It’s already that time – fourth year medical students are getting ready to interview at programs across the country, and residency interview and pre-interview attire is again a hot topic! I posted about residency interview attire in the past but I wanted to give my old post a facelift by sharing some new links to attire for the day of the interview but also a quick note on the pre-interview dinner / social event.

Interview season is in full swing, and I know a lot of you are busy getting ready to look your best and dazzle the faculty across the country. A lot of you may be stressed, thinking pants suit vs. skirt suit, or navy vs. blue, but let me lay it out for you. We are interested in your mind and your character, not your sense of style, so as long as you look professional and not sloppy, you don’t need to worry!

On to the recommendations:

Suits for Women

Skirt suits are more traditional and some people say that East Coast programs prefer skirt suits on women. I wore a pants suit to ALL my interviews, the same pants suit I bought years ago when I applied to medical school. I don’t personally think it matters if you wear a pants suit or a skirt suit. Let’s face it – interview season is during winter and it is cold, so if you want to wear pants, go right ahead!

You should wear whatever you’re comfortable in, but please make sure that it is tailored so it fits well. You don’t want a baggy suit or one that is too tight, because that makes you look unprofessional and ill prepared.

I wore a black pantsuit to all my interviews, but whenever I looked out all I saw was a sea of black suits. In retrospect, a dark navy or gray suit would have been nice to stand out from the crowd. However, black is very professional, so you can’t go wrong with a nice fitting black skirt or pants suit. It’s also very versatile and will never go out of style.

I especially love this overall look from Anne Klein in navy, and $260 for a full suit is quite affordable.

Also, Ann Taylor is having a 50% off sale right now with code BUSY. They also have a great suit collection, including special sizing for petites. For my fellow petites out there: other than Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and J Crew also make suits in petite sizing.

Inside the Suit

I wore pretty boring button up shirts inside of my suit, but I saw many women who wore a mix of button ups and also cute blouses and shells. If you have a black suit, you may want to opt for a more colorful blouse just to add some personality to it! Just make sure the cut is not too revealing. My updated picks below:

As before, Ann Taylor shells/blouses are also ALL 50% off with code BUSY, so these are mostly ~$30 or less, a total steal.

Loft is also having a 40-50% off of sale right now (no code needed) and they have a few cute options for what to wear inside your suit jacket as well.

Shoes

My goal with shoes is to BE COMFORTABLE. A lot of interviews involve tours around the hospital and campus, so this means lots of walking. At my residency program interview we walked nearly 1 mile back and forth to see different hospitals! So this means you have to wear comfortable yet professional looking shoes. I can’t stress how important it is to TEST OUT YOUR SHOES beforehand. Wear them around the house and out for a walk to break them in. I wore wedges or a block heel to all the interviews and changed into flats for walking tours, which helped save my feet many a time!

I also advise close toed shoe styles, because you never want to be stressed about whether your pedicure is up to date. With all the travel your toenail polish is bound to get chipped, so why even risk that showing? I also personally feel closed toed shoes in a hospital environment is more professional and acceptable.

Some comfy yet stylish shoes (and Naturalizer is having a price matched sale right now, for ~30% off)

I personally love the cap toe Tory Burch pumps; I would totally get them for myself once my shoe size settles back into normal! (36 weeks pregnant and my feet are definitely swollen!)

Pre-Interview Events:

I received a few questions recently about what to wear to pre-interview events. I remember the pre-interview dinners and social gatherings were mostly informal, casual settings to allow interviewees to interact with current residents. Most of the time, I opted to wear black pants or jeans in a dark wash, with a nice top and a blazer. There’s no need for crazy high stiletto heels or full on dark glam makeup, or anything overly “sexy.” You want to give off a friendly vibe, like someone whom the current residents would want to work with and befriend in their program. Remember, every chance that you interact with the program, even these pre-interview events, will be considered in your overall application.

Caveat: The outfit choice for these pre interview events also depends on the event itself. Is the venue a casual restaurant or bar vs. a fancy sit down restaurant? Who is going from the program side – is it mostly residents or are attendings going too? Dress accordingly!

Other Tips:

• You don’t want to be fussing with outfit choices last minute, so shop in advance! This goes out to the ladies AND the men; getting a proper suit tailored takes time, so look around ahead of time, at least a few months in advance.
• (I posted this before but I think this is pretty handy:)
• Bring a professional looking bag that’s large enough to carry a few essentials:
• an extra pair of shoes for walking (I personally love Tieks because you can fold these in half and carry them around in a little bag…plus they’re comfortable and come in a variety of colors #NOTsponsored)
• a notepad or padfolio (Stanford gave medical students one when we started school, but this is not an absolute necessity)
• a pen or two
• bottle of water
• iphone charger or portable phone charger (cutest one I’ve found that is as thin as a credit card and comes in rose gold here)
• Emergency pack should you need it: extra hair ties, gum, band aids (especially with long walking tours!), tampon/pads, hand sanitizer, aspirin, lip balm or lipstick, sunscreen, concealer, Tide pen (cannot emphasize this one enough for spills!)
• Find a bag with a zipper on top as well. With all the traveling on the interview day and the multiple plane rides in between, you don’t want to risk anything falling out or getting stolen.

No matter what you wear, I hope your outfit makes you feel confident, stylish, and comfortable. Good luck everyone!