INTERVIEW SERIES: 5 WAYS TO {TASTEFULLY} SPICE UP YOUR LOOK

When I interviewed 4 score and 7 years ago lol, one of the tips I remember hearing was to wear something that distinguishes you from all the other navy blue and black suits that interviewers look at everyday {I can now say from experience, it is literally a sea of navy blue and black lol}. My main question at the time was, how do I that without going overboard? No one wants to be remembered for a fashion faux-pas on interview day!

FOR GUYS & GIRLS

1. Spice up those accessories. Accessories are the easiest way for both guys and gals to spice up an interview day outfit. I like to wear fun {and comfortable!} shoes like these Birdies loafers. simply because they're not the first thing people see but they add a nice little touch of interest to any outfit. For you guys, ties and bowties are another option that you should have fun with. If I wore a tie, I would totally rock a tie like this one or even this sailboat bowtie! And fun socks are very much encouraged at my program. We had one applicant with avocado socks like these that I thought were super cute!

yellow bowtie with blue sailboats

2. Pick a suit in an unexpected color. Bold suits in hot pink and bright blue are all the rage right now but I definitely wouldn't do that for residency interviews lol. You want a suit that is interesting but not aggressive. For prints, consider something like grey plaid and chambray. Express has some great color options for men and women - there's some beautiful burgundy, light blue and green suits that would definitely work.

FOR GIRLS

3. Rock a fun print subtly... or not. I always notice interviewees who wear blouses with cool prints {might just be me though lol}. But seriously, you don't have to be limited to a simple blouse if your suit is an otherwise basic color too. Play with stripes, florals, abstract prints and some texture. I wouldn't necessarily wear a hot pink striped and floral shirt, but choose one fun thing and stick with it. I've linked some great options below.

You can also be a bit bolder and wear a printed dress like this leopard print or tweed one from J Crew. You can easily pair them with a black blazer and shoes and stand out from all the other plain suits!

4. Bags, bags, bags. This is another accessory that's fun to play around with but you have to be careful with it. If you are going to go with a print make sure it's not loud because you don't want everyone's attention to be on the bag. This one is great because the plaid print is fun while still being neutral . Another option is a textured bag in a simple color like this one. You can play around with studs and chains as long as they're not over the top. The bags linked below are all great because they're interesting without overdoing it.

5. Wear a non-traditional/non-matching suit. This is the route I ended up going with myself for most of my interviews. I wore a plain navy blue dress or pants and instead of the matching jacket, I wore this tweed bouclé jacket from Ann Taylor. It was a total hit if I do say so myself; I got compliments at almost every interview I wore the jacket to. Unfortunately, it's no longer available but I've linked some alternative tweed and print jackets/blazers as well as great basic dress and pant pairings below.

Hopefully, y'all will find some of these tips useful and get some inspiration. I know I'm definitely going to be incorporating #2 or 5 with my job interviews next year {crazy that that's coming up}!

My next and final{!} post will be about what to do after your interview is over so keep an eye out!!!