February 2007 – Lisa Whitehead
Charity boutique offers makeover for job seekers
KERRY O’BRIEN: They say clothes maketh the man, but in job interviews it seems they more than maketh the women. Research suggests women, more so than men, are judged by prospective employers on the way they dress. That’s a comment on the employers, rather than the women, I would suggest. So for women who’ve been out of the workforce for a long time, dressing for job interviews can be a daunting task, particularly if they can’t afford the clothes. Now a Melbourne charity boutique, Fitted For Work, is offering women a free wardrobe makeover. But the concept is due to be tested to the limit later this year, when the Federal Government’s new parental activity agreements come into force. That’s when 250,000 parents are expected to join the jobs market, the vast majority of them women. Lisa Whitehead reports.
