Specific Interview Attire Questions (How conservative must we really be?)

[Maxprime]

I have my first interview on Wed. and have a few quick questions on attire. I used to work in finance and have good feeling that a lot of my business attire could be too 'aggressive' for med school interviews, a few questions:

1) Shoes - I read 'no loafers'. But what about a nice pair of Cole Haans or Gucci loafers? The metal on the front leads me to my next question. (no patent leather obviously - eww)

2) Belt/Cufflinks/Shoes - I wear French cuffs, so I'm used to tossing on a pair of gold cufflinks, matching belt with gold buckle, and if my shoes have any metal on them then match that too. Is this too aggressive for interviews? I'm not talking 30 karat cufflinks, something small and reasonable.

3) Suits - I saw some previous posts on this, but wanted to confirm. Besides being common, is black really considered too 'slick'? Pinstripes are kosher as long as they're thin, right?

I'm more probing to see if anyone has had anything said to them. I've been in an interview before and had a managing director (what I used to call an 'MD') tell me, "That's a pretty f*cking aggressive suit for an interview you little ****." Considering the dry cleaning costs to get the smell of urine out of my favorite pants, I would like to avoid making an ass of myself from attire alone.

Thanks in advance.

*edit - for those buying clothes for interviews, bluefly.com is a gold mine if you want to pick up some nice stuff that nobody can tell you bought cheap

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[drizzt3117]

I have my first interview on Wed. and have a few quick questions on attire. I used to work in finance and have good feeling that a lot of my business attire could be too 'aggressive' for med school interviews, a few questions:

1) Shoes - I read 'no loafers'. But what about a nice pair of Cole Haans or Gucci loafers? The metal on the front leads me to my next question. (no patent leather obviously - eww)

A lot of people will wear loafers. I would avoid it if possible, a nice black captoe bal is probably the shoe of choice, but any conservative "formal" black laceup without excessive ornamentation is probably fine. If you don't own such a shoe and only have loafers, they're fine, but I wouldn't wear any with leather bits.

2) Belt/Cufflinks/Shoes - I wear French cuffs, so I'm used to tossing on a pair of gold cufflinks, matching belt with gold buckle, and if my shoes have any metal on them then match that too. Is this too aggressive for interviews? I'm not talking 30 karat cufflinks, something small and reasonable.

French cuffs aren't ideal, but they're ok, I would personally go with silk knots with FCs, but if you have to wear links, I would go with a conservative silver or pewter cufflink.

3) Suits - I saw some previous posts on this, but wanted to confirm. Besides being common, is black really considered too 'slick'? Pinstripes are kosher as long as they're thin, right?

A LOT of guys wear black suits. It certainly isn't ideal for any number of reasons, foremost of which is that it isn't a great color for suits for most people. Solid charcoal, navy, or dark medium grey is probably ideal, and a pinstriped variant of any of the previous colors are almost as good. I would avoid black if possible, but if it's the only suit you own then it's probably not worth buying a new one.

I'm more probing to see if anyone has had anything said to them. I've been in an interview before and had a managing director (what I used to call an 'MD') tell me, "That's a pretty f*cking aggressive suit for an interview you little ****." Considering the dry cleaning costs to get the smell of urine out of my favorite pants, I would like to avoid making an ass of myself from attire alone.

Thanks in advance.

At CCLCM someone said something about one of the guys wearing french cuffs. I don't recall the exact comment, though. As far as it being an issue, it certainly won't hurt you to the degree that it might in a business setting as long as you wear a suit, tie, and leather shoes. Dressing well adds to your level of professionalism but isn't going to make a non-competitive candidate suddenly competitive, and the same is true for not dressing particularly well.

I dress the same for med school interviews as I would for a IB or consulting interview. Solid navy suit, light blue button cuff shirt, dark blue striped tie, black belt, charcoal socks, black captoe plaintoe oxfords. Certainly you don't need to be that vanilla with your outfits, but generally a med school interview is one where dressing conservatively and professionally is important.

 

[Kthanksbye]

What exactly did he find too aggressive about about the suit? The color black? The cuff links? I'm not wearing cuff links or black. Dark navy, but it is a nice suit.

