*What to wear during interviews?

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*zeek

Date:***2/11/2001 6:13 pm*PST

*

Just curious, but what are guys wearing to interviews?? Just a shirt & tie or full suit???

stupid question i know.

 

Z

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Ian Wong, MS2

Date:***2/11/2001 10:25 pm*PST

*

Stupid only if you didn't ask, and flubbed your interview as a result.

 

You definitely, without any question want a full suit. For the ladies, I'd suggest something that you might expect a female executive, or professional office to be wearing.

 

It seemed like most of the guys that I saw at the various interviews either had a dark navy suit, or a charcoal grey suit. Everyone played it safe, and as a result, looked the same. If you go with either of the above options, you'll definitely fit in. Myself, I went with a dark forest green suit with matching tie, and a white dress shirt. No sense looking like everyone else if you're trying to stand out just a bit.

 

The major thing to remember is that first impressions count. In fact, first impressions probably dominate the interview. Since the average interview lasts about an hour, you don't have that much time to change the first impression that you make on your interviewer. Therefore, you want to make that first impression a good one. In fact, the image that you want indelibly burned into the interviewer is the image of you as a doctor. Doctors dress professionally. Medicine is a very conservative field, dominated by old conservative doctors, and there's no sense messing with their stereotypes of what a doctor should be.

 

Save that for after they've accepted you. It's actually really funny to see. In orientation of first year, every is all dressed up and looking sharp. After the first month of class, people drift back into the student mentality and show up for class unshaven, wearing baseball caps and T-shirts, and with their old and comfy jeans.

 

A quick anecdote I heard while interviewing in Calgary. One of the first year med students there had a friend who wanted to present her "true self" to the interviewers. She walked into her interviews wearing her favourite pair of cords. Needless to say, she didn't get in.

 

Invest the money in a good suit: you'll be needing it for interviews and functions of all sorts in the future, no matter where you end it. Finally, if you get any interviews or rejections (perish the thought!), please add it to my topic "List of Rejections/Interviews."

 

Ian

Can, MS2

 

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[Guest hyualbertaca]

I have been an interviewer for over ten years with one of the major dental schools out west, private practitioner and part time faculty member. I have seen all kinds of outfits, hair do, rings etc. We understood the youth to-day. It is not what you wear, it is your attitude inside of you, that you put on on your expression on the outside. However, the marks that we give depends on your process of thinking so to evaluate on your common sense and ethics. As a health professional, we have seen and hear just about anything and everything. You can't hide or lie because we tried them all when we were youth many years ago---and it did not work well. So just be yourself and honest. Remember, the interviewers are trying to use the questions as jumping boards to know you better, so that we can give you a score. What you tell us should be your true self. The grading should not be subjective and there is a very fair set of rules to grade your answers. If you are a good person leading your future as a compassionate healer, you will excel well during the interview. On behalf of all interviewers, we all wish you the very best and hopefully, the very best of our future heal workers and patients.