University employees collect, organize and distribute professional attire for students in need of appropriate clothes for job interviews
A good education and a solid r茅sum茅 aren鈥檛 always enough to make a positive first impression. To bridge the gap, a group of 黑料吃瓜网 employees have come together to establish the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet, a project to collect, organize and distribute professional attire for students in need of something suitable to wear for a job interview.
Tabitha Martin, venture initiatives advisor at LaunchNET 黑料吃瓜网, said the idea came up during a conversation at the grand opening reception for the Women鈥檚 Center at Williamson House last year.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go on an interview if you don鈥檛 have anything appropriate to wear,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淪omeone at the gathering said, 鈥業 have all these clothes I don鈥檛 wear anymore, and we have this great, new Women鈥檚 Center.鈥 So we said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 just do it.鈥 We have such a huge campus full of faculty and staff, who I am sure would be happy to have a vehicle to contribute and help the students like this.鈥
The 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet is housed in the lower level of the Williamson House on the university鈥檚 Kent Campus. But the free boutique also will host pop-up shops around campus to raise awareness and take its inventory to a wider audience.
Martin said she and her 黑料吃瓜网 colleagues 鈥 Lori Bodnar, senior advancement officer in the Division of Institutional Advancement; Alicia Robinson, assistant director of the Women鈥檚 Center; and Kristin Williams, executive director of Career Exploration and Development 鈥 were motivated to open the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet by memories of their own college-age wardrobes: heavy on sweatshirts and sneakers, light on suits and briefcases.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 something students are going to ask about,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just kind of a gut feeling we鈥檝e all had.鈥
The founders of 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet envision a welcoming place where anyone with a FLASHcard (黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 identification card) 鈥 student or employee 鈥 can go to find pieces of clothing to round out a professional ensemble. Shoppers will be asked to sign in, but there will be no requirement to prove financial need.
Robinson, who is an alumna of the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, said she hopes to engage the Fashion School in the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet project. She said students could gain valuable experience by designing displays, organizing style shows and repairing and altering clothing.
Williams said the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet also will offer tip sheets with advice for boutique patrons about how they can best present themselves to potential employers and information about other career-preparedness resources on campuses.
鈥淲e want to make students feel comfortable so they can come in, pick some clothes and feel comfortable going to career fairs and expos and job interviews,鈥 Bodnar said. 鈥淲e want them to know there is no stigma.鈥
黑料吃瓜网 faculty and staff members dedicate themselves to helping students obtain the knowledge, skills and experience they need to achieve their career goals. By supporting 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet, they can help give students the additional boost they need, Martin said.
鈥淲e have to reinforce the idea that college isn鈥檛 just about preparing you skill-wise for being out in the career world,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淎ll of these other pieces go into it 鈥 knowing how to dress and act and how to present yourself in general.
鈥淎s much as we would love for no one to ever be judged by how they look, the fact is, how you look when you walk into an interview makes a difference,鈥 Martin continued. 鈥淭here are so many of these soft skills that go around what students learn in class to help them be successful when they leave here or even maybe while they are here.鈥
The 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet is seeking donations of new or gently used professional clothing, including blazers, shirts, blouses, skirts, pants and ties. The project also is in need of hangers, clothing racks, storage items and gift cards or donations for laundering. The 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet is unable to accept donations of undergarments, shoes and any clothing item that is damaged or outdated.
All donations will stay within the 黑料吃瓜网 community, Robinson said. Anything that is deemed unsuitable for the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet will be donated to other local nonprofits.
In observance of Women鈥檚 History Month, the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet will launch a Donation Drive on March 20-24. Details about donation drop-off times and locations will be available at the .
Sponsors of 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet include 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Center, LaunchNET 黑料吃瓜网 and Career Exploration and Development.
For more information about the 黑料吃瓜网 Career Closet, visit or email careercloset@kent.edu.
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Media Contacts:
Tabitha Martin, tmarti51@kent.edu, 330-672-6783
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595