Have I mentioned I love my job?? This morning I conducted a practice interview with a sweet student who is preparing for her campus committee interviews in preparation for applying to medical school. It's part of the process the students go through. They interview with a faculty committee here who then writes a committee letter on behalf of the student. It's a nerve-racking experience I'm sure.
At the end of the interview she stood up and asked if what she was wearing was okay. She was supposed to wearing a suit but instead she was wearing black cotton slacks, a black cotton shirt and a black blazer. She said, "I have a suit, the pants just don't fit anymore. I didn't realize I was eating so much!". And then tears filled up in her eyes. I knew this was about more than pants that are too tight. Then she said, "but I have two weeks before my interview so I will hopefully fit into my pants by then and I can wear my suit".
I asked her, "what will happen if you don't fit into that suit in two weeks"? And she admitted that she did not know what she would do if that was the case.
Basically, if the suit pants don't fit her in two weeks she is going to be
1. Stressed out and trying to pull together something to wear to the most important interview of her life (thus far) on short notice AND
2. She will beating herself up over the fact that the pants still don't fit! She doesn't need that negativity or stress in her life right now.
At this point I had her sit back down and take a deep breath. I told her she did not need to spend the next two weeks worrying about whether or not she was going to fit into those suit pants! She needs to focus on fine-tuning her interview responses, preparing for the interview and keeping up with her school work. I told her she should dress for the body she has RIGHT NOW. I suggested that she have two options for what she will wear to the interview.
Option #1 can be the suit.
Option #2 needs to be something that fits right now.
Ideally, she would have a suit that fits for her medical school interviews just like we encourage students to have suits for their job interviews. It is the expectation, I know that. But, money is an issue for her right now as she pays her way through school and knows the cost of attending medical school is daunting. Buying another suit right now does not fit into her budget. So, we spent the next 15 minutes going through her wardrobe and coming up with combinations she could try as an alternative to her suit. We wanted to model the idea of a suit as closely as possible using the clothes she already has that are of a more dressy fabric.
We had the suit jacket, the black blazer, black dress pants and a few blouses to work with. Here's what we came up with for "suit alternatives":
- Pair her suit jacket (black pin stripe) with black dress slacks, a white blouse and black heels.
- Pair her black blazer with black dress slacks and a bright colored blouse or top and black heels. The bright color will hopefully draw attention to waist up. Because the black blazer is more "casual" looking, when a bright top is added it won't look like she "failed" at a suit but rather that she is wearing slacks and blazer even though they are the same color.
We came up with some great ideas and she felt much better about the process. If the suit fits, then wear it. If not, wear the second option which has been well thought out. Hopefully, how she sells herself and presents her thoughts and ideas in that interview are going to be more important than whether she is wearing a suit or slacks and a blazer. Either way, she will be presenting the best version of herself. I feel sure she will do a great job in her committee interviews.
Thinking through "suit alternatives" can be helpful for students who are looking for internships and summer jobs as well. Most students don't invest in a suit until their senior year, so considering alternatives and options is a great way to plan for interviews in advance. Maybe you are just entering the workplace again after years out, or you're applying for a new position but haven't had to wear a suit in years, either way I hope these suggestions can help you as well.
I had the opportunity to, not only meet that amazing student who is preparing for medical school, but also ease her stress and worry over a really important experience in her life. That's why I LOVE MY JOB!
