What to Wear??

[serenity8675]

Hi everyone!

I am currently in nursing school (graduating in May) and have recently started my job search. I have two interviews next week and will also be attending a couple of career fairs in the near future.

Nursing is a career change for me and in the past when I was interviewing for a position it was in a business setting (e.g., law firm) so I always wore a suit. I'm inclined to still do that, but also don't want to appear over dressed.

So... what do you wear to an interview? Is business dress without a jacket acceptable or should I go full out with a suit?

Thanks in advance!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

There's a lot of competition out there, so the more professional you appear at the interview the better. IMO showing up to an interview in a suit is not being overdressed. Also, at the career fairs I attended when I was job hunting a couple of years ago, suits were pretty common. It's better to err on the side of more professional.

Best of luck in your job hunt!

[elizanne]

I agree with Meriwhen. Go with the suit, especially for interviews. Occasionally, I'll wear dress pants and a top without a jacket to career fairs if its in the middle of the day and I'm going a bunch of different places where a suit would be harder to deal with (clinical then hospital career fair then more clinical). Also, wearing a suit, even if its not necessarily "required" still gives the impression that you take the job and the HR person's time very seriously. If you want to soften the look up a bit (black suits can be a bit severe), go with something brown or gray and a colored top underneath--all the seriousness of the suit with a little more heart.

Good luck!