Women's Interview Clothing (thread #2)

[lol.psych]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Is the shirt collar supposed to be outside? Is it okay if the sleeves show? I am short and all the shirts i have tried on have long sleeves even the petite....

Most people I've seen wear their collars on the inside, but I kind of really like the appearance of the collar on the outside (for colorful shirts). It doesn't matter, honestly. Like, at all. Not even a little. Do whatever you need to to feel the most comfortable and confident, even if it means being the only person with the collar on the outside (which I've been... several times). Regarding sleeves - it doesn't matter if they show, as long as they're not significantly longer. If they're significantly longer than the suit sleeves, get the shirt tailored or tailor it yourself (or get your mom/grandma/etc to).

 

[scrubslover]

At one of my interviews my interviewer was like, did they tell you all to wear black suits today? Seriously, I want to see some color!

Moral of the story. If you come in anything appropriate, it doesn't matter at all the color, style, collar placement, whatever! They want to see that you're a qualified applicant who doesn't come in naked or wearing like a bigfoot costume.

 

[franniemeow07]

Not to be a contrarian (in matters unrelated to the stock market), but I am compelled to point out that there are people who appreciate a tasteful display of cleavage in a well tailored garmet. It demonstrates a certain self confidence and a lack of self consciousness that can be very appealing, especially in formal settings.

I know that the consensus seems to be no v-neck lines etc., but what if you have no cleavage whatsoever to show anyway? My intention isn't to wear anything underneath my suit deliberately low-cut (not even one IOTA), but I've found over the years that I just tend to look more like a little kid in a neckline that is straight horizontal across my neck (i.e. something slightly v-neck looks much better on me personally). I'm still deciding what kind of blouse/shell to wear under my suit, and am trying to tread the line between conservative and "too much" while minimizing the look of being 12 years old (which I already unfortunately do). Thoughts?

 

[tabrazinski]

I know that the consensus seems to be no v-neck lines etc., but what if you have no cleavage whatsoever to show anyway? My intention isn't to wear anything underneath my suit deliberately low-cut (not even one IOTA), but I've found over the years that I just tend to look more like a little kid in a neckline that is straight horizontal across my neck (i.e. something slightly v-neck looks much better on me personally). I'm still deciding what kind of blouse/shell to wear under my suit, and am trying to tread the line between conservative and "too much" while minimizing the look of being 12 years old (which I already unfortunately do). Thoughts?

for one of my interviews i wore a v-neck lightweight sweater. it wasn't low cut at all and no one even blinked. i think what people are warning against is showing a lot of cleavage, like a plunging V. you want to come across as professional, not like you're trying to seduce the interviewer.

also, most of the girls that i have seen wearing button downs have been collar out. funny that laina has been the opposite. i think collar out is cute and makes the whole thing a little more feminine just cuz the boys can't do it...

 

[ar2388]

i did collar in bc i think with the specific shirts i had, collar out was a little weird and awkward.. or maybe i jsut did it wrong lol

 

[violet7]

At one of my interviews my interviewer was like, did they tell you all to wear black suits today? Seriously, I want to see some color!

Moral of the story. If you come in anything appropriate, it doesn't matter at all the color, style, collar placement, whatever! They want to see that you're a qualified applicant who doesn't come in naked or wearing like a bigfoot costume.

I also don't understand everyone wearing black...When I walked into a waiting room for my recent interview I felt like it's a funeral gathering 🙂 I was the only person in the group not wearing a black suit (both girls and guys). I admit that I changed my mind last second and decided to go with a suit instead of a matching skirt/jacket combination, but at least it wasn't black, design was interesting, and I was wearing a dark pink shirt, which all together looked verry pretty 🙂

 

[Dr Lyss]

So far I haven't seen more than 3 people in a non-black color. I wanted to put a picture of my gray/blue combo but I have no idea how to do that.

 

[stixx]

I don't have my first interviews until this week...but seriously, even guys wear black? You almost never see that in the "real world." I went for charcoal grey personally...because I think black is pretty jarring on me. I thought that was as conservative as you can get, but I'll still stick out. 😳

 

[Dr Lyss]

I have only seen ONE guy not wear black. The shirt colors have all varied, some more daring than others, but all of the guys have worn black (minus the one brave soul that wore a pale green)

 

[violet7]

I don't have my first interviews until this week...but seriously, even guys wear black? You almost never see that in the "real world." I went for charcoal grey personally...because I think black is pretty jarring on me. I thought that was as conservative as you can get, but I'll still stick out. 😳

Yep, all guys in our group (30 people, approximately 65:35 guys:girls) were wearing black...

 

[beachblonde]

The black thing is absurd, isn't it?

Every interview I've been on I have been the only one not wearing black/dark navy/grey-so-dark-it's-essentially-black.

