May
09

How to make sure your job application is relevant

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The job market is much more competitive than it ever used to be. With companies in both the private and public sector handing out redundancies like gaming tokens, there is a need to make sure that every step of your job application process is relevant to the job that is advertised. If you are convinced that you have the skill set but still didn’t get called for an interview, it is time to look at what you have put in front of the recruiter or hiring manager and take responsibility for your own application.

If you are out of work, you know that it can be really tough to keep applying for job after job without the smile on your face fading with each rejection or no call back. It is hard to stay motivated and put 100% into each and every job application. You find yourself just sending through your generic resume and cover letter for all the different jobs.

I’ve got some news for you – this will not get you a job.

A relevant and often specialised resume and cover letter will however increase your chances of been seen as highly suitable for the job. All you need to do is tailor your resume and cover letter for every single job application that you send out.

You heard me. You must tailor your resume and cover letter for each and every job application you send out.

How will the hiring manager know that you meet all the exact criteria they are looking for if you haven’t inserted and highlighted it in your skills descriptions or in your job descriptions and achievements?

Some actionable things that you can do to improve your chances of making the cut:

♥ Read the job description carefully and highlight each separate skill or experience required. Ensure that these or equivalent are in your resume.

♥ Use the same terminology as the job ad for both job titles and skills. If they call it Director of First Impressions then change any job titles from Receptionist to ensure it reads Director of First Impressions. If they call it Interpersonal Skills then change it from Customer Service Skills.

♥If you have the skills that transfer from a different job altogether then highlight this in a skills summary. A functional resume will describe skills and examples of where these skills were utilised rather than a full chronological work history. This skills summary gives you a chance to highlight the transferable skills relevant to the job description in the advertisement.

♥ Don’t use the word BUT in your cover letter. Never state that you don’t have XYZ experience BUT you have…this will not get you forward. This only highlights that you don’t have a requested experience and it would be best to highlight you strengths instead.

♥Be specific with numbers. Don’t just write that you did accounts payable or processed invoices. Actually list the exact number that you would process in a week or a day. It is this kind of detail that will stand out and inform the hiring manager whether you have done high-volume as they requested or not.

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May
03

Take action in your work life

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IWIB

When faced with a problem or a stepping stone or a new venture or opportunity in your career you can do one of two things. Do nothing, which in essence means that you do not grow and become nothing. That is nothing more than you currently are. If you are happy with this than continue your life this way, but don’t expect to live the extraordinary life of your dreams.

The second option is to take action.

Pretty basic concept that one isn’t it. If you see opportunity or seek to overcome and grow in your career you need to ask yourself three questions:

What should you do?

What could you do?

What will you do?

It is this third step that incites action. If you find that in answering these questions that there are actionable items at the end then it is time to take action and just do them. If you don’t then like discussed above nothing will come of nothing. But if you dare to take the opportunity and DO SOMETHING then that is what will make a difference in your career, in your life and possibly someone else’s life.

I had the very fortunate opportunity to be present at the Illawarra Women In Business Awards for 2013 and was blown away with the level of drive and determination by the winners in each category. It was great to see so many local woman truly making an individual difference. How are they making a difference you ask?

Well they saw that there was something that should be done, they realised that they could do it and so they did!

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Apr
05

7 organisation tips for everyday living

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1. For busy over-achieving career girls who are juggling more than they think they can handle it is essential to do everything while looking your best. Sometimes though time proves so short that on some mornings you either don’t go for your run, end up doing your makeup on the train or get to work sans jewellery because you couldn’t find the right top for that suit or the right jacket for those pants. Solution: On a Sunday afternoon while prepping your food for the week take some time to prep your outfits for the week complete with accessories and shoes and have them lined up at the end of your wardrobe ready to go. It can feel unusual at first but once you get used to it you will never mismatch an accessory or cardigan while in a rush again.

2. This one will get a cringe out of most people if their filing system involves piling all bills and paperwork on top of the filing cabinet like I do, BUT – file your bills and paperwork immediately. Feels weird to even think about being this organised but think about how good those times you actually filed it all felt? Was good wasn’t it? Now think about how good it will feel if you never have to take an hour and a half just to get through the pile. All it takes is a regular tiny commitment to open the mail and file immediately on a consistent basis.

