MomsintheGarden Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Dd is excited to be interviewing early next month at an Ivy League school for a PhD program. They are flying her to the school for an "Informal Dinner" on Thursday night and a day-long event on Friday including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and interviews. What should she wear to the events? We've looked at books and the internet and no one agrees. Suit or no suit? Dress? Thanks for your advice. :) And...yay! She's worked so hard and is really pumped up for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well I am 'ancient', but if it were me, I would wear a nice pant suit or pant set for the informal dinner (one that could play casual but still not be jeans). For the day events I would wear a suit with a blouse underneath that could pass for slightly more casual (probably sleeveless for me in case it is hot). The suit would have a skirt that at least grazed the knees and allowed for comfortable sitting and be of a nice fabric. A dress would be "OK" but for an all day event would really limit your flexibility- one spill and you are stuck. If she wants to be really clever, she can find a shirt that matches both outfits that can be rolled up and stored in her purse or briefcase for quick changes. ;) I'm from the "dress for the job you want age." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Professional dress. A suit is best imo because if you have a cute blouse on underneath you can take the jacket off and suddenly look a lot less formal if you feel overdressed. It's a lot more difficult to remove part of a dress. I will add, though, that unless she is ludicrously over- or underdressed she should be fine. I'm sure she wasn't going to go in either an evening gown and white gloves or a t-shirt and ratty jeans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in OH Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I would include Jacket/Sweater Jacket and pencil skirt/slacks in the definition of suit. Boots with a skirt are also fine. In my world, professional women tend to wear these types of separates more frequently than the "matchy matchy" suits of my youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Thanks for the advice. Your comments are so helpful! Dd is planning to dress in nice pants/sweater or blouse for the informal dinner, then probably a suit or similar outfit for the interviews the next day. She's also going to get her hair trimmed, polish her shoes, and wear one colorful accessory (a necklace or scarf) to make her easier to remember. We found many websites with photos and tips, and especially liked these: There is a good list of Dos & Don'ts at the bottom of the page on this site: http://gradschool.about.com/od/interviews/a/interviewdodont.htm We like the Virginia Tech career services website. Here's what VT says: http://www.career.vt.edu/interviewing/interviewappearance.html Best wishes to all those former WTM students who are interviewing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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