Career Closet at Hofstra University helping students learn dress for success

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
HEMPSTEAD, New York (WABC) -- Hofstra University held a "career closet" event to help their students learn to dress for success.

Due to the pandemic, many college students have never had an in-person job interview.
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Nothing felt better than this on Tuesday for Hofstra senior Nicole Kerr and freshman Risa Nelson.

Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager added two of her dresses to the closet, but they didn't even make it that far.

"Cause I saw it, I'm like, that's a beautiful dress, I love it's really, really nice...it's comfy, too," Kerr said.

"I'm feeling very good about it," Nelson said.



Nelson was hoping to find an internship in fields involving STEM or medicine at a Hofstra career fair.
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The "closet," which began as a pop-up several years ago, is now helping students who got a bit too accustomed to remote jobs during the pandemic.

Like so many, they forgot what you wear from the waist-down actually matters now.

"You don't wanna just get there in sweatpants for the job interview," Hofstra junior Nicole Castillo said.

"I have two pairs of shoes, they're both sneakers so I might have to go shopping right now to see," Hofstra freshman Prisha Shrivastava said.

The closet is not just for ladies.



"Also to find like a nice shirt, cause they have some really nice shirts over here like that green one, that's calling my name," Hofstra senior Pearce Smith said.
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Another factor is the quickly changing temperature. Students may find that they suddenly need a professional looking blazer, coat, or maybe they come from someplace where the temperatures were a lot warmer.

"When a student is dressed professionally, it gives them confidence it shows that they belong in the places where they're interviewing," Michelle Kyriakides from Hofstra Career Design and Development said.

If you would like to make a donation, click here to visit Hofstra's website.

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