3. Get rid of clutter! Just throw it all out…yes you heard me right. Chances are you are never going to need that old charger/uni assignments/school books/insert any bunch of crap lying around your office desk or house. It is an ingrained human habit to hoard objects however without going all minimalist on you I can assure you that when you clean out the clutter your mind will feel clearer and you will always be able to find what you are looking for.

4. Keep your daily beauty products separate from everything else. If like me you accumulate beauty products like an addiction then you know how annoying it can be when you can’t find the eyeliner that you usually use in amongst the draw of eye makeup that is really only suitable for after hours – not the workplace. When you keep your daily beauty products in their own section in the most easily accessible place you will never be scrounging through the drawers in amongst everything else. Effective and no longer frustrating!

5. Sometimes it is hard to sort through the influx of emails in the business world when it seems that everyone wants an answer that only you can provide. Left to build up this can cause fault lines in business relationships and frustration on your part as it then becomes an overwhelming task. Solution: Spend half hour dedicated time each day emailing back as many queries as you can. If you are a fast typist and the queries are information that isn’t too hard to provide then you could easily make it a self competition to see how many replies you can send back within a set timeframe. This gets your external business communication a little more organised and will also mean more happy clients.

6. While on the topic of emails – divide your inbox into a number of folders for relevant topic areas or regular contact and set the rule for outlook to automatically send those emails to that folder. For example I have separate emails for each staff member in my office, for each of the specialities I recruit for, others from payroll, another for skills testing results. The best part about this tip is once it is set up you won’t need to redo it and your inbox anxiety will be calmed somewhat as it is already all organised for you. Much easier to find past emailed information as well.

7. Be consistent. Sometimes being consistent is mistaken for routine but that is not what I mean. The more consistent we keep our regular daily tasks the more effective they become in our lives to assist us in keeping things running smoothly and effectively. If you can be consistent with cleaning out junk as you receive it rather than storing it away then chances are you won’t accumulate junk. If you are consistent with filing all paperwork right away – chances are that looming pile won’t build up. So if you are consistent you will stay organised!

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Jan
15

It is okay to have your sh*t together

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stereotype

Media seems to propel the idea that we shouldn’t aim to be perfectionists as that could be detrimental and cause us to strive for extreme ideals that cannot be reached. Sometimes (and I cringe every time I see this) I also see media perpetuating the idea that women can’t have it all – at least not at the same time. For me what this does is create a typecast that if a woman has her sh*t together (whether that includes bf/husband/kids/no kids/career/fitness/hobby) there must be something wrong.

Some might call this an ingrained fear of success but I think it goes a little deeper than this for some women. As women we too often have words and stereotypes thrown every which way at us that it has got to the point where it is hard to keep up with what is applicable or not. It can cause you to feel that if everything is going right in your life and you feel on top of the world – you must have forgotten your place because that is entirely not possible! At least this is how I sometimes feel.

I can liken it to my monthly budget. I don’t get paid monthly as such but every four weeks exactly, which can, in fact, be even harder to keep track of sometimes. The point is that part way through those four weeks I realise I am tracking really well and seem t have loads of money and I go shopping and buy something pretty that I “totally needed” and it turns out a few days later I had forgotten about a bill that was direct debited and not included on the budget plan. The rest of my month I spend scrounging for pennies in my hand bag trying not to touch any of the savings I had put aside that pay. Just when everything is tracking along nicely there is something that I forgot to factor into the equation and boom the stack of cards falls down.

Sometimes this happens in my life in general as well – and I am sure I am not alone with this either! Everything is going great in my relationships; my career and fitness are all on track. It seems I have it all at that very point in time. However, despite everything going so well and my feeling so secure with everything, something in the back of my head is trying to tell me that I may have forgotten to factor in something important. How can I possibly be happy right now, with everything? No one ever gets everything they wanted…

I am here to call BULLSH*T!!!

Why can a woman not have everything she wants at that point in time and be content in this fact?

A woman should not be made to feel like something else that society deems important is necessary for her to feel fulfilled. A boyfriend, a husband, a job, a baby, a hobby, a slimmer waist line, a pair of shoes, a boob job – these things are not going to make you anymore fulfilled than you choose to feel inside.

You need to be content with what you have. And be content in your ability to get what you want. You need to tell yourself it is okay to be blissfully happy with everything in your life and accept that nothing is missing. You are allowed to feel like you have all your sh*t together.

