Med School Interview

Go with the powersuit!

Dark blue suit, white shirt, low-key tie with some red in it.

People have done all sorts of studies on how color combinations of your suit affects people blah blah. This is supposed to be the most appealing.

Hey bud,

Here’s a consideration being in Canada at the time.

We are going through an election, any tie that has orange, blue or red in it I would avoid. I might be sounding critically harsh, but let’s say you wear a red tie, the guy might assume your bleeding liberal, he might be a hardcore NDP supporter.

As far as suits go, I wear one every day…they do end up getting tedious, but they end up being faster in gettign ready at the end of it.

Dark suits look better on white guys. Skin tone is very important in shirt selections. You look olive, so you won’t go wrong with starched white but it’s goign to then lend itself to a brighter tie which so others have suggested may draw attention in a bad way? I personally wouldn’t care about a bright tie…if you look and feel confident it will come out in the interview and it helps to feel good. I’m in sales…it’s important for me tooo…I do many interviews during the day!

Anyways, can’t go wrong with dark suit white shirt. You’d look fine in light blue, but your seem to have lilghter hair which won’t contrast as well. Find something that works well with your face tones. If you have redish blotching fair skin, do not buy something that accentuates that. Chance are you’ll be red faced enough from nerves during the interview…no need to make it worse!

Also, unbutton when sitting with single breast…also leaving it undone while standing might lend you to nervously put your hands in pocket, which isn’t good. So leave it done up while chatting, yes as Zap stated, bottom button undone.

Sit down, unbutton and relax.

Good luck buddy, we need more docs in CDN.

Cheers,

T

Are you interviewing in the States? If by any chance you are coming to Connecticut, PM me.

BTW…I agree with Chinadoll’s wardrobe pick. We just love that old blue and khaki here in New Haven. Professor X is correct except for one small point. Your admissions interviewer may be female.

Best of luck.

I think you are overthinking this. But you should not wear mismatched pants and jacket to an interview, and you definitely should not wear jeans. Wear a normal suit. Black’s fine. Probably preferable.

[quote]chinadoll wrote:
The blue shirt, dark blue jacket, tie and khakis I feel is the best outfit…you look like a doc who has visited the hospital to attend a meeting (I work in the medical field, and this one really fits in). The baby/ceil blue is a good call…close in color to hospital blues…“when in Rome do as the Romans do” and dress like a doc. Good call.[/quote]

Khakis might be ok. Although my brother-in-law is a resident at UPenn and he always wore a suit for interviews. I have an interview at a law firm myself on Monday. I am wearing a suit. At least for law, that is what’s appropriate.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Worked most of the time if not every time that I can remember.[/quote]

I’m sure it was the suit that did it and had nothing to do with your preparedness or competance…of course I know you know that but the fact that this guy is worrying about what hell he is going to wear worries me. As long as the guy doesn’t look like a total moron I doubt the color of his tie will make one iota of difference. Hell most of my engineering prof’s didn’t even wear matching socks and they seem to have done ok.

[quote]pja wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Worked most of the time if not every time that I can remember.

I’m sure it was the suit that did it and had nothing to do with your preparedness or competance…of course I know you know that but the fact that this guy is worrying about what hell he is going to wear worries me. As long as the guy doesn’t look like a total moron I doubt the color of his tie will make one iota of difference. Hell most of my engineering prof’s didn’t even wear matching socks and they seem to have done ok.
[/quote]

LOL, or shoes.

Like the suit. White shirt. Dark tie, not too busy on the pattern. Get the suit pressed and the shoes shined.

The interview advice was good. I’ll add this…be enthusiastic. It makes the interviewer fell good about you and it makes you feel good about yourself during the process. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is down or boring in an interview. Sell yourself. Enthusiasm sells and I am sure they would like to see that in a student.

Good Luck!!

[quote]Kuz wrote:
I would go with the outfit in your very first post. For something as formal as an interview (whether for school or a job), I am a firm believer that you really can’t overdress. It shows you are taking it all seriously and seeking to act in a professional manner.

In terms of the jacket buttoned or unbuttoned, I would go with unbuttoned (unless it is double-breasted and then that would just look odd, but I don’t like double-breasted suit jackets anyway).[/quote]

I have to disagree slightly. You can “overdress” if the interviewer thinks you’re going way too far. An obvious example would be a tux – a less obvious example might be French cuffs with extra nice cufflinks, a tie pin and a pocket square… You don’t want to either over- or under-dress. There are no absolute rules on something, but given the purpose of an interview, if you have to ask the question, avoid it.

My favorite interview outfit:

Charcoal grey two-button suit
White pinpoint collar shirt
Freshly shined black wing tips (by all means wear lace-ups)
One of my various blue silk ties

On the buttoned or unbuttoned question: buttoned when standing, unbuttoned when seated.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

Your interviewer won’t give a shit what color the tie is. If it stands out too much, it will count against you. They will discuss each of you after you leave, which means your name being tossed around will be based on your NATURAL ability to relate to the guy asking you questions, appearing at ease during the questioning, and your ability to convey a true interest in helping others.

Body stance should include NEVER…NEVER…NEVER crossing your arms. Keep your hands on your kness or in an open position. It conveys being open. Crossing your arms conveys either your attempt to hide something or an attempt to keep others out of your personal space. In other words, you will look shady.

