The Student Opportunity Fund team have started a free-to-access interview clothing collection for students who need smart clothing for upcoming interviews.
Attending an interview can seem daunting, so feeling confident in your clothes is key. Combined with the cost of living crisis, we are helping students get kitted out for free and feel great so they can succeed at interviews.
As a student, you are able to access the collection alongside tailored career advice and interview support from the Careers team. Simply email [email protected].
We’ll make an appointment for you to view the collection and select your outfit. The clothes are then yours to keep.
The collection is built around donations from staff, students and the wider community, so bear in mind the clothing bank is subject to availability. If you don’t find an outfit appropriate for you then there are other options available through the Student Opportunity Fund.
Emilia’s experience
Emilia is a third year Education and English student, graduating in 2023 from Edge Hill and preparing to study a PGCE in Secondary Maths. She shares her experience of accessing the interview collection:
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after university. I never really thought that teaching was for me but after being encouraged to apply for a PGCE getting some advice from Careers staff and doing the interview (where I had to teach a lesson) I realised teaching was 100% for me and now I can’t wait for next year.
Going to interviews, I wasn’t sure what to wear. There were so many things to consider. What is appropriate? Is there such a thing as too formal? Do I look like a teacher? Finding the perfect outfit created half of the stress surrounding my prep for the interview.
The interview clothing collection is a great opportunity for students like myself who may not know where to start when looking for clothes, and also may not have the opportunity to buy brand new clothes. There’s a lot of pressure on students to make sure they have the perfect interview outfit, but the most important thing is to wear what you feel comfortable in. Make sure you use your clothes to express yourself too. You should feel happy and confident in your clothes.
Being comfortable in my own clothes and confident in my abilities allowed me to excel in my interview. Discussing educational issues, policy problems, and my hopes and dreams of what I want to put back into the education system really helped me to show off my knowledge. Advice from my department and the Careers team in preparation for my interview really helped.
Alongside the clothing collection, students are encouraged to access tailored support from our Careers team. Book an appointment with them to discuss.”
How does the Interview Clothing Collection work?
1
Allow yourself plenty of time to sort your outfit. Although we would hope that there would be an outfit for you in the collection, you may not feel comfortable in everything. Therefore you need to leave time for Plan B – shopping.
3
Organise your appointment time – again please make this in advance of your interview – you may need time to look around for other bits, or you might want to wear the clothes in.
4
Come along to your appointment. You’ll have plenty of time to try on as much as you want. And feel free to bring any pieces you may have at home that you might want to wear too.
5
Hopefully walk away with a great outfit ready for your interview. Or at least some inspiration as to things you may be able to look for elsewhere (with the help of the Student Opportunity Fund).
6
Attend your interview looking professional and feeling comfortable.
We are accepting donations of clothes, accessories and shoes that would be acceptable for an interview or suitable work wear. Please drop donations at Catalyst helpdesk.
Read our interview top tips for students
If you have any queries about the collection, please contact the Scholarships team:
March 3, 2023
