Dressing for interviews

[kokobanana]

2 hours ago, SysEvo said:

Does a girl have to wear soft and light makeups just for interview?

For interviews, I'd keep makeup natural and simple. Basically, you don't want to be remembered as the girl that wore crazy lipstick or over the top anything. So if you think it could be considered sexy, I'd definitely avoid it. Similarly, avoid anything low cut on top and anything short on bottom (keep skirts below the finger tips).

Remember, you want people to remember you for your brain, not your looks.

[SysEvo]

1 minute ago, kokobanana said:

For interviews, I'd keep makeup natural and simple. Basically, you don't want to be remembered as the girl that wore crazy lipstick or over the top anything. So if you think it could be considered sexy, I'd definitely avoid it. Similarly, avoid anything low cut on top and anything short on bottom (keep skirts below the finger tips).

Remember, you want people to remember you for your brain, not your looks.

I never wear make-ups in my entire life...Just not sure if make-ups is required for business casual style... I'd be really happy if it is not required. Thanks!

[RM17]

26 minutes ago, SysEvo said:

I never wear make-ups in my entire life...Just not sure if make-ups is required for business casual style... I'd be really happy if it is not required. Thanks!

I don't think you need to wear makeup - I did and will, but it's something I do on a regular basis (like, when I see participants I put on mascara lol). I somewhat "toned it up" for interviews (I'm talking like, tinted moisturizer, mascara, and eyeliner, MAYBE some lightly tinted lip balm or something - it was not a lot). I don't think interviews are a great time to try makeup for the first time. If you want to you can maybe practice a bit beforehand, but I'd just say do what makes you feel comfortable! IIRC, no one had crazy noticeable makeup and if they did I don't think it would've stood out in a good way...

[RM17]

1 hour ago, Cervello said:

Were you, by chance, interviewing for neuro programs? I know that guys wear suits for med school interviews but I had the impression that for neuro phd programs, a dress shirt and chinos with a sport jacket would be appropriate. 

Yeah I don't think I saw many/any guys in suits at my interviews last year (for neuro)...what you're describing sounds more like what I saw.

[Bioenchilada]

7 hours ago, Cervello said:

Were you, by chance, interviewing for neuro programs? I know that guys wear suits for med school interviews but I had the impression that for neuro phd programs, a dress shirt and chinos with a sport jacket would be appropriate. 

I was interviewing for cancer biology programs, but there were neuro people interviewing with me as well at some schools. Like @pupperoni, I'm at a top tier school, but my experience is different. In the end, as long as you don't feel underdressed, it's fine, but I don't think that suits are by no means overkill. 

[kokobanana]

8 hours ago, SysEvo said:

I never wear make-ups in my entire life...Just not sure if make-ups is required for business casual style... I'd be really happy if it is not required. Thanks!

Oh its definitely not required. I assumed (incorrectly) that you wanted to wear really heavy makeup, and that is not recommended at interviews. I think it woukd be completely fine if you didn't wear makeup.

[kokobanana]

9 hours ago, Cervello said:

Were you, by chance, interviewing for neuro programs? I know that guys wear suits for med school interviews but I had the impression that for neuro phd programs, a dress shirt and chinos with a sport jacket would be appropriate. 

I think you have the right idea - A suit would probably be overkill. I saw one person at my Columbia and OHSU interviews wear a suit. If it makes you feel more confident and comfortable, I think you could wear one, but you would probably be the only person wearing one. Most of the guys wore slacks and a button down shirt, no tie. A few guys wore dark colored jeans. One guy wore sneakers, and I thought he looked out of place. One guy wore bow ties all weekend at my Harvard interview, which was fun and memorable! 

If you are worried, as someone earlier suggested on this thread, you could bring a backpack with extra clothes or a tie. You will have breaks and would have time to change if you felt under or over dressed. And usually they will have a place you can drop off your bag, either in an administrative office or a lab with your student host.

[aquamarine]

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 0:55 AM, RM17 said:

I think when you're at events during the interview that are supposed to be "casual" you can wear essentially whatever you'd like, though I definitely tried to be on the more professional side. I think i wore dark jeans, a nice-ish shirt and a cardigan, with weatherproof boots (for cold climates) and probably flats or something in warmer climates -- maybe non-athletic sneakers. Keep in mind that you won't always have a chance to change between events, so you might just be wearing whatever you wore that day.

I tried to err on the side of caution and it seemed to pay off (I did get in); this year, all of the emails from schools I've applied to keep reiterating that it's casual and that you should be comfortable. I have more schools in frigid climates this year than last year, but for all faculty meetings and events during the day, I still plan to wear either fleece-lined tights with a dress/skirt-blouse combo, or a slacks/blouse...even though I've lived in colder climes for almost a decade, the shoes might take some thinking, because I've got some schools in the upper midwest this year and that's a whole different ball game

 

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 10:26 AM, kokobanana said:

Anything casual but still nice - non interview days are usually full of activities like hosting tours, museums, visiting the campus, etc. I wold avoid anything "distressed". A nice blouse / shirt and pants would be fine.

