Business mentor: Clothes maketh the woman look just right for the job

Q. I run a business with 11 staff and my preference is to provide employment to two people at a lower wage than one person on a higher wage.

Winz (which often provides a wage subsidy) has always been helpful in sending for interviews women who have been on a benefit. They are often of a high calibre but at the interview let themselves down by looking shoddy - one woman turned up in tracksuit pants, not a good look for the clients.

How can I tactfully encourage a better dress sense when I know it can cost a fortune?

A. Laura Rogerson, executive director for women's clothing charity Dress for Success, replies:

I'm often reminding business owners that many women who are returning to the workforce or just starting out are in a catch 22 situation. They don't have enough money to get the right clothes to look good and feel good for the start of their new working life.

Dress for Success provides free work suits and clothing for exactly this reason - to help low-income or long-term unemployed women back into the workplace.

The clothing is donated by the public who leave it with any NZ Drycleaners outlet, where it is dry-cleaned free of charge. It is then brought into our showroom.

We are supported by many clothing outlets, cosmetic houses and companies, such as the Carpenters Daughter, Gaye Bartlett, Scotties, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Revlon, Chanel, Avon, Emma Page, Marler, No 1 Shoes, Willow Shoes, Louis Vuitton and Westpac Bank, so we are fortunate enough to have new clothing and products, too.

We get tremendous support from the community and can therefore offer not only clothes but also shoes, belts, scarves, make-up and jewellery - so it is a full makeover.

The process is simple. Winz or any approved training provider can refer a client to us and we look after the rest by making an appointment for a one-on-one personal dressing session. The client is made to feel relaxed and is supported in getting an outfit that is right for the individual. Not everyone needs a corporate suit.

We discuss the position they are going for and offer interview tips. Confidence is a large part of going for an interview or the first day at a new job. The right clothes and look can increase a woman's self-esteem and confidence enormously. If she doesn't have to worry about how she looks, she can concentrate on what she is there for - to provide a definite benefit to any employer.

If the outfit is provided for an interview and the client is successful in getting the job, she can come back for a second outfit, and these are hers to keep.

Dress for Success Auckland dresses around 25 to 30 women a week and has helped more than 2400 women since it was set up in 1999.

Apart from recycled clothing stores and charity shops, no other organisation provides this type of service. The company has affiliates in Whangarei, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

Helping to get women back into work is not only helping the individual and her immediate family but also the wider community - including grateful business owners themselves.

For more information contact the Dress for Success Auckland office on (09) 377-2762 or email: aucklanddressforsuccess@xtra.co.nz.

Dress for Success


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