So, you’ve completed your registered nursing program or vocational nursing program and scored your first job interview. Now the question is what to wear? When on the job, nurses aren’t required to wear strictly business attire like someone in an office. Instead, they wear scrubs, which can make it difficult to know where the line of professionalism is drawn for an interview. Worried about putting your best foot forward and getting your nursing career off to a good start? Use these wardrobe tips:
1. Dress conservatively
It’s not a good idea to wear scrubs to your interview, no matter how comfortable they may be. Instead, opt for a conservative outfit – men should wear a suit and tie and women should choose a business-like suit, or a skirt and blouse. Keep the colors simple – don’t wear any distracting patterns – you want your skills to be the focus of the interview, not your shirt. Women should be sure that their skirt hemlines are no shorter than a few inches above the knee.1
2. Choose a power color
Wearing a conservative outfit doesn’t mean you have to stick to black! Different colors have different meanings, so choose a hue that gives you confidence. Dark blue and navy tend to project the notion that you are calm, stable and trustworthy, while gray denotes sophistication. It’s OK to use a bright color like red, pink or green, just make sure to use it as an accent and let the more neutral colors dominate your outfit.2
3. Test it out
Preparing for an interview requires a great deal of planning, and that extends to your wardrobe. Don’t pop out of bed on the morning of your interview and scramble to find something to wear. Instead, take the time to plan your outfit and choose something that makes you feel good and projects the proper image.3 1 Gerchufsky, Michael, Advance for Nurses, ‘Job Interviews: What to Wear,’ 2013 – https://www.microeco.ethz.ch/career/Job_interviews_what_to_wear.pdf 2 Stone, Fred Whelan and Gladys, Nursing Link, ‘Which Color to Wear to a Nursing Interview, Oct. 29, 2010 – http://nursinglink.monster.com/benefits/articles/18982-which-color-to-wear-to-a-nursing-interview?print=true 3 Laskowski-Jones, Linda, MS, RN, Nursing, ‘How to score points at an interview,’ Feb. 2012 – https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2012/02000/How_to_score_points_at_an_interview.1.aspx
