Career Closet, Hofstra's new on-campus boutique, lets students snag free clothing for job interviews
Catherine Gallo, 20, couldn’t believe it when a fellow student at Hofstra University told her she had gotten a stylish blazer for free from a new on-campus shop in Hempstead.
“My friend told me about it and I was like, ‘What?’ ” says Gallo, a marketing major from Smithtown who graduates next fall. “When I went there, it was like a mix between a thrift store and a boutique.”
Gallo and her friend got their clothes from Hofstra’s Career Closet shop, which makes donated new and gently used professional attire available free for its students, who can “shop” by appointment for clothing and accessories for job interviews, career fairs and networking forums.
Gallo adds, “They had all options and sizes … blazers, pants, shirts … I got a black cardigan and a green top that I plan to wear for an internship or interviews.”
Operated by the Center for Career Design and Development, the Career Closet is in the Campus Living and Wellness Center. It opened Sept. 19, and the site is its first permanent location. Previously, it operated as an on-campus pop-up event that started in 2018, and so far, it has provided more than 1,500 students with items for their own closets.
Career Closets address the need for students on limited budgets to have professional clothing, and they’re springing up at colleges nationwide including Chicago's DePaul University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of South Carolina, University of Washington and Boston College.
Hofstra’s was the first on Long Island and one of the first in New York. St. John’s University in Queens also has one.
Fashions such as suits, skirts, slacks, ties, shoes, handbags and more are solicited from Hofstra employees and the Center for Career Design and Development’s corporate partners, including accounting and consulting firms such as Baker Tilly, EY (Ernst & Young), Crowe and Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group.
“It’s a great way to build up my closet,” says Margaret Sykes, 19, a sophomore from Massachusetts majoring in filmmaking. “I’m glad Hofstra is providing this service because clothing is expensive now and a lot of people don’t have money to get business apparel.”
She adds, “I have mostly flannels and jeans and T-shirts, so I got a few business suits. I plan to wear them for recruitment rounds that are coming, and I needed something that looks professional when I go out on a shoot to interview an important figure from the president of Hofstra or other heads of the university.”
Career center director Michelle Kyriakides says the boutique's concept is something she had in mind for many years as a “personal goal,” even before she heard of it becoming a trend at other schools.
“So much of an employer’s decision about career readiness depends on how the applicants present themselves, so we want to help our students feel confident,” Kyriakides says.
Catherine Gallo, 20, couldn’t believe it when a fellow student at Hofstra University told her she had gotten a stylish blazer for free from a new on-campus shop in Hempstead.
“My friend told me about it and I was like, ‘What?’ ” says Gallo, a marketing major from Smithtown who graduates next fall. “When I went there, it was like a mix between a thrift store and a boutique.”
Gallo and her friend got their clothes from Hofstra’s Career Closet shop, which makes donated new and gently used professional attire available free for its students, who can “shop” by appointment for clothing and accessories for job interviews, career fairs and networking forums.
Gallo adds, “They had all options and sizes … blazers, pants, shirts … I got a black cardigan and a green top that I plan to wear for an internship or interviews.”
Operated by the Center for Career Design and Development, the Career Closet is in the Campus Living and Wellness Center. It opened Sept. 19, and the site is its first permanent location. Previously, it operated as an on-campus pop-up event that started in 2018, and so far, it has provided more than 1,500 students with items for their own closets.
Will Germaine, a sophomore at Hofstra University, inside the campus boutique on Sept. 28. Credit: James Carbone
Career Closets address the need for students on limited budgets to have professional clothing, and they’re springing up at colleges nationwide including Chicago's DePaul University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of South Carolina, University of Washington and Boston College.
Hofstra’s was the first on Long Island and one of the first in New York. St. John’s University in Queens also has one.
Fashions such as suits, skirts, slacks, ties, shoes, handbags and more are solicited from Hofstra employees and the Center for Career Design and Development’s corporate partners, including accounting and consulting firms such as Baker Tilly, EY (Ernst & Young), Crowe and Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group.
“It’s a great way to build up my closet,” says Margaret Sykes, 19, a sophomore from Massachusetts majoring in filmmaking. “I’m glad Hofstra is providing this service because clothing is expensive now and a lot of people don’t have money to get business apparel.”
She adds, “I have mostly flannels and jeans and T-shirts, so I got a few business suits. I plan to wear them for recruitment rounds that are coming, and I needed something that looks professional when I go out on a shoot to interview an important figure from the president of Hofstra or other heads of the university.”
Career center director Michelle Kyriakides says the boutique's concept is something she had in mind for many years as a “personal goal,” even before she heard of it becoming a trend at other schools.
“So much of an employer’s decision about career readiness depends on how the applicants present themselves, so we want to help our students feel confident,” Kyriakides says.