I'm not sure that the business culture and clothing biases carry over to med school interviews, but I could be wrong.

 

[Maxprime]

Really good advice

Cap toes it is . I'll ditch the cuffs and go grey with pins. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Maxprime]

What exactly did he find too aggressive about about the suit? The color black? The cuff links? I'm not wearing cuff links or black. Dark navy, but it is a nice suit.

I'm not sure that the business culture and clothing biases carry over to med school interviews, but I could be wrong.

It's unfortunate I have to incriminate myself to explain, but it's worth a laugh.

The day that I was yelled at, I was wearing a blue shirt with white stripes and a white collar with a blue & red striped tie, gold cufflinks, gawdy Gucci loafers with gold buckles and matching belt. All I was missing were the suspenders with green $$$'s on them and I would have been dressed for Halloween as a bond trader from the 80's. Something along the lines of:

Sometimes poor judgment comes out in clothing. Although, for the record, the guy remembered me b/c of it and I got an offer there - so sometimes making an ass of yourself is worth it. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the 'shark' in the cartoon pic.

 

[drizzt3117]

The day that I was yelled at, I was wearing a blue shirt with white stripes and a white collar with a blue & red striped tie, gold cufflinks, gawdy Gucci loafers with gold buckles and matching belt. All I was missing were the suspenders with green $$$'s on them and I would have been dressed for Halloween as a trader from the 80's.

Heh, you might have actually gotten bonus points from me in an interview if it weren't for the loafers

I worked for Morgan Stanley right out of undergrad. If you had worn an outfit like that to an IB interview (or as a junior analyst)... it wouldn't have been pretty. Consulting, IB, and medicine are fields in which you want to be very conservative in interviews, more so than say... law, where pinstripes (even thicker chalkstripe flannel) wouldn't be a big deal at all.

 

[nonesuchgirl]

Oh dear.

It's unfortunate I have to incriminate myself to explain, but it's worth a laugh.

The day that I was yelled at, I was wearing a blue shirt with white stripes and a white collar with a blue & red striped tie, gold cufflinks, gawdy Gucci loafers with gold buckles and matching belt. All I was missing were the suspenders with green $$$'s on them and I would have been dressed for Halloween as a bond trader from the 80's. Something along the lines of:

Sometimes poor judgment comes out in clothing. Although, for the record, the guy remembered me b/c of it and I got an offer there - so sometimes making an ass of yourself is worth it. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the 'shark' in the cartoon pic.

 

[Maxprime]

Heh, you might have actually gotten bonus points from me in an interview if it weren't for the loafers

I worked for Morgan Stanley right out of undergrad. If you had worn an outfit like that to an IB interview (or as a junior analyst)... it wouldn't have been pretty. Consulting, IB, and medicine are fields in which you want to be very conservative in interviews, more so than say... law, where pinstripes (even thicker chalkstripe flannel) wouldn't be a big deal at all.

It was at an IB interview (who else would use that language w/ strangers?) I spent the rest of the day re-telling the story to analysts and associates that had heard about it. I think I only survived because I didn't actually poo myself on the spot - it makes me feel dirty to say so, but he was 'a BSD'. Good times.

 

[drizzt3117]

It was at an IB interview (who else would use that language w/ strangers?) I spent the rest of the day re-telling the story to analysts and associates that had heard about it. I think I only survived because I didn't actually poo myself on the spot - it makes me feel dirty to say so, but he was 'a BSD'. Good times.

You're lucky, then. I know MDs that have looked at what people were wearing and ended the interview right then and there. I've done that on occasion but only for things that are really bad (like someone not wearing a suit to a MBA-level consulting interview)

 

[Maxprime]

You're lucky, then. I know MDs that have looked at what people were wearing and ended the interview right then and there. I've done that on occasion but only for things that are really bad (like someone not wearing a suit to a MBA-level consulting interview)

A fun one I got to witness the tail end of:
"So your resume says you like Scorsese movies - what's your favorite scene in Raging Bull?"
*Silence*
"Well?"
"I've never seen it."
Resume balled up & thrown, yelling erupts from the office as this poor idiot is tossed off the trading floor by security.

