De-cluttering your wardrobe can help someone land their first job

Remember your last job interview? No doubt you took your time planning exactly what you were going to wear; you probably even had a favourite business outfit for important occasions or you were in a position to buy something new.

For so many of our fellow South Africans this is not the case, particularly first-time work-seekers. Enter the Smart Works initiative started 3 years ago by Harambee, the not-for-profit Youth Employment Accelerator.

Harambee realised the importance of enabling young South African work-seekers to create good first impressions at interviews. Equally essential, Harambee wanted to give them the confidence boost we all get from looking our best.

Smart Works is a wardrobe kept at the Harambee offices, which any candidate can access before going for an interview. The wardrobe is entirely donated and is totally free for the candidates. If a candidate is successful in a job interview they will have a full month of work before receiving their first salary, and can buy suitable clothing, in which case they can have access to more outfits from Smart Works.

Most of us – men and women – have loads of clothes that we haven’t worn for ages - and never will wear again, and accessories are every bit as important as the right dress or pants, so whether they be shoes, bags, ties or jewellery they can be put to really good use by work-seekers.

Without question, looking successful for an interview makes a huge difference to how we feel when we walk through the door. We all know that the better you look the better you feel and as a result the better you do. Smart Works!

You can help by donating any of the following:

Women

· Smart dresses, skirts, shirts, tops, pants, and jackets

· Shoes and handbags, scarves, belts and jewellery

· Toiletries (perfume, body lotion, make up)

Men

· Smart pants, blazers and shirts

· Ties and belts

· Shoes

· Toiletries (deodorant, aftershave)

All donations should be in a good state of repair, should be clean and of course suitable for interviews.

Rest assured, every single item you donate will help towards a young South African succeeding at a job interview. Go and make some extra space in your wardrobe right now!

Harambee will gratefully accept all donations of good business clothes at its offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and PE. Simply send an email to marketing@harambee.co.za and they’ll make arrangements for collection or delivery.

The Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a not-for-profit company that helps young people prepare for the world of work. To date over 40,000 young South Africans have been placed in permanent jobs across 400 South African employers. To learn more about Harambee please go to www.harambee.co.za Candidates can apply via cellphone on www.harambee.mobi.