If you want to start a family and continue in your successful career path – it is okay to tell yourself that YOU can have both. Even if others tell you it isn’t possible.

If you are 30 and have a successful career and do not want to get married or have kids for a few years yet – well it is entirely up to you when you choose for this to change. You should never let anyone make you feel insecure about this extremely personal decision.

If you want to get super fit and balance this goal with running a family household – don’t listen to anyone tell you that you have bitten off more than you can chew. If you want it you can and will make it happen. And you are allowed to feel really good when you do.

See what I mean ladies? It is up to us to show the world that we have our sh*t together and that it feels altogether Fabulous!

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Jan
08

The Female Entrepreneur: Heidi Yi

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HeidiYi

Name: Heidi Yi
Life Motto: Honesty is the best policy
Entrepreneurial Achievement: Mineral Makeup by Heidi Yi and self-published author of two books
Fave Heidi Yi product: Mineral Foundation “I use MF7 Warm beige which is also our best seller.”
Advice for budding entrepreneurs:

“Follow your heart and follow your dreams, do what your heart is telling you.  Do something that you are passionate about and enjoy.  In my opinion success does not always equate to having a huge business, global empire or having a few shops but it’s about sense of achievement and self-accomplishment. It’s about doing whatever that makes you happy and still make a living.”

Starting her career as a makeup artist in QLD back in 1997, Heidi Yi specialised in wedding and professional photography makeup, transforming women from beautiful to wowser!!! An award winning makeup artist Heidi contributed to numerous magazines and won awards across QLD and then later NSW and after ten years of helping women look their best on their special day, Heidi decided to take her experience to the next level.

“In 2007 an opportunity came up to write my own book on ‘how to’ make-up which also inspired me to have my own range of mineral make up,” says Heidi.

Heidiyimakeup

In October 2007 Heidi Yi Makeup was born and she hasn’t looked back since establishing this successful venture, which operates as an online venture.

“At the moment I have my business functioning as a part-time concern, however when establishing the business I was in the fortunate position to be able to focus on it fulltime,” says Heidi. “As the mineral makeup is mostly an online business it doesn’t require much supervision but I am constantly working on increasing traffic and loyalty.”

Heidi achieves this loyalty and traffic increases with a number of tactics including still transforming brides in Sydney on weekends and doing around ten trade shows per year including Newcastle, Melbourne, Wollongong, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane. Her bubbly personality allows her to be at ease when networking with new and old contacts and she keeps her business busy by taking advantage of the peak seasons.

“My business can be seasonal, for example wedding makeups bookings are peak in summer compared to winter, explains Heidi. “I keep myself busy by attending networking meetings to meet people to find business opportunities such as sponsorships and also to keep the name out there.”

One of the best business networks that has assisted Heidi throughout her business venture has been their Bartercard network. It is through careful planning that she is efficient in making her business work for her.

“Although I don’t have large overheads such as rent and wages or liabilities, there are still fixed costs that I need to cover to operate the business. In quiet times I tend to focus on planning and working on the business to improve cash flow for the ‘troughs’ in the future.

So how does someone who runs a successful online mineral makeup line, has self-published two books and still finds time to sponsor car racing teams ad attend trade shows find balance across her life?

“I try to take at least one day of a week when I can…because I sometimes work weekends I take weekdays off. I try not to over commit by booking myself out as I don’t want to burn out.”

Another tactic Heidi uses to ensure she has balance is to allocate others to look after other areas of her business so that she is not covering all bases solely on her own and can focus on the areas of business networking that she is best at.

“I do have many people behind my business. I outsource to a bookkeeper, accountant, solicitor, graphic designer, copywriter, IT and web Developer.”

The ability to see where other experts can assist her is also what allowed Heidi to launch her makeup range effectively.

“I outsourced a graphic designer to help me come up with product labels, names for each product and product codes to fit the branding.  I could have attempted to do them myself to cut costs but it would have taken me long time as I have no clue when it comes to design and artwork.”

Despite being more practical and business-oriented Heidi took a risk to expand her experience by adding self-published author to her growing list of achievements.

“I am not much of a writer…I have great skills in doing the makeup as opposed to being a trainer or a teacher, says Heidi. “But then I thought of writing a makeup book which outlines all the experiences and skills that I have learnt over the years working as a makeup artist. That way people can read and follow my tips and tricks.”