I definitely don't miss that.

Interview ender for me when I was an analyst:
"What's your biggest flaw?"
"I work too hard."

If your interviewer looks like they haven't slept in 2 days, I think this is an inappropriate response. I did get some good responses though - "I'm a Bills fan.", "I believe league tables", "A fear of trading equities in Dallas", etc.

 

[Depakote]

Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the 'shark' in the cartoon pic.

my only regret is that I have... bonitis.

 

[87138]

I'm seriously enjoying these stories from IB interviews. I know you're still concerned about having your original question answered, but I'd love to hear more hilarious horror stories in the meantime.

By the way, like others have said, I'd steer clear of anything too flashy. Sure, there's something to be said for maintaining your individuality, but in this kind of situation it's best to play it conservatively. The person interviewing you is not the sole decision-maker in this process.....and no amount of him/her lobbying on someone's behalf to the committee saying "yes I know he has terrible numbers and smelled bad, but did you see his awful orange tie with his bright red shirt and purple suit??? That takes balls, let's let him in!" will help an applicant out.

90% of the males I've met on the interview trail have been wearing simple black suits. I've seen a gray suit and a navy suit, but that's about the only deviation. Everything else has been very conservative (except for one guy wearing a black suit with brown snakeskin loafers and a brown leather belt).

 

[Maxprime]

my only regret is that I have... bonitis.

'80s Guy: I was so busy being an '80s guy, I forgot to cure my boneitis!

'80s Guy: There are two kinds of people. Sheep and sharks. Anyone who is a sheep is fired. Who is a sheep?

 

[Maxprime]

I'm seriously enjoying these stories from IB interviews. I know you're still concerned about having your original question answered, but I'd love to hear more hilarious horror stories in the meantime.

I interviewed one place where they did a variant on the old 'I'm going to read the newspaper and ignore you and if you don't strike up a conversation it's the end of the interview'. It's fairly common and you know it's coming.

I had this one female VP that was working on the computer and occasionally asking me questions (general stuff - tell me about what you studied in school, flaws, weaknesses, blah blah). She's ignoring every word I say. Then she picks up the phone and starts discussing the SHOES she's shopping for on her computer while I'm interviewing. It was bad - "OMG the strappy ones are soooooo cute". She hangs up, asks me another question and apologizes for the interruption then picks up her blackberry and calls her mom. It was infuriating.

 

[drizzt3117]

I had this one female VP that was working on the computer and occasionally asking me questions (general stuff - tell me about what you studied in school, flaws, weaknesses, blah blah). She's ignoring every word I say. Then she picks up the phone and starts discussing the SHOES she's shopping for on her computer while I'm interviewing. It was bad - "OMG the strappy ones are soooooo cute". She hangs up, asks me another question and apologizes for the interruption then picks up her blackberry and calls her mom. It was infuriating.

That happens all the time... best interviewee I had was one where my buddy called me during the interview to ask who to start in fantasy that week, and the interviewee chimed in. I ended up putting the guy on speaker and we had a 15 minute interlude talking about that week's games. As you might suspect, he got the job.

 

[Nookular]

This thread makes me think of my recent waste of $300...

I bought my first actual suit for my first actual med school interview, and inside the store it looked great. It wasn't until I got outside in a bright sunny day that the truth came out...

Turns out it had some shimmer to it, and if you know what I'm talking about you'll also know that it makes me look like I'm trying to be some sleazy mafia don / pimp / lots of other things that I don't want to come off as... If you don't know what I'm talking about, just pay attention next time you're watching NFL. It seems like every former-player-turned-commentator has a shiny suit, and sadly, now so do I...

 

[drizzt3117]

This thread makes me think of my recent waste of $300...

I bought my first actual suit for my first actual med school interview, and inside the store it looked great. It wasn't until I got outside in a bright sunny day that the truth came out...