Keep in mind that some places with nicer weather (california) do more outdoor activities, so you'll want to bring something that you can participate in the activities. For example, we went sea kayaking on one interview, and you really needed a swimsuit under your clothes because everyone was soaked. Sun screen is also a good idea to bring to california, even during February/March.

Thanks! Y'all are awesome.

[Cervello]

9 hours ago, kokobanana said:

I think you have the right idea - A suit would probably be overkill. I saw one person at my Columbia and OHSU interviews wear a suit. If it makes you feel more confident and comfortable, I think you could wear one, but you would probably be the only person wearing one. Most of the guys wore slacks and a button down shirt, no tie. A few guys wore dark colored jeans. One guy wore sneakers, and I thought he looked out of place. One guy wore bow ties all weekend at my Harvard interview, which was fun and memorable! 

If you are worried, as someone earlier suggested on this thread, you could bring a backpack with extra clothes or a tie. You will have breaks and would have time to change if you felt under or over dressed. And usually they will have a place you can drop off your bag, either in an administrative office or a lab with your student host.

Thanks! I was planning, and prefer, wearing chinos with a dress shirt and probably a sport jacket. Just wasn't sure if I needed to wear a tie. Now I have my answer. 

In the meantime, hoping to get a few more interviews. 

[Born-to-pipette]

Thanks everyone for the input! Following the sentiment of suits being overkill for men, would a pantsuit outfit for women similarly be overkill or "just right" or "perfect for only schools that don't instruct us to dress for comfort"? I was thinking of going for a button down viscose shirt with a blazer/matching slacks (not the outfit pictured below, that's just an example). Should I try to dress it down a bit? Go for a 3/4 length blazer / no blazer at all?

[bioinformaticsGirl]

On 12/27/2016 at 9:36 PM, SysEvo said:

Does a girl have to wear soft and light makeups just for interview?

If you've never worn makeup in your life, I would probably just skip it. You want to feel comfortable during the interview, and in my experience, if you wear light makeup, most guys won't really notice the difference. If you want to make a bit more effort, I'd recommend tinted chapstick since it feels just like regular chapstick, but gives you some natural color.

[bioinformaticsGirl]

17 hours ago, Born-to-pipette said:

Thanks everyone for the input! Following the sentiment of suits being overkill for men, would a pantsuit outfit for women similarly be overkill or "just right" or "perfect for only schools that don't instruct us to dress for comfort"? I was thinking of going for a button down viscose shirt with a blazer/matching slacks (not the outfit pictured below, that's just an example). Should I try to dress it down a bit? Go for a 3/4 length blazer / no blazer at all?

Disclaimer: I've never interviewed for a PhD program before, but I would probably say a pant suit is overdressed. I generally follow a rule of thumb of dressing one step above what's normally expected for the job during interviews. In this case, I would wear a nice blouse and slacks/skirt with flats or boots. If you're interviewing in cold weather, try a wool peacoat in a neutral color for outerwear.

Edited December 30, 2016 by bioinformaticsGirl

[Bioenchilada]

12 hours ago, bioinformaticsGirl said:

Disclaimer: I've never interviewed for a PhD program before, but I would probably say a pant suit is overdressed. I generally follow a rule of thumb of dressing one step above what's normally expected for the job during interviews. In this case, I would wear a nice blouse and slacks/skirt with flats or boots. If you're interviewing in cold weather, try a wool peacoat in a neutral color for outerwear.

Well, the interviews are more often than not business casual, so one step above would be business formal. 

[Katyya]

Business formal is a pant suit. I'd expect that from medical school and MSTP interviews.

I'm planning on wearing a button down shirt (white or light blue), a grey pencil skirt and either a matching blazer or a black blazer matching black heels. Dressing professionally is such a hassle but honestly it makes me feel so much more self confident. Even if you are a very sporty person and don't usually dress professionally, it shows respect for the people you're interviewing with that you went an extra mile and outside of your comfort zone to dress well and blend in. 

[Bioenchilada]

21 minutes ago, Katyya said:

Business formal is a pant suit. I'd expect that from medical school and MSTP interviews.

I'm planning on wearing a button down shirt (white or light blue), a grey pencil skirt and either a matching blazer or a black blazer matching black heels. Dressing professionally is such a hassle but honestly it makes me feel so much more self confident. Even if you are a very sporty person and don't usually dress professionally, it shows respect for the people you're interviewing with that you went an extra mile and outside of your comfort zone to dress well and blend in. 

