Clothes may not make the man, but they can sure help make it easier to get a job.
Fraser Works Co-Op has just launched a new Working Man’s Closet pilot program aimed at providing interview clothing to men free of charge to help with their job searches.
“It basically exists to benefit the individuals who struggle with low income or lengthy unemployment, who just don’t have the money to purchase interview clothing,” said Neely Hazell, community relations coordinator. “The client can sign up for half-an-hour time slot to come in and basically look through all the clothing.”
Clients are referred to the Working Man’s Closet program by other service providers in the community. While there are programs that outfit women for interviews and provide men with work gear and boots, there’s nothing quite like Working Man’s Closet being offered locally – and appearance is important for those wanting to land jobs.
“It’s a first impression,” Hazell said. “Looking good, at least being in a sweater and some dress pants would be good for a blue collar type of job. For most other types of jobs, if it’s an office type of job or a white collar job, they are going to want to look really sharp with collared shirt and dress pants, maybe a suit jacket.
Fraser Works Co-Op received a small grant to launch Working Man’s Closet, but it’s hoping to get some community support to expand its offerings. It’s hoping the program will get fully underway this month.
“We have some clothing right now, but we are actively seeking donations so we can take on more referrals,” Hazell said. “We are looking for lightly worn, button-up shirts, sweaters, pants, suits, suit jackets, lightly worn shoes – anything that would be appropriate for somebody to wear to an interview. We are looking to dress somebody who is coming in in an underprivileged state.”
Mike Bourke, one of the coordinators of the Working Man’s Closet, said the program welcomes donations of interview-appropriate attire in a range of sizes. Items needed include suits, dress pants, dress shirts, ties, belts, shoes and suit jackets.
“It’s been something that we have heard about for a long time,” Bourke said. “There’s support available for someone who finds a job, but it’s harder to provide support for people who want clothing to conduct their job search. That is a missing service.”
The program had its first client in December and outfitted him for an interview.
“They got some shoes, a nice dress shirt, some dress pants,” Bourke said. “They were very pleased. There was a financial hardship where they weren’t able to purchase it on their own. It helped. It’s the difference between having food or an interview outfit.”
Brian Hunjan, co-coordinator of the Woking Man’s Closet, said the weakest link at this time is the donations.
“That’s what’s holding us back,” he said. “We also are looking for volunteers who will help run the shop. They will do inventory, advise people on clothes, sort out the clothing and get donations.”
Fraser Works Co-Op aims to provide a range of services from resumes to interview attire to help put people to work. The not-for-profit organization is funded by the federal and provincial governments to provide no-cost employment services through the employment program of British Columbia.
“Anybody who is underprivileged, unemployed, underemployed – meaning working less than 20 hours per week and not really able to make ends meet, or individuals on EI or Income Assistance – anyone seeking employment can come to our centre and access our resource room, which is self-serve,” said Neely Hazell, community relations coordinator. “In that room is basically all of the tools and resources necessary for somebody to conduct an independent job search.”
On many days, more than 100 people will visit the resource room to access services such as a free phone, computers, Internet access, a photocopier, a fax machine, a labour market board and a job board. A resource room worker is on hand to help people and job seekers can also be connected to a case manager who can help work out a return-to-work action plan, line them up to take free life skills, job search and career exploration workshops, support them through training programs and provide other supports to people from all walks of life.
“We see people who have been laid off from their job that they were working at for the last 20 years, and they don’t know how to write a resume anymore or to interview. We see individuals who have just recently graduated from high school that are looking for information on how to conduct an effective job search. We see new immigrants, we see persons with disabilities and mature workers,” Hazell said. “Everybody basically.”
Fraser Works Co-Op, which opened in New West in April 2012, recently won a Platinum Award as New Westminster’s Best Not-for-Profit Under $1 million.
If you’d like to donate to the Working Man’s Closet, contact Fraser Works Co-Op at 604-522-9701 or [email protected].