Turns out it had some shimmer to it, and if you know what I'm talking about you'll also know that it makes me look like I'm trying to be some sleazy mafia don / pimp / lots of other things that I don't want to come off as... If you don't know what I'm talking about, just pay attention next time you're watching NFL. It seems like every former-player-turned-commentator has a shiny suit, and sadly, now so do I...

I think I posted a picture a few months ago of an interviewee I saw at an East Coast school who was wearing something that looked like he was coming off the stage at the NFL draft. It was a yellow windowpane suit. Pretty ridiculous.

 

[Depakote]

'80s Guy: I was so busy being an '80s guy, I forgot to cure my boneitis!

'80s Guy: There are two kinds of people. Sheep and sharks. Anyone who is a sheep is fired. Who is a sheep?

Which one is the one people like to hug?

 

[beats]

what's wrong with loafers? no good for guys and girls (ones with a heel), or just guys?

 

[Jolie South]

I think I posted a picture a few months ago of an interviewee I saw at an East Coast school who was wearing something that looked like he was coming off the stage at the NFL draft. It was a yellow windowpane suit. Pretty ridiculous.

I posted this a while back but at my first interview I saw this girl wearing a silky forever 21-ish club-y top. Not only were there no sleeves, but the whole upper part of her back was showing and she was pasty white with spots that were sunburned.

How she thought that that top was appropriate i will never know. she had a jacket too. she just insisted on keeping it off!

 

[drizzt3117]

what's wrong with loafers? no good for guys and girls (ones with a heel), or just guys?

Loafers are casual attire, and not appropriate for interviews or situations where business formal attire is required.

A lot of people do wear them, and it's probably not a deal breaker for a med school interview, although I would certainly avoid the squared toe Kenneth Cole/Steve Madden ones, which is a personal dealbreaker for me. I can't imagine I'm the only person who feels they're inappropriate for interviews, and if your interviewer agrees, you could lose points for professionalism.

Basically the general rule for men and women is, if you would wear it to a club, it's probably inappropriate for an interview.

 

[celithu]

Im kinda worried-- are the button up shirts at express too low cut? I mean, I'm not one to bust out or anything...

 

[Jolie South]

Im kinda worried-- are the button up shirts at express too low cut? I mean, I'm not one to bust out or anything...

i wore an express shirt to some of my interviews. if you're talking about their more professional button downs, think you're ok.

 

[Maxprime]

Im kinda worried-- are the button up shirts at express too low cut? I mean, I'm not one to bust out or anything...

Seems fine to me . . . as long as you don't miss a button.

 

[soeagerun2or]

Loafers are casual attire, and not appropriate for interviews or situations where business formal attire is required.

A lot of people do wear them, and it's probably not a deal breaker for a med school interview, although I would certainly avoid the squared toe Kenneth Cole/Steve Madden ones, which is a personal dealbreaker for me. I can't imagine I'm the only person who feels they're inappropriate for interviews, and if your interviewer agrees, you could lose points for professionalism.

Where do monk strap shoes fit in? From what I've read they are for both casual and business attire, but not formal (read black/white tie).

 

[drizzt3117]

Where do monk strap shoes fit in? From what I've read they are for both casual and business attire, but not formal (read black/white tie).

Monkstraps as a general rule are more casual, but you may be able to get away with certain styles of plaintoe monkstraps that are extremely formal. That said, I wouldn't wear them on interviews, and monkstraps are some of my favorite shoes.

 

[LizzyM]

A couple of things....

Men: avoid looking like a member of the cast of "Guys & Dolls". Bright colors, wide lapels, hats, two tone shoes: not good. Ditto: Wall Street 1980s or the 1970s Superfly.

Loafers vs. dress shoes. I've always interviewed people from behind a desk so I've never observed the shoes. I might raise an eyebrow if someone was wearing white gym shoes or something equally outlandish but if they are dark and professional looking, I don' think it makes a huge difference whether they are lace up or slip-on.


Ladies: Button up. Avoid anything that is going to show too much bosom. As I've said before, of 600+ who interviewed with my school"last year the only person, man or woman, who was rejected for sartorial misconduct was wearing a low cut blouse.