Black is not a good color on everybody, and there is no law saying you have to wear it! I have gotten many compliments on my suits because they look like a nice breath of fresh air amongst all that black.

I do get that it's easier to find a black suit (there are a ton out there), but it might be worth the extra effort to find a different color.

 

[linguini]

I don't know much about men's wear but I thought males were not supposed to wear black suits, except for truly formal events. Most of the male interviewers I've seen wore navy or charcoal suits. In my opinion, they look much better than those few I've seen in black suits.

 

[ami1983]

I have only seen ONE guy not wear black. The shirt colors have all varied, some more daring than others, but all of the guys have worn black (minus the one brave soul that wore a pale green)

i've seen multiple guys not wearing black (usually its a khaki-ish suit) and one guy even wore boots! 🙂

 

[ami1983]

The black thing is absurd, isn't it?

Every interview I've been on I have been the only one not wearing black/dark navy/grey-so-dark-it's-essentially-black.

Black is not a good color on everybody, and there is no law saying you have to wear it! I have gotten many compliments on my suits because they look like a nice breath of fresh air amongst all that black.

I do get that it's easier to find a black suit (there are a ton out there), but it might be worth the extra effort to find a different color.

what color is yours?

 

[beachblonde]

what color is yours?

I've got a couple....light grey, a grey pinstripe, tan, & black (which I don't wear very often). The grey pinstripe is my favorite.

 

[lol.psych]

The black thing is absurd, isn't it?

Every interview I've been on I have been the only one not wearing black/dark navy/grey-so-dark-it's-essentially-black.

Black is not a good color on everybody, and there is no law saying you have to wear it! I have gotten many compliments on my suits because they look like a nice breath of fresh air amongst all that black.

I do get that it's easier to find a black suit (there are a ton out there), but it might be worth the extra effort to find a different color.

I agree!! My first suit was black, because I had about two weeks to get it and it was the only one I could find that fit me even kind of well (I'm pretty tiny, and the only brands that make suits of my size are either juniors brands with ruffles and bows and sequins other terrible-looking stuff, or ultra-expensive name-brand European-based $750-for-just-the-jacket brands, and I happened to find a suit at an outlet mall that fit me in the nick of time). I later got a grey pinstriped suit, and I wear that one all the time (H&M for others of you who look like a little girl playing dress-up in her mom's closet in most suits)

 

[supergirl87]

The black thing is absurd, isn't it?

Every interview I've been on I have been the only one not wearing black/dark navy/grey-so-dark-it's-essentially-black.

Black is not a good color on everybody, and there is no law saying you have to wear it! I have gotten many compliments on my suits because they look like a nice breath of fresh air amongst all that black.

I do get that it's easier to find a black suit (there are a ton out there), but it might be worth the extra effort to find a different color.

i haven't been on this thread in ages. but yeah, i agree w/ you. black suits aren't for me. i wear a suit that is a nice shade of brown. yeah i stand out when i go for interviews among the sea of black suits... but standing out is a good thing, right? 🙂

 

[Druzie]

i haven't been on this thread in ages. but yeah, i agree w/ you. black suits aren't for me. i wear a suit that is a nice shade of brown. yeah i stand out when i go for interviews among the sea of black suits... but standing out is a good thing, right? 🙂

I have a brown suit too! And I am always the only one. So now if I meet another brown-suited woman, I'll know who she is. 😉

 

[Druzie]

Oh crap, that reminds me, I have to take my suit to the cleaners.

Just out of curiosity, how often do y'all get your suits cleaned? After each interview? After some serious sweating? 😉

 

[ami1983]

Oh crap, that reminds me, I have to take my suit to the cleaners.

Just out of curiosity, how often do y'all get your suits cleaned? After each interview? After some serious sweating? 😉

i didnt seriously sweat at any of mine, but i dry cleaned after 2 full day interviews. it didnt look like the wrinkles would get out just by hanging it in the bathroom while i showered 😉

 

[ar2388]

i was gonna dryclean my suit but my parents said that it not good to clean suits that often for some reason so i have no yet cleaned it... my shirts i have cleaned though

 

[beachblonde]

Even nice suits have a dry-cleaning lifespan of about 10 times. Dry-cleaning uses a lot of harsh chemicals, so keep that in mind.

Keep your shirts cleaned in order to preserve the lifespan of your suit, though.

To get some wrinkles out: dampen a (CLEAN) washcloth, and iron the suit using the washcloth between the iron and the suit material. Hanging the suit in the bathroom while running the shower sometimes works, the but the washcloth works better.

 

[SmartyPants85]

Hey guys--I'm a bit concerned. Everyone is talking about suits but I'm not doing a full suit--just half. I'm doing a white, collared, long sleeve shirt with buttons and suit pants. The shirt will be neatly tucked and I will wear low heels. I'm interviewing at University of South Florida, and there will be a lot of walking around, which leaves me to believe a jacket would be too hot....