Makeup Book

With five years of experience behind her as the face of a mineral makeup range, Heidi has learnt a thing or two along her journey that she wished she had of known before she began.

“I have learnt to shop around before committing myself to anything because I can get better deals from many other sources. Don’t sign anything until ready, doesn’t matter how much pressure you receive from sales reps to get you to buy their products or services.”

The biggest thing Heidi has learnt is who should be at the helm of her business. “While I am happy to take business advice from trusted consultants, I now know that everyone is just trying to make a buck, and the only person that knows what is right for my business and the direction I want it to head, is me.

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Dec
04

Time to reflect on the year that was twentytwelve

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As of Saturday this past week end, the date on the calendar hit December 1st which marks 11 months since many of us set and abandoned one or many New Year’s resolutions. One of the things I love most about this time of year (other than excitement of time off, summer and Christmas) is reflecting back on what I have achieved and how I have grown over the course of the year and where I want to head for the next year.

This time of year, while seemingly hectic, can actually be the best time of year for reflection so that you head into the new year assured of what you have done and what you are now ready to do.

What I am hoping to do over the next couple of weeks is to take the time to sit and reflect: Think about the wonderful things I have experienced (such as a Wedding in Adelaide, a horse and carriage ride in Melbourne, another friend’s wedding, 5 other black tie formal events, a 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend and many other mini adventures with my man and best friend <3); and List off all the things I have achieved both personally and professionally (this list includes expanding my white collar recruitment scope within the company I work for, working 4 days per week for 6 months to take time to myself, becoming a Finalist of the Illawarra Business Awards, undertaking a Real Estate investment course, persisting with this blog, expanding my resume recreation services).

Now it is your turn! Take a notepad, some pens and a quiet space and reflect upon the following and remember to break it down month by month if you have trouble remembering! Ask yourself the following questions and let your mind wander across every avenue and let the pen scribble free-thought style:

♥ What great experiences have I had this year? This could be travel, relationships, events, new places, new foods tried…the limit is your imagination.

♥ What have I achieved in my personal life? This can span across any category including relationships, communication, health & fitness, religion, body & soul…

♥ What have I achieved in my professional life? This is where it will differ depending if you work for yourself or a corporate company…detail what you have achieved whether it was updating your resume, a work related course, promotion, pay rise, work experience…

♥ What lessons have I learnt? Have you broken a bad habit? Or let go of a toxic friendship? Detail the things you feel you have learnt or had reiterated in the experiences of this year.

♥ What areas do I want to focus on in 2013? Areas of your business need improving? Does you marketing kit need a makeover? Do you wish you spent more time being creative? Or meditating? Or exercising? Or with family and friends? Details the areas of focus for yourself in the New Year.

♥ Are there any courses you want to take to increase your skill either for personal or professional benefits?

♥ What are your personal goals? Make at least one goal for each of the areas of your life: finances/relationships/spiritual/fitness/self etc.

♥ What are your professional goals? Make a list of goals to achieve in your professional life whether it is find a new job, return to an old job, get a pay rise or promotion, start your own business, build up your existing business. The limit is in your own self worth.

So this area of goal setting is simply the reflection stage. Unfortunately I often get caught at the reflection stage and come up with fantastic ideas with no follow through. This is one of the things I learnt by partaking in NANoWriMo this year. A goal whether small or ridiculously ambitious takes careful planning AND execution for it to come to fruition.

So as a start reflect on what has been a wonderful 2012, enjoy the remainder of the last month of the year and hit TwentyThirteen with a supersonic BANG!

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Nov
27

GUEST POST: The one thing you need to be self-employed

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MYOW guest blogger – Ashley from After Nine to Five

Every guide I’ve ever read on quitting your day job consists of similar information. Make sure you have enough money saved, make sure you have a support system, make sure you have a business built before you quit, and make sure you have your great grandfather’s second removed cousin’s sister’s first born son there to help you. Okay, so maybe not the last part, but the lists make me feel like you might as well have that because that seems more plausible than the other requirements they give you for quitting the corporate world.

Today I want to tell you something. Something that should be much more well-known and shouldn’t be frowned upon the way that it is. Something that’s much more excited and much more relevant to becoming your own boss.

