by Elise Goitia '18

Students, faculty, and professors volunteered to walk down an imagined catwalk in Taylor Lounge during "Dress for Success," an event to introduce Knox's new Career Closet. 

The Career Closet provides students with professional-style attire free of charge.

"Having people donate professional, business-casual clothes is a great idea," said Mary Houlihan '17, who works for the Bastian Family Career Center and modeled for the event. "Students will find clothes that make future interviews just a little bit less stressful."

While models showed off the clothes, Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Eric Johnson and Associate Director of the Bastian Family Career Center Krista Nelson offered helpful interviewing tips to students. Some of the tips dealt with how to wear a suit, proper skirt length, and what's fitting for business casual dress.

"This is a big help," said Houlihan. "Interview tips are good to know what might be nice to wear, but having access to the Career Closet is the main point. The fashion show itself was kind of a cool, silly way of getting everyone here."

Cortney Hill '17 said that the event reminded him how to prepare for an interview.

"This really showed the differences between the attire that you often wear and the attire meant to represent yourself in the workplace," he said. "When you go to something, whether it be an interview or a lunch with professionals, it's important to know how you're supposed to look."

The Career Closet is located in Taylor Lounge and is filled with donated items from alumni and faculty, including suits, dresses, shirts, blouses, ties, and shoes. Students can make an appointment through the Bastian Career Center to borrow an interview-ready outfit.

"I think it's an excellent opportunity for students to find attire that'll make them look good when they go in for an interview, giving them a better chance to land something big," said Jackson Faulkner '18.

"It's a good way to introduce what the Career Center does for students," he commented. "They're preparing us for the best possible opportunities that we could achieve."

The event was hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Knext Step Life Skill Series. The Career Closet is made possible through a contribution by Knox alumna Ellie Hartog '66.