What to Wear for your CSAA Interview?

As you prepare for CSAA interviews one of your first questions may be, “what should I wear?” This is an important question – your clothing should convey that you are professional and focused while also ensuring your mental and physical comfort during two long days of interviewing. Additionally your clothing should not distract from your personality and competence, so this might not be the time to try daring or trendy fashion. Stick to standard business professional clothing like suits, blazers, dress pants, dresses, and skirts in muted colors that will allow what you have to say to shine. Keep accessories to a minimum for the same reason; a watch, simple necklace, and conservative earrings will suffice. You may also want to bring a snappy casual outfit for the social time in the schedule. Snappy casual can be broadly defined, but a good guideline would be something that you would wear out to dinner with a friend or significant other. Bear in mind that you may be sleeping on an air mattress in a CSAA student’s living room so your pajamas should be warm and comfortable in that setting. The weather in Athens can vary throughout the year, so be sure to check before you finalize your outfits.

Day 1

You will not be meeting potential assistantship supervisors on this day, however, you will be meeting with CSAA faculty and participating in a group interview in addition to meeting with current students. Bear in mind that your arrival in Athens might be close to the beginning of the interview, by intention or travel delay, so it is a good idea to travel in something professional and comfortable in case you do not have time to change. The tone of this day is slightly less formal than tomorrow’s interviews, but professionalism should remain at the forefront of your mind. You may want to wear a suit and dress shirt without a tie or a sweater and skirt or dress pants rather than full business professional attire and this would be appropriate. If you would prefer to wear business professional attire on this day that is just fine too. Today’s schedule will require some walking, so choose comfortable footwear.

Day 2

This day is a more traditional style series of interviews and you will want to wear business professional attire. Business professional attire necessitates a suit with either a dress shirt and tie or a blouse. Dress shirts should be white, blue, or grey and you should avoid bright colors. Ties should be conservative in color and pattern. While bow ties are popular, it is my opinion that they are not interview appropriate – save them for a more lighthearted occasion. Leather shoes in black and brown are appropriate and should be the same color as your belt. You may choose to wear high heels, and while this day will not require extensive walking comfort should be an important factor in choosing shoes. Above all, your clothing should be clean, pressed, and fit well.

I have created this Pinterest Board with some suggestions and examples as you prepare for interview weekend. With a great outfit and a great attitude you can take interviews by storm – good luck!

Michael Marino is a second-year masters student in the College Student Affairs Administration program. His graduate assistantship is with University Union, UGA’s student programming board. Michael is an alumnus of George Mason University and his primary interested in student affairs are in fraternity and sorority life and alcohol and drug education. In his spare time he is an avid home cook and writes about his life with food on his blog, #SApro Cooks.