 

[Kraazy]

I posted this a while back but at my first interview I saw this girl wearing a silky forever 21-ish club-y top. Not only were there no sleeves, but the whole upper part of her back was showing and she was pasty white with spots that were sunburned.

How she thought that that top was appropriate i will never know. she had a jacket too. she just insisted on keeping it off!

Saw something similar at an interview and cringed! Girl was wearing these plaid-pattern grey pants (that would be dressy enough for a school presentation or business casual, but clearly not close enough to a suit), some express-like clubby top, short sleeves, with a keyhole (wtf???) in the back. Add to that fishnet stockings (I kid you not) and slingbacks. I have NO idea what she was thinking. She coud at least have gone for a nice sweater or something.

 

[Maxprime]

Saw something similar at an interview and cringed! Girl was wearing these plaid-pattern grey pants (that would be dressy enough for a school presentation or business casual, but clearly not close enough to a suit), some express-like clubby top, short sleeves, with a keyhole (wtf???) in the back. Add to that fishnet stockings (I kid you not) and slingbacks. I have NO idea what she was thinking. She coud at least have gone for a nice sweater or something.

I don't think a nice sweater sufficiently counter-balances fishnet stockings.

 

[surfstarj]

How about a grey wool shell dress (knee length) with a black suit jacket on top (no boobage, of course)?

 

[Jolie South]

How about a grey wool shell dress (knee length) with a black suit jacket on top (no boobage, of course)?

I don't see a problem with that as long as it's conservative and professional looking.

 

[surfstarj]

I don't see a problem with that as long as it's conservative and professional looking.

thanks for the feedback

 

[MyInitialsAreJC]

i've never seen Guys & Dolls and i don't know what Wall Street was like in the 80s and now i'm all paranoid that i'm gonna be too flashy and some IB guy is gonna cuss me out.

i'm planning on wearing (really thin) pin stripes and maybe a tie clip. *Maybe* a light blue shirt. Is any of that over the top?

 

[etf]

I worked for Morgan Stanley right out of undergrad. If you had worn an outfit like that to an IB interview (or as a junior analyst)... it wouldn't have been pretty. Consulting, IB, and medicine are fields in which you want to be very conservative in interviews, more so than say... law, where pinstripes (even thicker chalkstripe flannel) wouldn't be a big deal at all.

my brother recently had an interview for an analyst position at morgan stanley, among others. he's not really a suit type of guy, so i shipped over one of my outfits for him that he requested - it's a pretty flashy suit - nothing garish, but you can tell it's expensive (entirely hand-canvassed, visible pick-stitching, surgeon's cuffs with kissing-buttons, etc). he also wore some ferragamo slip-ons, and had a light blue, french cuffed shirt with reasonable cufflinks. pink tie. the MD chuckled when he walked in, saying "haven't you read any of the articles that says you shouldn't be dressed better than your interviewer?"

didn't hurt him one bit. he was offered the job, and accepted, and it was the highest offer that anyone in his class received out of all the firms. what does this have to do with med school? well, the chances are, no one that is interviewing you will give a crap about what you're wearing, but they will be able to pick up on any insecurities YOU might have about your outfit. so wear whatever you'll feel most comfortable in, within reason of course. pinstripes, loafers - it doesn't really matter in the end. exude confidence, and the rest will take care of itself.

 

[MattD]

I don't think a nice sweater sufficiently counter-balances fishnet stockings.

You don't know what kind of pitch she was making behind the interviewer's closed door... The fishnets may have been completely appropriate for her, erm, intentions!

 

[LizzyM]

i've never seen Guys & Dolls and i don't know what Wall Street was like in the 80s and now i'm all paranoid that i'm gonna be too flashy and some IB guy is gonna cuss me out.

i'm planning on wearing (really thin) pin stripes and maybe a tie clip. *Maybe* a light blue shirt. Is any of that over the top?

What you're planning is cool.

