The leap from college to the professional world is something every college student dreads, but the Career Education and Development department helps to mitigate that dread with their Dress for Success event.
Dress for Success is a yearly fashion show where students show off different professional outfits that can work for a multitude of corporate settings. Although it is described as a fashion show, Dr. John Rindy, the Director of the Career Education and Development office, thinks it is so much more than that.
“It’s less of a fashion show, it’s really a learning program,” Rindy said. “There is this assumption that [students] know how to connect with employers and how to dress for an interview, and that’s a really bad assumption because most students don’t know that until they either sit down in the career office, or they come to an event like this.”
A packed ballroom at the Smith Student Center saw six SRU students strut their stuff in seven different outfits provided by the Grove City Outlets. The outfits were not only appropriate for an interview or corporate meeting, but also showed off what is acceptable attire on casual Fridays, company holiday parties and even what to wear at the corporate gym.
“One of the biggest questions we get is ‘What if I go in on a Friday, should I dress casual? What if I go to a company where they don’t want me to wear a tie? What do I wear instead?'” Rindy said. “It’s important to learn these things.”
One student, Taryn Miller, was a model for two different outfits, one acceptable for an interview and another for a casual Friday look.
“[The event] really sets people up for success,” Miller said. “Being a model, they tell me a lot of different things, really a lot of nice tips.”
After the six SRU students got their chance to strut their stuff down a runway, $1000 in gift cards were given away to Sheetz and the Grove City Outlets, in denominations from $25 up to $250.
Career Education and Development’s next event to help students will be Thursday, March first with the summer service and internship expo from 12-2, also in the Student Center Ballroom.
