White is dressier, in my opinion nicer for interviews.

The collar of the shirt should be the same fabric as the shirt. ( ie not a blue shirt with white collar, not a striped shirt)

Get a collar without buttons.( i.e. not a button down shirt. Those are o.k. , but not as dressy as no buttons, although lots of people don't realize that ).

Don't wear French cuffs ( i.e. a shirt that requires cuff links. It's too formal, but not a terrible thing to do )

Don't put a handkerchief in the front suit pocket, it looks affected and pretentious. And if you ever do put a handkerchief in the front pocket, it should be plain white, and not matching the tie. Matching fabric looks silly and uninformed, in my opinion.

Of course, you will end up being dressed exactly the same as 98% of the other male applicants, but that's your goal. You don't want to be the guy they remember because of your purple suit or Mickey Mouse tie.

 

[IlyaR]

Charcoal suit is the most versatile by far. Black belt, black wingtips, brouges, or cap toes (don't do square toes), white shirt, navy tie

 

[LizzyM]

Charcoal suit is the most versatile by far. Black belt, black wingtips, brouges, or cap toes (don't do square toes), white shirt, navy tie

Red tie would be more versatile as you would be all ready as a hopeful in the next Republican presidential candidates debate.

 

[bc65]

Shoes should ideally be dress shoes and laced. Bal or blucher, either is fine ( don't worry about what that means) but loafers are ok too as long as they are polished. Wingtips are a bit dated and are more for business and law, but that's mostly a matter of taste.

I like navy better than charcoal because it is more formal, and therefore better for interviews. It can be worn to a formal wedding, in lieu of a tuxedo. It can be worn to a funeral. It's dressier than any other color, and the jacket can be worn with beige pants and a yellow and blue tie to give you a less formal look. The jacket can also be worn with jeans. A charcoal jacket will always look like a suit jacket, and wearing the jacket with black pants doesn't work very well. Grey is good as a second suit, but not the first, in my opinion. Also, a blue suit looks very different if worn with different color ties ( blues vs reds vs yellows ). Just my opinion.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Agree with the above.

I recommend a dark navy blue suit if you will only have one, as it's the most versatile. Solid, no stripes. Two button. Medium styling ( i.e. not extremely narrow lapels or very high placed buttons, and not one of those skinny short suits. Those features will quickly go out of style.). Subtle pattern tie, blue or red. Black belt and shoes ( in Europe, brown is worn with blue, but not in the US ). Don't wear a watch; if you do, you may look at it, and that makes you appear bored.

I've never heard that.

Is it for any reason other than the typical US male is not as fashion conscious as his European counterparts? I've seen plenty of US based men's fashion sites espousing my cordovan with blue mantra.

 

[bc65]

Is it for any reason other than the typical US male is not as fashion conscious as his European counterparts?

That's the reason.

I have specifically read that black shoes are preferred here, whereas specifically in England, it's brown shoes and belt with a blue suit.

I have never seen anyone wear brown shoes with a blue suit here, and personally I don't like the look, so I would never recommend it. It just doesn't look right to my eyes, even though I know it's correct, and it would undoubtedly look wrong to most interviewers. Either way, of course, it's not a big deal, but I would go with convention over what is technically correct. Perhaps if I were going to Europe with a blue suit I would consider brown shoes and belt.

 

[Winged Scapula]

That's the reason.

I have specifically read that black shoes are preferred here, whereas specifically in England, it's brown shoes and belt with a blue suit.

I have never seen anyone wear brown shoes with a blue suit here, and personally I don't like the look, so I would never recommend it. It just doesn't look right to my eyes, even though I know it's correct, and it would undoubtedly look wrong to most interviewers. Either way, of course, it's not a big deal, but I would go with convention over what is technically correct. Perhaps if I were going to Europe with a blue suit I would consider brown shoes and belt.

#notallfaculty LOL

 

[steelersfan1243]

How do we know among the ideal color choices (charcoal, navy, gray) would look the best on us? Is there a place you can go on a budget, where they will literally just look at you and pick the suit thats going to make you look best? Can I get this advice online even?

 

[bc65]

Brown with blue is more appropriate and more visually pleasing

That might be true, but black shoes with a blue suit is what one would most commonly see here. I know that brown shoes go with a blue suit, but I still find it jarring when I see it and I still wear black shoes with my blue suits. Since the goal for interviewees is to blend in and not stand out, I would suggest wearing black shoes with a blue suit, since that's what most interviewers would expect.

 

[Easonred57]

I only own a single (slim fit, yes it fits me well) black suit, so what can I do to make it appear less... dry? Maybe go for a light blue dress shirt instead of white? Red tie maybe?

 

[mr.mkitty]

This is a serious question.
I would like to wear cuff links with my suit. Is this going to be overdoing it?

 

[Oh_Gee]

How do we know among the ideal color choices (charcoal, navy, gray) would look the best on us? Is there a place you can go on a budget, where they will literally just look at you and pick the suit thats going to make you look best? Can I get this advice online even?

saks outlet or macys has workers in the suit section you can ask

or just eff it and believe you look good in anything

 

[eagles22]

This is a serious question.
I would like to wear cuff links with my suit. Is this going to be overdoing it?

If you're at the point that you think minor accessories will affect your admission to medical school, then you have bigger things to worry about than your minor accessories.

 

[NickNaylor]

This is a serious question.
I would like to wear cuff links with my suit. Is this going to be overdoing it?

As long as they aren't insanely flashy, no, no one will care.

 

[NickNaylor]

Also, I should add that with threads like this it's important to remember the audience when soliciting fashion advice. You're generally talking to a bunch of college students that have likely had relatively minimal "professional attire" exposure short of wearing an ill-fitting suit.

Perhaps most importantly, your suit should be well-fitted. It should cost no more than $80-100 to get a suit tailored to fit you correctly, pants and jacket included. As long as your suit is one of the "usual" colors I don't think it matters all that much, though I personally lean towards navy blue. I would agree with avoiding black. I'm also not a fan of pinstripes, but this is my own preference and not some hard fashion rule.

If you're concerned about your ability to get something that looks good, bring someone with you or ask to talk with someone at a store. Another option might be to go to a place like Men's Warehouse, get fitted, get some initial ideas for options and then go somewhere else to look at stuff. Buying a suit really isn't that complicated. If you go to Macy's, you can get a relatively decent suit for less than $300. Throw in a shirt or two (which you might be able to get on sale for ~$50 each), some socks (2-3 pairs for $30), and a pair of shoes (the sky is the limit but you can get a decent pair of shoes for $100, especially if on sale), and you're good to go. Yes, it's a lot of money, but it's also an investment - assuming you take good care of your suit, it'll last a while. I still have the suit that I bought for med school interviews and wear it occasionally, and with a shirt the whole get-up was ~$350.

As I was writing this, I was watching the Dreamhack stream and the commentators were up:

Don't be the guy from the second to left. His entire outfit looks like crap but his suit looks poorly fitted. The guy on the left and the guy that's second from the right both have well-fitted suits, though I would question the latter's choice in pocket square and tie. The guy on the very right looks like his suit is reasonably well-fitted, but his shirt looks like crap.

TL;DR: Decent suits are somewhat expensive but will last a while if you take good care of them. If you're uncomfortable with making these decisions on your own, take someone with you and get their opinion or go to a department store or suit store to get fitted and get some starting style opinions.