Post written by Jane Hunt, former inaugural CEO at Fitted for Work.
On Dare to Wear Day I will be dressing up in the uniform I wore for my first job.
As soon as I reached the ‘official’ working age of 14 and ¾ years, I went to my local bakery, proudly holding a type-written resume and asked for a job. I was so nervous and scared.
To my surprise, they hired me! And my career in selling yummy baked goods began. I loved my job. The money I earned was all mine and it funded the purchase of countless fluoro tops and washed denim (yes, I was a teenager and it was the 80’s). Later, it funded my way through University and a number of fantastic overseas trips.
Better still, at the time I had access to copious bakery products that were not fit-for-sale but were certainly fit-for-consumption and returning home with that bag of leftover goodies brought me good relationships with friends and family.
It all seems a lifetime ago, but I realize that the bakery taught me a lot of valuable skills such as excellent customer service and I felt part of the local community.
It also gave me my first taste of CSR (not that it was called that then), as every night we would package up the bread and goods and give it to a local children’s home.
Dare to Wear Day is about recognising the courage that characterises so many vulnerable women experiencing disadvantage and looking for work. By dressing up for one day on 15 March, participants get to experience the feeling of being out of their comfort zone. It’s the small things we often take for granted – like the confidence to go for a job interview – that many of the women we help find so difficult.
So, this March please sponsor me as I pay my ‘dress-up’ tribute to the humble coffee scroll (still a weakness of mine), to my first job and to the thousands of courageous women experiencing disadvantage and looking for work across Australia. You can also join me in daring to wear on Friday 15 March 2013. Sign up at www.daretowearday.org