So my question is, is it okay to not wear a full suit??

 

[juxhoo]

Hey guys--I'm a bit concerned. Everyone is talking about suits but I'm not doing a full suit--just half. I'm doing a white, collared, long sleeve shirt with buttons and suit pants. The shirt will be neatly tucked and I will wear low heels. I'm interviewing at University of South Florida, and there will be a lot of walking around, which leaves me to believe a jacket would be too hot....

So my question is, is it okay to not wear a full suit??

I think a suit is pretty much required. Out of the 5 interviews I've had, there was 1 where 2 girls weren't wearing suits, and they looked really out of place. I don't know how much the interviewers cared, but I think they were uncomfortable once they saw everyone else.

Also, at my USF interivew, everyone was in a suit. And while you do a lot of walking, most of it is inside, so you don't get too hot. Good luck at the interview, its a great school!

 

[beachblonde]

I wouldn't not wear a suit. A good number of medical schools say that they expect that the interviewees will be wearing suits and will be otherwise dressed appropriately. While a shirt + pants would be totally fine for a regular day at the office, I think it's best to err on the side of too dressed up for interviews.

 

[ar2388]

i agree.. wear a full suit. at one of my interviews there was a girl wearing a blouse and skirt and she stood out soooo much! and i dont think it was in a good way.. also, there was another girl in a black dress and that also looked odd... wear the suit

 

[hoya09]

Hey all-

Is it ok to wear (dark) grey pants w/ a black jacket and black shoes? It looks fine to me but I'm a t-shirt kind of person... If it matters, the shirt is white with black pinstriping. Thanks!

 

[LizzyM]

Hey all-

Is it ok to wear (dark) grey pants w/ a black jacket and black shoes? It looks fine to me but I'm a t-shirt kind of person... If it matters, the shirt is white with black pinstriping. Thanks!

I think that would be fine.

 

[hoya09]

Thank you LizzyM! I truly appreciate you taking the time to answer. It's my top choice school, so I'm trying my best to impress.

 

[efitzpat]

After a long search, I finally found a suit! (Thanks to whoever suggested H&M a few pages ago...). I really wanted to skirt suit, but could only find a pant suit that fit (and trust me, I tried everything). I've read that skirt suits are more appropriate, so is this a disadvantage? On the other hand, I am interviewing in some cold places this winter.
Thoughts?

 

[beachblonde]

After a long search, I finally found a suit! (Thanks to whoever suggested H&M a few pages ago...). I really wanted to skirt suit, but could only find a pant suit that fit (and trust me, I tried everything). I've read that skirt suits are more appropriate, so is this a disadvantage? On the other hand, I am interviewing in some cold places this winter.
Thoughts?

Pants are fine. People will say medicine is a more conservative field, skirts are better, yadda yadda but really, if you like the pants then wear them. I like my skirts, but if it's cold outside, there's no way wear I would wear them! I'm not a fan of shivering my way through interviews.

 

[LizzyM]

Medicine may be conservative but it is also very practical. I know of few women physicians in an academic setting who never wear slacks to work. In the cold weather it is becoming exceedingly rare to find women in skirts. (This was not the case a few decades ago when I first worked in academic settings).

 

[sunnysnow7]

so i just bought pants from NY&Co, but not the jacket because they did not have petite jackets in the store. i went online, but they were out of my size! is it not professional to have a matching suit? i was thinking about getting a solid black jacket. the pants is dark grey with pinstripes.

what do you think?

 

[LizzyM]

so i just bought pants from NY&Co, but not the jacket because they did not have petite jackets in the store. i went online, but they were out of my size! is it not professional to have a matching suit? i was thinking about getting a solid black jacket. the pants is dark grey with pinstripes.

what do you think?

I can honestly say that I have not noticed what interviewees have worn below the waist. I interview them sitting at a table or desk and I tend not to notice when they walk in the room.

Say what you want about Sarah Palin's politics but she always looked marvelous and I think she really brought the mis-matched suit to the fore.

 

[kac714]

Hey guys, I just got this in the grey and the purple. it looks WAY cuter on and under a suit. what you you think?

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/Wom...misblouses/PRDOVR~99284/99101587513/99284.jsp

 

[sunnysnow7]

I can honestly say that I have not noticed what interviewees have worn below the waist. I interview them sitting at a table or desk and I tend not to notice when they walk in the room.

Say what you want about Sarah Palin's politics but she always looked marvelous and I think she really brought the mis-matched suit to the fore.

Thanks for the input.

I still remember her hot red stilettos during (I think) the VP debate. I was shocked!