You don’t have to do any of that.

All you have to do is want it bad enough to make it happen.

When I was a little kid, I was ALL about dessert. I still am, but that’s on the down-low. I didn’t care about veggies, or fruits, or anything else on my plate. All I wanted was dessert. And if I could have, I would have eaten it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And then had it for dessert, too. But lucky for me, I had parents that saw the flaws in my plan and told me that I could have dessert whenever I finished my plate and my chores were done. So what did I do every. single. meal? I finished my plate. I didn’t care how much I hated whatever was in front of me – I ate it. And those chores? You bet they were done. Because of that, I’m sure my mom thought she was the best chef on the block. Or that I loved to clean. But the truth be told? I just wanted dessert. And nothing was going to stand in the way of me getting it.

You may be thinking “Well, that’s just food and taking out the garbage. That’s nothing like quitting your day job.” But it is. Because when I was younger, life was easy. But getting dessert? Getting dessert was hard. I didn’t have responsibilities, I didn’t have to make grown up decisions, and I didn’t have to pay for a single thing. But I had to do a whole lot of things that I didn’t particularly want to do in order to get the one thing I really wanted.

And that? That motivation is all that you need to go from corporate lemming to entrepreneurial genius.

Sure, having a support system and a solid padding in your bank account makes matters a lot easier. But they aren’t required to take the leap of faith. They aren’t necessary to the foundation of being self-employed. You are the foundation. You make things work when they are broken and you make things exceed your own expectations. You are the building block to your own success.

Dream it. Create it. Plan it. Do whatever you need to do to immerse yourself in that dream that everyone tells you is too crazy to pursue. And if it feels like it’s exactly where you are meant to be, then do it. Even if it’s a little earlier than you thought you would. Or maybe even a little be late. Even if it seems like it’s a little weird or a little bit out there.

Want it bad enough to give it a shot no matter what happens.

Because if you don’t, you’ll always be waiting for the perfect time. And I promise that it doesn’t even exist.

A big Make Your Own Waves welcome to guest blogger Ashley!!! Ashley is a twenty something entrepreneur. Handmade business owner {& supporter.} Self-proclaimed food aficionado. Daydream believer. Her blog After Nine to Five is her mark on the world.

 

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Nov
26

The Female Entrepreneur revolution is upon us…

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Being or becoming a true entrepreneur is no mean feat. One can coin themselves an entrepreneur simply for coining a term, idea, invention, business, book or blog but this doesn’t necessarily discern entrepreneurial success.

I myself am an intrapreneur; building the white collar recruitment business I run as part of a much larger organisation.

There are similarities to becoming a successful intrapreneur or entrepreneur. To reach the level of success that you wish to you need (and this is by no means a conclusive list):

♥ Ambition

♥ Drive

♥ Persistence

♥ Dedication

♥ Expertise

♥ Passion

♥ Balance

One other thing you need is the ability to take risks – without some risk there can be no worthy reward.

I am ultimately inspired by the many woman I see taking a risk and building up an empire business or brand for themselves: Valerie Khoo of Sydney Writers’ Centre; Janine Allis of Boost Juice; Colette Hayman who started Colette fashion and accessories; Gala Darling of galadarling.com. The transformations of what they have grown and achieved in comparison to where they began is incredibly inspirational. It is uplifting to see women developing businesses and brands of such growth and power.

In light of all female entrepreneurs who have excelled/ are excelling in their industry areas I am introducing to MYOW a series entitled The Female Entrepreneur. It will include various articles and interviews and guest posts over time of woman who are making their own waves in this world with businesses they have built up, are building up or even working on as a part time gig.

The more females can share around their advice and experiences the more it can empower other women who are teetering with their own business ideas.

Woman are powerful despite often limiting themselves to set standards of what society think they should be. My current mantra is a Chinese proverb I read around the same time the focus on my blog changed and I have been on fire ever since!

When sleeping women wake, mountains move – Chinese Proverb

Dare to dream, dare to be inspired and dare to make your own waves in this world!

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Nov
22

Know why you do what you do

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Not every job someone has in their life is going to be super awesome fantastic and have you rearing to go every morning when the alarm goes off. I’m not talking about running off and creating your own business here but when you are in a job, no matter what it is you should figure out the why.

