Hi again midwives in the making, this is the third Midwife Diaries Interview School tutorial! Interview School is written to help you become an excellent candidate when applying to become a student midwife.

People who would one day make brilliant midwives don't always have the skills to perform well in the selection process -  Midwife Diaries’ Interview School can help you get the edge – and it’s free.

Today covers a basic yet very important subject- what to wear to your student midwife interview!

Research suggests interviewers make up their minds about most candidates within 30 seconds; obviously the way you dress and present yourself is going to have a big impact on first impressions.

In some ways, what to wear to your student midwife interview isn't that hard of a question. Choose smart, ironed, clean clothes, smart casual, as if you were working in quite a well-to-do office.

However if you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: you need to persuade your interviewer that you are going to be an excellent student midwife. You can do this by prompting their subconscious to see you fitting in with midwives; dress like the successful student midwives they know.

Another way of putting this is the old adage: dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

Most student midwives will wear a uniform. Obviously this is not going to be an option and frankly even if you had access to a uniform it might be a little strange if you turned up in one to your interview!

 

However you can emulate successful student midwives in other ways:

• I would suggest short, clean nails and good personal hygiene (this is definitely a day for deodorant!)
• Don't wear very heavy makeup (most midwives don't wear much makeup as it can get quite hot and sweaty on shift, especially during a waterbirth - no you don't have to get in the pool, but it's a humid environment!)
• Have tidy hair, short or tied back
• Don't wear any short skirts or anything too low cut; make it professional. I personally would opt for trousers as you might be asked to do a group activity of some kind which requires moving around
• Also because of potential interview activities, I would opt for minimal jewelry, nothing that swings around! A simple watch can hint at good timekeeping abilities
• Having said that about jewelry, you may want to wear a small brooch or an interesting clip in your hair - some successful applicants have sworn by this method to make them stand out! After all, there will be many applicants for the interviewers to choose from
• Choose sensible shoes with a small heel that you can walk in easily. A dark colour might be best - don't distract the interviewers with your footwear, they should be thinking 'what a professional looking candidate' - and then you can wow them with all your excellent qualities, knowledge and transferable skills!

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You can find the next interview school post here.