I think that if after trying this suit on you still fill kind of so-so about it you might want to get another one. One thing you do not want to do is not feel confident and comfortable during your interview because it will show. I have found that Talbots has really nice and conservative suits albeit a higher price but they will put it together for you…just a thought.
Hi Andrea!
Your interview outfit sounds great to me! I’ve been going to interviews now since September, and I’ve seen an array of outfits. As long as you are not wearing something overtly flashy or casual you will be just fine. The important thing is to like what you are wearing and be yourself. If you want to post a picture of your outfit, I’d love to see what it looks like! I know I will end up complementing it because it sounds very nice.
I was even more neurotic than you are. I agonized over the shoes, the handbag, the earrings, the color of the pinstripes in my suit, the angle at which the pockets were sewn into the jacket, whether charcoal grey was conservative enough… None of these things matter! The interview is about meeting new people and letting them get to know you a little. They will only notice your clothes if something’s really wild. Now, that said, I have seen a few people who pushed the envelope, but it was always in the direction of the suit being too cute/trendy. (Those suits look like they come from Bebe or Express, and they are meant to be more of cocktail party/office-holiday-party suits. Whereas when I saw someone wearing a very professional but RED suit once, it was no big deal.) And who knows if this matters one bit in their interview outcome.
You will get different advice from different people, but take it all in stride. The interview is not a beauty pageant. Your clothes won’t be scrutinized.
After traipsing all over the greater Columbus area yesterday, I finally found a high quality consignment shop. They had a HUGE array of suits (skirt and pants), even a rack of “designer suits”. I purchased a very boring, conservative black wool Saville skirt suit. I have yet to decide what I’m wearing as a shirt, but I’m leaning toward my trusty purple silk shell (or my turqoise one)to liven it up a little.
I was reading the earlier posts about how people at one interview had dresses and etc and stuck out . . . probably very true in the interview setting. I laughed the other day though, when I saw a group of people being given the tour of the health sciences library (where I was studying), because the five of them all in their black/gray suits just screamed “med school interviews”.
Amy
Andrea, I would like to second the motion that you wear your outfit to one or more outings BEFORE going on your interview. You’ve previously talked about how you’re a birkies-and-jeans kinda person and so of course you are going to feel uncomfortable in an outfit that feels like “playing dressup” to you. On the day of your interview, you want to feel like a million bucks - you want to exude confidence and calm. You’ll be able to do this if you feel comfortable, if you can look at yourself in the mirror and go, “Hey! I look like a professional!” It’s basically a psych job on yourself but well worth practicing.
Your outfit sounds very nice, attractive and comfortable for you and professional in appearance. You will do fine.
Mary R.
I am reviving this all-important thread to make an announcement:
Paris Hilton is wearing my interview suit.
I saw it in a recent issue of People magazine, while I was waiting at the hospital for the volunteer director to arrive so I could quit my volunteer job. Paris has cut the skirt up QUITE A BIT, and for her interview blouse she chose a pink bikini top, but still–there it was, my suit, in full glory, no doubt about it. I could tell because it had the slanted upper pocket, the one I worried so much was going to look too racy or slick. Yep.
Either I’ve started a trend, or this explains a few rejections… Or maybe Paris will be starting med school this fall.
Grrr.