Yeah, most people will either be wearing business casual or business formal. As long as you're somewhere along this spectrum, you'll be fine. However, as I've said before, I do NOT think that wearing a suit is overkill. I have classmates that wore business formal to their interviews with me. I DO think that it's not required to get a suit if you don't have one though. 

[4eyes]

Part of the appeal of not being a business, med, or law student is that your physical appearance/ fashion choices normatively shouldn't (and hopefully don't) affect your interview game. On a daily basis, grad students and post docs show up to lab in t-shirts, hoodies, and jeans. Of course, interviews are "exceptional" in some respects, but a large part of the reason why interviewees dress up is because they don't want to be the under-dressed odd one out -- it's more game theory than it is rational. No matter what you look like, at the end of the day, you should feel comfortable with however you chose to dress and however you choose to do your hair/ make-up (especially women), simply because the onus is on other people to judge you for who you are and not how you look.

Re: @kokobanana 's advice on wearing "non-sexy" make-up: I don't think this is entirely fair -- wear however much or however little make-up you feel is appropriate, whether or not people think you look sexy. (chances are you're all an incredibly sexy bunch regardless, and your make-up choices won't change that). I am a bit tired of women being told to dress attractively but not enticingly -- you shouldn't be made to feel you were unprofessionally dressed just because someone thought you looked hot. 

Also re: advice that "sneakers look out of place" -- this is, in my experience, untrue. Sneakers are great for traversing campus and probably look totally fine with whatever you're wearing. 

The dress-up game is one more way in which international minorities, women, and less privileged students are made to feel inadequate for reasons which have absolutely nothing to do with genuine merit -- so dress however you want to, and own it. No serious scientist is going to look at you funny 'cause you wore nikes instead of dress shoes. Be understanding and sensitive to your peers, regardless of how they look, and don't make people feel out of place come interview weekend just because they didn't choose to perpetuate the power and class stereotypes which make prestigious academic institutions so homogenous in the first place. 

 

[kokobanana]

I didn't realize that my previous comment regarding makeup was so controversial. I would like to clarify - I made my comment was made incorrectly assuming that the poster wanted to know what kind of makeup to wear. Wearing make up is COMPLETELY optional - heck, I only do it half the time. I would still recommend avoiding anything over-the-top because it is an interview.

First impressions do count. And while that sucks because people can easily make quick judgements about you before getting to know you - this is an interview weekend and you will see many people only once. Therefore, I would still recommend presenting yourself with this in mind. Interview weekend is not just a formality, there will be people invited to interview but not offered a spot later on.

As someone that went to multiple interview weekends, there was a wide range of interpretations of "business casual". I saw suits on some, jeans and sneakers on others, and rarely, someone who looked like they rolled out of bed in their bar clothes from the previous night.

@4eyes I agree that most PIs probably wouldn't even notice how you are dressed, but there are some that might. And ultimately, you are at your interviews to get a chance to know the program, and the program to get to know you. I want all the interviewees to be remembered for their awesome research, their unique experiences, and their general awesomeness.

So my advice (and again, this is just advice from someone that went through the process): dress comfortably for your interviews. Dress in a way that makes you feel confident. But if I were you, and my admission to the program was not set in stone, I'd play it safe.

[TakeruK]

I think @4eyes is very right about how our appearances should not affect how our work is judged. I hope to be part of an academic community where people can dress and wear (or not wear) makeup as they please. But I don't think we are entirely there yet. I was surprised a few months ago by a colleague (slightly older than me, but definitely still part of the "young" generation that is supposedly more progressive) commenting on a woman's attire at a conference in a negative way because it was "too sexy". My friend and I confronted him about this but I'm not sure we made an impact. I am pretty sure this person would never say anything to that woman directly about her attire, but clearly they would still judge others on it and would even comment to others about it. 

Because of that experience and other similar ones in the past years, I try to encourage academia to go in the directions of the ideals in @4eyes post but also recognize that the reality isn't there yet and generally lean towards what @kokobanana wrote above about first impressions. I think that while in order to effect change, people need to start "pushing the envelope", but at the same time, grad student candidates are in a pretty vulnerable position and doing so would be quite risky. When people ask me about these topics, I try to avoid advising directly for or against "pushing the envelope". Instead, I generally say something like what @4eyes wrote above, and then follow up with what @kokobanana said about first impressions and being remembered for their research/experiences instead of their clothes. Then I emphasize that it is important to be comfortable (both physically comfortable in the clothes and also being comfortable/confident in their choices) and I support whatever route they choose to take. 