 

[efitzpat]

Any thoughts? I feel like the jacket makes me look wide and boxy, even though I had it tailored. But interviews are this week?!?!?!
Also, the skirt is separate from the suit, but just was wondering what people's thoughts were.

 

[Ariana85]

Any thoughts? I feel like the jacket makes me look wide and boxy, even though I had it tailored. But interviews are this week?!?!?!
Also, the skirt is separate from the suit, but just was wondering what people's thoughts were.

I think the skirt looks way better 🙂 It gives the whole outfit sort of a softer look, so the jacket doesn't look so boxy

 

[SDN2013]

Say what you want about Sarah Palin's politics but she always looked marvelous and I think she really brought the mis-matched suit to the fore.

Agreed. Sarah Palin's outfits looked a lot better than Hillary Clinton's. I never thought red and black would go together before.


And I personally think pants look better for taller (5"10' or so and up) girls, while skirts look better for shorter girls.

 

[ami1983]

Any thoughts? I feel like the jacket makes me look wide and boxy, even though I had it tailored. But interviews are this week?!?!?!
Also, the skirt is separate from the suit, but just was wondering what people's thoughts were.

its the jacket that makes you look kind of boxy- don't know your actual body but perhaps it needs to be taken in at the waist? the skirt looks better though.

edit: also ask someone in real life. pics don't do always do people justice 🙂

 

[efitzpat]

Thanks guys. I don't know what happened in the first picture, but it doesn't pull that the bust so that was just me standing weird or something. But I agree - its no good! I'm totally freaking out. I swear that I do have a cute little waist underneath that giant jacket! But it was the only thing that would button over my boobs! I'm flying in a few days early to visit family so, after a desperate phone call, I'm going to find somewhere that will take in the waist overnight. Hopefully that'll help. At least these schools aren't my top choices...

As for the skirt, I'm glad that it looks like it can go. However, I'll be interviewing in 30 degree weather, so pants might just be more comfortable...?

Note to all - big boobs are a total hassle

 

[EpiPEN]

Thanks guys. I don't know what happened in the first picture, but it doesn't pull that the bust so that was just me standing weird or something. But I agree - its no good! I'm totally freaking out. I swear that I do have a cute little waist underneath that giant jacket! But it was the only thing that would button over my boobs! I'm flying in a few days early to visit family so, after a desperate phone call, I'm going to find somewhere that will take in the waist overnight. Hopefully that'll help. At least these schools aren't my top choices...

As for the skirt, I'm glad that it looks like it can go. However, I'll be interviewing in 30 degree weather, so pants might just be more comfortable...?

Note to all - big boobs are a total hassle

I wonder how many guys actually read this thread too.

cuz posts like these are pretty hawt 😉


but lawsuits of sexual harassment aside, I will agree with the respected female colleagues of this forum. The jacket needs to be re-tailored to your body.

 

[SDN2013]

Note to all - big boobs are a total hassle

I don't understand the attraction of large breasts, maybe it's just me.

But yea, on second look at the pics, it looks like your boobs are popping through the suit. The suit is perhaps too small at the top or something?

 

[ar2388]

i also think the shirt is unbuttoned wayyy to low in the picture efitzpat

 

[stixx]

efitzpat, with the skirt I don't think the look is that bad. Obviously get the waist taken in for your next set of interviews, but don't stress over it for now. 🙂 Since the suit is tight around the bust, I wouldn't wear a cotton shirt...the suit is going to cause it to cinch and crease and look worse than it is.

Just in general, people should be sizing for the biggest part of their body. You can always get the rest taken in.

 

[beachblonde]

Just in general, people should be sizing for the biggest part of their body. You can always get the rest taken in.

qft!

Just because a jacket fits your shoulders does not mean it fits. It's always easier to have things taken in than out, as well.

 

[kac714]

i'd also maybe not wear a button down... it contributes to the boxiness i think.

 

[kac714]

Ok, I know this has been talked about before but: do you think adcoms would look negatively on a designer handbag? also, do you think a black longchamp
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2941048...gchamp+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

is nice enough? my only other black bags a coach or a kate spade (purses are my main indulgence)

 

[Ariana85]

I don't really think they would judge anybody by their handbag unless it was hot pink and fuzzy or something 🙂 I've just been using a small black leather coach purse because it was the only thing that matched my suit & I didn't think it was worth going out & buying a new bag

 

[LizzyM]

Ok, I know this has been talked about before but: do you think adcoms would look negatively on a designer handbag? also, do you think a black longchamp
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2941048...gchamp+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

is nice enough? my only other black bags a coach or a kate spade (purses are my main indulgence)

Not to knock my fellow interviewers but most wouldn't know a designer handbag if they were hit over the head with it. Plus, at least in "the city" the knock off bags are available on the street corners so you really can't judge an applicant by the bag she carries. I generally focus on eye contact and handshake & never notice the bag.