Do NOT fake your personality. If you don’t find a joke funny, don’t sit there laughing for 10 minutes just to kiss the interviewer’s ass. They see tons of guys like you and I am sure they get tired of it.

Realize your interviewer is human. I had one who became my true friend later on. In fact, his home phone number is still in my cell phone and I could call him tomorrow and he would ask why I haven’t visited. His personal character traits include telling the same jokes for the past better part of a decade that I have known him. I still smile at them, half “chuckle” and move on.

Accept the personality of your interviewer but don’t kiss his ass. You are often much more transparent than you may think, especially to an academic.

Other than that, relax and play yourself up. Mention community service, extra curricular activities and such. They already have your grades. They don’t really need you to act as if your GPA is all you have to offer. There are millions of people just like you.[/quote]

Excellent advice from the Prof.

I’ll add that, w/r/t body language, read your interviewer, and attempt to kind of “mimic” his/her body language - i.e. if he’s excited and leaning forward, do the same; if he’s leaning back, do that.

And don’t fidget. =-)

A suit/shirt that fits correctly and a decent tie knot trumps all other considerations.

Nick

I think there are two things which stand out above all else here.

  1. Whichever suit you wear, make sure to take it and get it adjusted. I don’t think they fit you well (looks too baggy). While suit color/tie color etc. might make a difference, nothing is more noticeable (or says more about you) than “how” you wear your clothes, not what clothes you wear.

  2. Along the same note, practice good posture, it makes a world of difference. An interviewer will, whether subconciously or not, judge your posture as a measure of your ability and confidence in your own application.

Picked up a very very light blue shirt as well as a white shirt today (2 pack for $20) and a dark navy silk tie for $7.5. The white shirt looks like I?m going to a wedding, so I’m going to wear this combination.

For those that are interested, the interview is at MUN in Newfoundland. I believe I am prepared for the actual interview; however feeling confident about what I am wearing will undoubtedly affect my performance in a positive way. Additionally I have never dressed up for anything in my life, except for my prom, which is the reason I asked for other?s opinions in the first place.

[quote]ohagajosh wrote:
Picked up a very very light blue shirt as well as a white shirt today (2 pack for $20) and a dark navy silk tie for $7.5. The white shirt looks like I?m going to a wedding, so I’m going to wear this combination.

For those that are interested, the interview is at MUN in Newfoundland. I believe I am prepared for the actual interview; however feeling confident about what I am wearing will undoubtedly affect my performance in a positive way. Additionally I have never dressed up for anything in my life, except for my prom, which is the reason I asked for other?s opinions in the first place.
[/quote]

That’s a winner. Now you look like an applicant.

Looking sharp now.

Get some drops for those eyes though.

This latest suit looks great. Now, tie your tie in a full windsor knot. It is the traditional trapezoidal-looking knot. Nothing looks sloppy like the 5-second over-and-around, caught in the elevator door decapitation knot. The full windsor hides the top button, especially with a button-down or tab-collar, and it sits nicely. -Starkdog

[quote]ohagajosh wrote:
Picked up a very very light blue shirt as well as a white shirt today (2 pack for $20) and a dark navy silk tie for $7.5. The white shirt looks like I?m going to a wedding, so I’m going to wear this combination.

For those that are interested, the interview is at MUN in Newfoundland. I believe I am prepared for the actual interview; however feeling confident about what I am wearing will undoubtedly affect my performance in a positive way. Additionally I have never dressed up for anything in my life, except for my prom, which is the reason I asked for other?s opinions in the first place.
[/quote]

Wow. Looks great. Good luck in the interview!

As a fourth-year med student graduating soon, I have to agree with the advice so far:

-dark suit (matching)
-white shirt!
-“conservative” tie
-ALWAYS leave the bottom button of the suit unbuttoned

Other than that, just be yourself, while highlighting all of your accomplishments so far. The interview is important only if you really screw it up or leave a bad impression. Good luck, it’s not really that bad! And pull that tie knot all the way up to touch your collar, so you can’t see the 1st button!

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
Kuz wrote:
I would go with the outfit in your very first post. For something as formal as an interview (whether for school or a job), I am a firm believer that you really can’t overdress. It shows you are taking it all seriously and seeking to act in a professional manner.

In terms of the jacket buttoned or unbuttoned, I would go with unbuttoned (unless it is double-breasted and then that would just look odd, but I don’t like double-breasted suit jackets anyway).

I have to disagree slightly. You can “overdress” if the interviewer thinks you’re going way too far. An obvious example would be a tux – a less obvious example might be French cuffs with extra nice cufflinks, a tie pin and a pocket square… You don’t want to either over- or under-dress. There are no absolute rules on something, but given the purpose of an interview, if you have to ask the question, avoid it.

My favorite interview outfit:

Charcoal grey two-button suit
White pinpoint collar shirt
Freshly shined black wing tips (by all means wear lace-ups)
One of my various blue silk ties

On the buttoned or unbuttoned question: buttoned when standing, unbuttoned when seated.[/quote]

LOL OK, touche, but I certainly did not mean a tuxedo or an ascot with a monocle. At that point, the person is beyond help anyway.