It is not what you do for eight or more hours a day that matters – it is why? And if the why is not a reason that resonates with you, you need to question whether you should be in that position or not.

This is especially true if your job is frustrating you or grinding you down. If you aren’t desperate for the fantastic pay check everything then how is that worth your happiness. Like jobs through university or college; they are often there simply to either build your experience or simply to pay the bills. For me I worked in full time retail gigs for my senior years of high school and the first few years of university. Sometimes I was bored out of my brain at 4.30pm on a Monday afternoon on my own with no customer traffic to keep me entertained. BUT these retail roles weren’t my forever job. Why did I do them? To pay the bills while at university.

Asking myself why I am doing a particular job is the reason I only ever did one day free work experience in magazines – at Harpers Bazaar at ACP no less. It was a hectic day, I barely got a break and I totally wore the wrong shoes for the work they had me doing. Why was I doing it? To get experience and connections. But then I told myself I already had a job in magazines and really didn’t need these connections to spend a year like the other girl interning for free. I knew my worth and it wasn’t free. I already had the connections necessary so I didn’t need to be there.

Moving from the creative lands of magazine world into the corporate realm of recruitment has been a challenge for me to say the least. I have grown a lot in my years doing recruitment however very early on in the piece I was very unhappy in the transition. While he financial benefits of the gig are fantastic it wasn’t enough to make me go ooh yeah I want to do this for a long time. I think I had to figure out the why very early on in my recruitment career simply because I fell into it when I moved down the south coast and transitioned into magazines. In fact I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect before I started and all it meant was that I could move to the coast to be with my man!

So one weekend I pondered away in my brain for hours at a time the question of if I wasn’t inclined to do the sales and business development side of recruitment for the money then WHY was I doing it? What was in it for me?

This is when I realised that I do my job because I love changing people’s lives. The right job really can change someone’s life. It can ease financial and emotional stress; it can be the difference between needing a bottle of wine at the end of every work day to having a glass with dinner because you feel like. I get a warm fuzzy feeling just by telling someone that they have got a job.

One story I have from a candidate I once placed was that the confidence she gained from the role, both financially and skill-wise, allowed her to leave an abusive relationship. Yes a job can do that.

So when you are feeling down in the dumps because your job seemingly sucks and you don’t want to do what you are doing then ask yourself why. It could be any number of reasons: you are paying down a mortgage for your family; you like working with numbers everyday; or even just because you are saving for your dream euro trip. However, if the honest answer to the question why isn’t good enough then start looking elsewhere for a new job. Life is too short to do something that has no benefit to you personally.

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Nov
01

The basic corporate wardrobe for women

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If I only I looked as put together as a Victoria’s Secret model when I go to work

Dear Kitty

 Please help me! I was successful in getting a job in a corporate office but it will be the first time working in corporate environment and have no idea what I am going to need for my wardrobe! I don’t think one black pencil skirt and a button up shirt is going to cut it. I don’t really have much money to buy a lot right away either.

 Can you help?

From Clueless Corporate

 Okay so that help message is actually a fake…however, I imagine it written by me two years ago if I had of had anyone to ask! Working in magazines for 4 years meant I could pretty much wear anything to work as long as if I was going to interview anyone face to face I looked somewhat professional or at the very least fashionable. While this option of choose your own work wear can help you figure out your own style and experiment, quite often results in you giving in to the lazy version of yourself and opting for jeans and a nice top most days.

Entering corporate world can be a little scary if you don’t have anything corporate in your wardrobe and without the fist full of cash and knowledge to go on a raging shopping spree.

I managed to scrounge up an outfit to wear to the interview but wasn’t due to start till four weeks later. This gave me time to do the google research on “what to wear in a corporate office” but somehow I always seemed to come up dry.

 With this in mind I have created a comprehensive list of what basic items you will need to get by in a corporate office environment and actually look the part. This list contains the bare minimum you will need when working the 9-5 five days a week at least in the beginning few months till you have the money to splurge a little and build up the wardrobe over a period of time. It is everything I wish I knew before I started.

Good luck in your new positions and I hope this information helps!

Black Blazer from Tokito – $70 on sale yes please!

