What should I wear?

[Haustier]

So I've got an interview next week and have no clue as to what I should be wearing for it. The only guidance given by the university is "casual attire" and "make sure you're wearing comfortable shoes." So I assuming definitely not a suit and probably not a tie either. One on hand I don't want to be under-dressed, but I also don't want to be over-dressed. Any suggestions?

[eklavya]

if you are a guy - khakis, shirt, sweater/jacket, nice shoes (leather shoes are better), combed hair and a smile

if you are a girl - no idea... i am a guy

but usually, though not mandatory, try to avoid jeans and t-shirts. in my opinion, more professional you look, better the positive impact you're gonna leave on the people you interview with. good luck on the interview!!

[JessP]

A nice shirt and some smart trousers. Or if you have a nice pair of jeans (dark is best) then that would look ok with a smart shirt.

[Roccoriel]

if you are a guy - khakis, shirt, sweater/jacket, nice shoes (leather shoes are better), combed hair and a smile

if you are a girl - no idea... i am a guy

but usually, though not mandatory, try to avoid jeans and t-shirts. in my opinion, more professional you look, better the positive impact you're gonna leave on the people you interview with. good luck on the interview!!

I'll help with the girls stuff!

As a girl, I'll say what I wore to my interviews (granted, they weren't official, and were pre-application, but first impressions are first impressions...). You can use it if you want, or not. I tend to overdress a bit, so take it with a grain of salt.

To one school, I wore a knee length black skirt, a white blouse and a black cardigan. I also wore black heels, but flats are totally acceptable (and a lot more practical), but I usually wear heels and am for some strange reason, more comfortable in them. To the other, I wore grey wool dress pants, a blouse, and a fuchsia cardigan, and heels. I would say the second outfit was more practical, and equally as dressy.

I imagine I over-dressed, but I also agree with the "looking professional leaves a positive impact" idea.

[phdsucceed]

I'll help with the girls stuff!

As a girl, I'll say what I wore to my interviews (granted, they weren't official, and were pre-application, but first impressions are first impressions...). You can use it if you want, or not. I tend to overdress a bit, so take it with a grain of salt.

To one school, I wore a knee length black skirt, a white blouse and a black cardigan. I also wore black heels, but flats are totally acceptable (and a lot more practical), but I usually wear heels and am for some strange reason, more comfortable in them. To the other, I wore grey wool dress pants, a blouse, and a fuchsia cardigan, and heels. I would say the second outfit was more practical, and equally as dressy.

I imagine I over-dressed, but I also agree with the "looking professional leaves a positive impact" idea.

It does sound like you might have overdressed a bit with the shoes and potentially the skirt (especially combined with the black & white), but it's a better side to err on. I think slacks, a blouse, and an optional sweater + flats work basically everywhere. (You and another member inspired me to write about this topic, but my post is pretty redundant to this thread.)

Edited March 3, 2011 by phdsucceed

[elunia]

This is an interesting thread for me. My mom is in clinical psych, and she told me ALL the women who interview at her program come in identical black or gray pants suits. So I wore a black pants suit (with sensible heels) to all my pre-application visits and official interviews, but since I'm applying in physical anthropology, I was repeatedly the only one in a suit! I only met one man and one other woman (tho she was applying to MD/PhD programs) in full-on suits.

So I felt over-dressed, but I kept wearing the suit because I feel like it's better to err on the side of looking "too" professional (definitely wouldn't go the tennis-shoe route, though I did have a few co-interviewees who did!) In the end it worked out, and I'm taking it down a notch (business casual) for accepted student visits.

[phdsucceed]

This is an interesting thread for me. My mom is in clinical psych, and she told me ALL the women who interview at her program come in identical black or gray pants suits. So I wore a black pants suit (with sensible heels) to all my pre-application visits and official interviews, but since I'm applying in physical anthropology, I was repeatedly the only one in a suit! I only met one man and one other woman (tho she was applying to MD/PhD programs) in full-on suits.

So I felt over-dressed, but I kept wearing the suit because I feel like it's better to err on the side of looking "too" professional (definitely wouldn't go the tennis-shoe route, though I did have a few co-interviewees who did!) In the end it worked out, and I'm taking it down a notch (business casual) for accepted student visits.

Clinical psych will definitely be more formal than any kind of 'basic' (i.e., strictly academic) science. Any field in which many researchers frequently interact in a professional capacity with the public will have better dressers. MDs are the same.

The only risk, and it's small, of overdressing in more academically oriented environments is that people might wonder if you're really familiar with academic culture, or if you're more interested in the corporate/professional world. Again, I'd say this risk is slight.

I've never once (in >8 y of academia at difference institutions) saw someone interviewing in a suit for a faculty position in a basic science department. Social science and the humanities are slightly dressier. Potential grad students definitely do not need to dress more formally than people interviewing for tenure-track positions.

Edited March 6, 2011 by phdsucceed