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I only have one suit, but have several back-to-back interviews. Should I buy another (I guess its gonna be at least another $200 I don't have)? Or is wearing a suit over and over gonna be ok???
Suit
- Thread starter Gute
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Nobody (except other applicants following in your steps - and I had 3 or 4 "interview buddies" who appeared at 5-10 of my interview dates/sites all over the country) will notice you're wearing the same suit at back-to-back interviews. But having only 1 suit raises the likelihood that something bad will happen to it and you'll wind up having to wear it covered in mud or something. If you have a day or two between interviews, you can find somebody to clean it ($10-20 a pop) in a day. But the decreased stress is probably worth the $200.
If money is really that much of a problem (and I totally understand that it may be), check this out. Yes, it's probably a total POS, but think of it as a $60 insurance policy on your good suit. You could also consider going to a high-end second-hand store if there are any near you, and get a nice 2nd hand suit. I bought a Hart/Schaffner/Marx suit (retail ~$1K) for $45 at thrift store in NYC 10 years ago that I still wear regularly.
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Agree. Everyone needs a 2nd suit if you are going out on the road for many back to back interviews. It just takes one time for someone else to spill their coffee on you to make it unwearable for the next day. Many interviews finish late in the day and then you need to travel to your next interview site and potentially have a pre-interview invite the night before. No time to spend driving around looking for a 1 hour dry cleaner before you'll need it again. You might get your hotel to do it (if you are staying at a nice hotel, but realistically, if you can't afford a suit, you probably can't afford a hotel that provides dry-cleaning services or a concierge to track one down for you).
Bottom line, at least pick up an extra pair of pants and jacket that are the same color even if it's not a "suit." You can probably find something on sale that is suit-like at Kohl's for a total of ~$110 for pants and jacket if you are really in a bind. Places like Ross or Marshall's often also carry blazers and dress pants that could be "suit-like". Yours suits don't have to be fancy, they just have to look professional enough not to stand out. Judging the way most doctors dress, most of us wouldn't know an Armani if it bit us (myself included).
Bottom line, at least pick up an extra pair of pants and jacket that are the same color even if it's not a "suit." You can probably find something on sale that is suit-like at Kohl's for a total of ~$110 for pants and jacket if you are really in a bind. Places like Ross or Marshall's often also carry blazers and dress pants that could be "suit-like". Yours suits don't have to be fancy, they just have to look professional enough not to stand out. Judging the way most doctors dress, most of us wouldn't know an Armani if it bit us (myself included).
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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Do you have a friend/sibling who can loan you one of their suits for a few months or who would be willing to give you a suit they don't need any more? Obviously this will only work if you're about the same size/shape, but that's what I wound up doing. Fortunately, both my mom and my sister are much better dressers than I am, so I'm coming out the winner in the style department. 
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Boy, men's suits are way more expensive than women's suits. I just went to the Macy's website and sorted high to low for both - men had several starting at $795; all of the women's one's were $320 or less! You have my sympathy. I'm just at 1 suit myself ($180), but I think it is worth it to have an extra one.
I only have one suit and multiple weeks that will have back to back interviews and I'm OK with it. I'm too cheap to have two of something I probably won't wear again for another three years when I'm going on job interviews. Most cities have shopping malls/kohls/whatever other stores you could go to in case something did happen to your suit.
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If the only problem is a stain, dry cleaning can be done quickly and is generally not that big a problem. But consider this situation... I noticed a rip in my suit when I got back from my first interview last week. Since I have another IV this week, I took the suit to a tailor immediately but he said it would take 10 days to repair. I have other suits so this wasn't a huge deal for me, but if it were my only one, it would have caused extra anxiety that I really don't need right now.
D
deleted311769
10 days is a really long time to repair a rip. you need a new tailor.
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I took it to Brooks Brothers since the suit was originally from them. I'd much rather have them repair it than a random tailor. Regardless of whether you think 10 days is long or not, the point of my post is that stuff happens and, in my opinion, it's worth having a backup suit.
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Sort of related...
What's the best way to transport a suit on the airplane so that it doesn't get too wrinkly? How are other people carrying their suits on the plane?
Thanks!
What's the best way to transport a suit on the airplane so that it doesn't get too wrinkly? How are other people carrying their suits on the plane?
Thanks!
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I appreciate that, but most airplanes don't have a closet that you can use. Some do.
D
deleted311769
it fits in the overhead compartment.
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Pack it inside out, wrapped around soft clothes in your carry-on. Or wear it. Then hang it in a steamy bathroom (after a shower) to get the wrinkles out.
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Pack it in the plastic bag from the dry cleaners, and leave some air in the bag so it's not squished up against everything else.
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And these are at least equal to and much, much cheaper:
http://www.westelm.com/products/hanging-garment-bag-a464/?pkey=call-sale
I bought a bunch of these for storage and travel and they're great. If you rolled this up, it would honestly be ~no different than those other bags.
http://www.westelm.com/products/hanging-garment-bag-a464/?pkey=call-sale
I bought a bunch of these for storage and travel and they're great. If you rolled this up, it would honestly be ~no different than those other bags.
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Agreed. Suits are expensive! My compromise was buying both the skirt and the pants to my suit, so if I mess up one pair I can wear the other. If I mess up the jacket or the shirt, as stated above there are 1hr dry cleaners and local shopping.
Agreed. The logic that needing to repair a tear is a reason to buy a whole new suit is countered by the logic that some tailors will do a rush job for you and get it fixed by the next day or perhaps later that night if you bribe them and the chances that your brand new $2-300 suit will get a tear is slim. Or it should be. Or you could buy a mini-sewing kit and do a quick fix yourself.There are a lot of things to get neurotic about in the interview season. Repeat wearing of the same suit isn't one of them, IMHO. Figuring out flights and travel bs is way more complicated.
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What are the risks and benefits of purchasing another suit versus only owning one suit that you are going to venture out into the mean and nasty world wearing, on a multiple-leg trip?
True, James Bond probably would not bring an extra suit.
This is actually a harder question than I thought it was... never mind...
True, James Bond probably would not bring an extra suit.
This is actually a harder question than I thought it was... never mind...
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My roommate has only one suit, and on one interview she had someone dropped an entire gallon of orange juice, which splattered all over a bunch of people. Luckily she was in that city an extra night since she had a day off between interviews and she had time to go to the dry cleaners, if she was rushing to catch a plane that could have been a major problem.
I think the odds of stuff like that happening is pretty small, but it does happen.
I think the odds of stuff like that happening is pretty small, but it does happen.
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The skyroll bag, once you have a suit in, will exceed most airline's limits on carry-on. You'll probably be safe (judging from the refrigerator-sized carry-on people try to sneak past), but there's the risk of them forcing you to check it.
I like this one. Just google carry-on garment bag-style luggage and you'll find loads. I went with one a little more expensive because it's a good brand that takes a pounding.
And for folks doing multiple weeks of more than 2 interviews per week, you're going to look a lot more frayed than your suit. If it's low-end residencies you don't care about, go for it. If it's a program you're actually really hoping to attend, don't do it as a back-to-back. You may think you won't show the interview fatigue, but you will.
