Alright, my GPPA interview is set and they said a “Professional Attire, but a suit is not necessary”. What does this mean, as I thought a professional attire was a suit and tie.
Congrats!! Very exciting!
I think a button down shirt and trousers with belt would be minimum. No tie needed, but add a sports coat if you have one? My two cents. Curious what others say.
A dress shirt with slacks/nice khakis, plus a sport coat would work. No tie needed. If you don’t have a sport coat, that is ok too. Shoes should be dress shoes/loafers…not sneakers or topsiders.
You can wear a suit and tie, if that would make you feel most confident!
Good luck.
Ah that’s great, thanks - so this is more of a business casual kind with the khakis and dress shirt. That is good news since I did not have a suit haha
FYI. You can pick up a nice sports coat at most salvation army places especially the one on clybourn in Chicago. They have decent stuff cheap. If you want to have one.
If you do wear khakis, make sure they are more on the dressy than casual side. And ironed. ?
I would recommend the tie with that button down shirt. You can always remove it if no one else shows up with one. But I wouldn’t. Tie, button down, slacks, sport coat and belt (dark socks and shoes as well!) will look spiffy but not uptight. And if no one else wears a tie or they all show up in a business suit you will stand out - and not in a bad way.
PS make sure your collared button-down shirt is ironed too. And wear an undershirt underneath it. I still recall someone coming back from an I-Banking interview commenting that he could see the hairy chest through the interviewer’s shirt! Not a good impression. He didn’t take that offer.
Ah thank you everyone! For the shoes, should it be one of those black dress shoes or the brown/oxblood colored ones?
FYI “business casual” my day tended to mean golf shirt and khaki’s for the guys but I have no clue nowadays. The collared shirt and tie with sport coat and slacks and belt and loafers or similar ‘dress’ shoe (not wingtips) is what I refer to as “church clothes” for the younger crowd (ie not the jeans-clad high school youth group but not the old-man usher-type either). It’s what you see young adult doctors wear to the office and dressing for the job you eventually want is never a bad way to go to an interview.
So - for shoes you don’t want wingtips (look them up) because those are for business suites. Brown or black loafers (or equivalent) are fine - make sure they match the color of your belt. You can buy a reversible belt to help with that.
Dress for success. You can have the nicest tailored suit ever but if you have any of the accessories not in-order it will be a fail. You can also have the opposite. Having all the accessories done well can overcome a “cheap” suit. You can find decent sport coats at Goodwill or Salvation Army. Everyone should have a blue blazer.
Do get a haircut, shave, and manicure your nails at least little. Make sure your clothes are ironed and have no stains. Also have clean, polished shoes. Take a tie. You can always remove it if necessary.
It’s hard to overcome “sloppy” at an interview regardless if it’s a formal suit or business casual.
If you can get to a Target men’s section you should be able to purchase what you need there. But the idea of 2nd hand (ie goodwill/Salvation Army etc) is a really great idea so you might want to start there first for the jacket and possibly shoes and then head to Target or Kohl’s for anything beyond that.
Also, my husband purchases all his button downs at Costco so if you happen to be a member that’s an idea too. They might have slacks as well still this time of year (if you think they look like itchy church pants, you’ve found the correct item!).
Amazon too if you are confident on your measurements and don’t need to try stuff on.
Penny loafers would work for the shoes. They are usually brown so match with a brown belt. Or if you find nice black loafers then wear those and match with a black belt.
Agree you can get a lot of this at Goodwill or similar.
Also, try your local Buy Nothing facebook group. You can even borrow items you need through that. If you explain the stakes, I bet folks will have lots of options to gift you or let you borrow.
Our community has a program whereby smart business clothes are donated via a program to low income high schoolers and college graduates who are going to interviews. If such an organization exists in your area, your school counselor might know of it. Not only would it save you money, but it’s possible you’d get some very nice work style clothes!
@SJ2727 Great idea. I just googled it and there’s this option in Chicago. http://www.thebridgetosuccess.org/ They have so many clothes they can’t accept any more at the moment. It might be worth checking out.
So I asked an expert in the field of interviews…LOL…my 20 year old engineering son at Michigan. He actually just had an interview today. But a main difference is that he knew one of the interviewer’s and he sorta created this position for himself but still had to go through the process.
Business Casual for him is a button down dress shirt, nice shoes and khakis. He said if it is a prestigious position then he would wear a sport coat. He actually wore and sweater and Khakis today.
But he said something that struck me. He said as long as it’s not a rock and roll t shirt and torn jeans, schools know that your a student. They are really not expecting you to buy new clothes. The most important thing is to be relaxed and be yourself. Always thank them for the interview and for the opportunity. He also said you can look great but if you don’t know the material or are a jerk, your clothes are not going to help you at all.
I am paraphrasing here but you get the idea. They would be insane not to take you. I really don’t think they will care whether your shoes are brown or black. Once they meet you, they won’t care.
Good Luck and I am really excited for you.
White or blue oxford shirt. Clean and ironed.
Pressed khakis. If dress slacks and they are dark. Avoid the oxblood combo mentioned below. Black shoes with blue or darker pants.
Blue Sport coat from one of the sources mentioned.
Clean dress shoes. Nothing pointed or too hip. Just simple loafers or slip on dress shoes. No tie up shoes. Ox blood or black are fine.
Dark socks -plain. Socks above the calf so when you cross your legs while sitting it’s not bare leg above the ankle.
Belt matching shoes or close enough.
No tie required. But it’s not bad either.
You can use the same outfit for your med school or residency interview!!!
If you own the shirt already, consider getting it professonally cleaned and ironed. Their ironing machines do what mortals cannot. Less than $10, worth it. Always have one or two of these reserved in your closet.
Other than that, don’t obsess. There is no one checklist. Try on the outft and see if it’s the look you want for your impression. Tie shoes are fine. These are not prep school reunions. They want to know you how to look right. And the rest: looking people in the eye (just enough,) a good handshake, etc.
Interview was an absolute slam dunk. Fabulous and just wonderful - Free Corner Bakery lunch was definitely a plus 