 

[drizzt3117]

my brother recently had an interview for an analyst position at morgan stanley, among others. he's not really a suit type of guy, so i shipped over one of my outfits for him that he requested - it's a pretty flashy suit - nothing garish, but you can tell it's expensive (entirely hand-canvassed, visible pick-stitching, surgeon's cuffs with kissing-buttons, etc). he also wore some ferragamo slip-ons, and had a light blue, french cuffed shirt with reasonable cufflinks. pink tie. the MD chuckled when he walked in, saying "haven't you read any of the articles that says you shouldn't be dressed better than your interviewer?"

didn't hurt him one bit. he was offered the job, and accepted, and it was the highest offer that anyone in his class received out of all the firms. what does this have to do with med school? well, the chances are, no one that is interviewing you will give a crap about what you're wearing, but they will be able to pick up on any insecurities YOU might have about your outfit. so wear whatever you'll feel most comfortable in, within reason of course. pinstripes, loafers - it doesn't really matter in the end. exude confidence, and the rest will take care of itself.

You'll hear the occasional story about a junior analyst interviewing wearing something flashy and getting the job. It happens. A lot of MDs are busy and don't care that much. However, if you get someone anal, you might get deep-sixed without even getting a chance to prove yourself. That's why it's advised to wear something conservative. Although you hear lots of stories about it, IB interview attire isn't quite as critical as certain other fields, such as consulting. A junior analyst is years away from seeing clients (or the sun), while a business analyst at a strategy firm will be seeing high level clients from day one. I certainly paid close attention to my interviewees because once hired, within weeks they would be representing our firm to clients whose accounts were worth tens of millions of dollars in fees. Is someone who doesn't care enough (or worse, isn't aware) of their appearance that they can't dress professionally for a single day for an interview someone you want to give that much responsibility to?

Medical schools will be somewhat more forgiving because their applicant pool tends to be students whose clothing budget certainly isn't unlimited, and in many cases, do not have a large amount of interview experience. That said, demonstrating professionalism is certainly important and attire is one of the first things that will be noticed upon meeting someone. Making a poor first impression is likely not something you want to do.

 

[thoffen]

Miami didn't seem to care one bit about the square-toe loafers I had on. They were definitely not casual shoes. I also had a brown suit with a green striped shirt and tie. Everyone else wore black. Look professional, but beyond that dress to your personality. Almost no one will care what you wear, and I think the benefit of being comfortable and feeling confident is worth it.

Premeds overanalyze everything.

 

[Textuality]

Miami didn't seem to care one bit about the square-toe loafers I had on. They were definitely not casual shoes. I also had a brown suit with a green striped shirt and tie. Everyone else wore black. Look professional, but beyond that dress to your personality. Almost no one will care what you wear, and I think the benefit of being comfortable and feeling confident is worth it.

Premeds overanalyze everything.

That right there is why I refuse to wear pantyhose I did try on a pair, and immediately took them back off. I also don't wear makeup, and didn't think now was a good time to start. It leads to me standing out a little bit among the girls sometimes, but I don't really mind, I'd rather not be distracted the whole time wondering if I have a run in the stockings or if my makeup is on correctly. Guys are lucky they don't need to deal with such things.

 

[drizzt3117]

Miami didn't seem to care one bit about the square-toe loafers I had on.

Well, come on dude, it's Miami! A khaki or cream colored suit would have been perfectly appropriate

 

[thoffen]

That right there is why I refuse to wear pantyhose I did try on a pair, and immediately took them back off. I also don't wear makeup, and didn't think now was a good time to start. It leads to me standing out a little bit among the girls sometimes, but I don't really mind, I'd rather not be distracted the whole time wondering if I have a run in the stockings or if my makeup is on correctly. Guys are lucky they don't need to deal with such things.

Except stockings/hose are totally hot. My fiancee refuses to wear them...

Anyway...back on topic. Hooray for being comfortable and professional. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Textuality]

Except stockings/hose are totally hot. My fiancee refuses to wear them...

Anyway...back on topic. Hooray for being comfortable and professional. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Haha, yes, stockings are to make legs look better. Also the purpose of heels. I like the heels though... I feel like if you're looking at my legs close enough to tell if I am, or am not, wearing sheer stockings, then you are looking too closely and this interview has already taken a wrong turn somewhere...