I am not in biology, but I am hopeful and optimistic about improved climate/environment in the sciences for the future for issues like this. For these things, I really think the onus is on the people in charge to change things. People interviewing for PhD, postdoc, or faculty positions are on the "wrong" side of the power balance to make a real difference. So, one thing I keep in mind is to be okay with choosing to "fit in" (for example, wearing what's expected rather than to make a statement) for now. For other issues, I now have a little more security/influence as a senior grad student than when I was a new grad student (e.g. approaching faculty about changing degree requirements, course instruction, fairness in qualifying exams etc.) and I use that where I can to make a difference. But some bigger things are still out of my ability to make a difference, so they go on a list of things to work on when I have some power to change them (e.g. maybe getting admissions committees to undergo unconscious bias training if I ever end up on such a committee).

[Raptor Science Activate]

I frequently have to go back and forth between patient procedures and the lab bench, so I'm planning on wearing some of my clinic dresses.  I'll pair with low-heeled booties, a camisole for modesty, and black leggings for warmth.  I own a suit, but I feel ridiculous in it.  I'd rather wear something I'm used to working in.

 

Edited December 31, 2016 by Raptor Science Activate

[RM17]

36 minutes ago, Raptor Science Activate said:

I frequently have to go back and forth between patient procedures and the lab bench, so I'm planning on wearing some of my clinic dresses.  I'll pair with low-heeled booties, a camisole for modesty, and black leggings for warmth.  I own a suit, but I feel ridiculous in it.  I'd rather wear something I'm used to working in.

I also work with human research participants, which I feel like helps when it comes to having generally "presentable" clothes that you are used to wearing in a work setting. I wear dresses almost exclusively in the summer (in part because it's too hot to think of wearing anything else lol), though in the winter I get lazy and wear skinny ankle pants like every day haha. I'm honestly pretty excited to wear them again at my California interviews. And maybe my Penn interview if I'm brave enough -- last year I wore a skirt/blouse and dress/blazer as my 2 outfits in a cold place, and I don't remember freezing too badly..I'm not brave enough to do that in the upper midwest though haha.

I definitely think it's a benefit to wear something you're comfortable in! Just in general, having clothes you know fit you and know you can wear all day without tugging or pinching or itching is a huge plus. So much of interviewing is uncomfortable, and knowing your clothes won't be can go a long way.

 

[immuno91]

So, we were discussing this at a dinner the other day, but I just thought I would post it here for everyone interviewing this year. Every year in Boston there is at least one person that comes to an interview without a jacket. Please don't be that person (I have faith in all of you because you care enough about the process to be on this site, but I just thought I would emphasize this). Remember to dress appropriately for the weather wherever you're going!

Also, anyone interviewing at the University of Washington, I would highly recommend bringing a rain jacket instead of an umbrella. When I was there all of the students recommended rain jackets because the rain is more of a mist that you'll be walking through. And when I used an umbrella, I still got fairly wet, but the next day when I switched to a rain jacket things were good.

[Born-to-pipette]

So, we are thinking business casual for day-of-interviews and then dressy casual for the other days, even if we'll be attending presentations/poster sessions/receptions, unless otherwise indicated?

[RM17]

On 1/3/2017 at 7:37 PM, Born-to-pipette said:

So, we are thinking business casual for day-of-interviews and then dressy casual for the other days, even if we'll be attending presentations/poster sessions/receptions, unless otherwise indicated?

I think that's probably about right. I know that for one of my interviews, we had 2 days of activities (like, 1.5 of interviews) and at a certain point we had some down time and they basically told us we should change then because the rest of the evening was casual...we like, had a poster session/mixer with grad students and faculty, then hung out with current students.

I honestly think that as long as you are 1) not wearing jeans to your interviews (although I saw people doing that...don't know how it worked out for them...) and 2) not wearing super-distressed, revealing, and/or offensive clothes (like, I don't know, racist statement tees), at any point during the recruitment weekend you're probably totally fine. 

Unless one of your interview events is a hike with faculty/students/others (which is the case for one of mine), in which case I guess that's out the window lol

Also layers, always layers. Even if you're going to California -- I can attest to the fact that it is a big state and not all parts of it are warm all the time

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, RM17 said:

Also layers, always layers. Even if you're going to California -- I can attest to the fact that it is a big state and not all parts of it are warm all the time

And the places that are really warm most of the time are in a literal desert. It will get much colder at night!

[VirologyPhDinTraining]

First, my situation isn't typical. So take what I will say with a grain of salt. I went with very business casual. Expensive jeans, nice white button down shirt and a blazer. I got into all programs I interviewed for as well. Now the reason I say take this with a grain of salt is that I walked in with a masters, multiple first author publications, 3 long, very strong letters of rec, two from people well recognized in their fields. And the real kicker is that I am now in a program I didn't even apply for.

I would say that dress is the last thing I would be concerned about. I would practice interviewing, being able to talk fluently about any research you have done, and ask intelligent questions about their research (I would suggest, once you know who you are interviewing with read all pubs out of their lab in the as 2-3 years).