  • Clothes: Have each of the following: 1 x Suit Dress; 1 x Tailored plain black pant; 1 x black pencil skirt; 1 x black suit jacket, and 5 x button up blouses/ dressy tops. The combination of these items will allow you to mix and match different outfit’s enough so that you don’t feel like you are wearing the same outfit every day. The suit jacket and pants/skirt don’t need to be the matching set but they need to be all plain black if they are not. Surprisingly the best black suit jacket and skirt that I have is from Supre! When you first start out sticking to blacks, charcoals and greys is a good idea but once you are settled you can experiment with colour a lot more without looking risqué.
  • Fashion accessories: A corporate environment is not the place to test out all the latest feathery headbands and chunky bracelets but what you can experiment with is chunky necklaces, simple flat bow headbands, and thin waist belts in various colours. I would however keep your jewellery minimal and only wear your demure rings, bracelets and earrings. Think Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl before you go overboard. You can totally get away with a cocktail ring every other day but steer clear of giant hoop earrings or dangly disco balls!
  • Hosiery: Say goodbye to bare legs and welcome pantyhose as your new best friend.  Go for thick black in winter and thin tanned in summer and a little FYI is the lower the Denier number on the packet the thinner the stockings and the more chance they have of getting a ladder. Must adhere to rule is the second a pair of stockings gets a run tie them up (so you can tell them apart from the rest) and throw them out! For variety you can get patterned options from a range of stores so have fun with spots and checks – no slutty fishnets though! Playing the sexy secretary isn’t the best idea when you want to get taken seriously.
  • Shoes:There isn’t much room for fancy and unfortunately the go-to ballet flats are a little too “casual” for corporate world and are better left for under your desk relief or walking to and from the train station/parking spot. You will want at least 1-2 pairs of black closed toe pumps. Something that is easy to walk in but looks the part. Often shoes with platforms are the comfiest despite their height as they often have a softer angle for your ankle. This is where you shouldn’t skimp on quality for a cheaper price tag – please note however one of my best pairs of work shoes cost $20 on sale from Rubi.

    Metal Plate Tote from Colette

 

  • Bag:My advice is to have one larger bag and a smaller clutch with you every day. The larger bag will be a blessing on the way to and from the office housing the smaller clutch, sunnies in a protective case, book, water bottle, lunch for the day, basic makeup bag and possibly an additional cardigan or scarf for colder months. The smaller clutch will be able to hold your wallet essentials – cards/cash/id – as well as lipgloss/lipstick, purse sized spray of perfume and your phone. You need to trust me on the larger bag/smaller bag thing as when you are sent for the coffee or supplies run or are out and about visiting a client you do not want to be stuck hauling around a hefty bag full of your life story. However, when you are on the train you will be thankful for the larger bag and all that it carries for you. It will also stop you from carrying around a crappy cloth tote. You’re welcome.

    Panelled Foldover Turnlock Clutch from Colette

 

  • Hair and Makeup:Always have immaculate makeup and hair done neatly. Look like you made an effort to look effortless as just rolled out of bed hair and doing your makeup in the mirror at work is not going to fly. In corporate world dishevelled is the dirty word. 

    Corporate Miss Kitty – Blazer and Dress Suit from Target

 

The places to shop on a budget in Australian retail outlets are in no particular order: (sorry everyone else…I am sure you can figure out the equivalent in your country)

 Target – city stores have the best hauls – I got a matching suit dress and skirt for under $110

Myer – but only during sale seasons otherwise it is more costly check out brands such as Tokito for great work shirts, save the Tokito suits for when you have a little more moolah

Colette – for bags and accessories, especially their bags – swoon

Supre – for basic items but like I mentioned above their basic black suit jacket and pencil skirt have been my corporate fashion saviour

Valley Girl & Tempt – owned by the same company but stocking different things in both stores you will definitely manage to find corporate dresses, tailored black pants and work shirts here.

Events – have great tailor made suits for women but full price can be a bit much when you are first starting out with a budget. Sale time however you can score bigtime – I got my first ‘proper’ pinstripe pant suit here when it was on sale and I saved a couple of hundred

My favourite online hotspots for corporate wear include:

Victoria’s Secret
Boohoo.com
Asos – As Seen on Stars

The best part about these stores and brands is that you don’t have to buy the same size for top and bottom, you can mix and match and there is also a high probability you will find something fantastic at sale prices.

Tell me about your first corporate experience below! What brands or shops do you find the best corporate attire at low prices?

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