Potential psychiatrists decide on their careers before, during or after medical school. This article summarises the literature focusing on the first two groups. Pre-medical school factors associated with choosing psychiatry include gender, academic aptitude, ethnicity and migration, exposure to mental illness, economic considerations and medical school route and selection. Factors involved in influencing career choice at medical school level include attitudes towards psychiatry, teaching methods, quality and length of clinical exposure, electives and enrichment activities, and personality factors. Considering these factors may improve recruitment to psychiatry and address shortages in the speciality.