Ottawa’s Dress for Success pivoted when the she-cession hit – Ottawa Citizen

Breadcrumb Trail Links

Author of the article:

Dress For Success was founded a decade ago to help women acquire a gently-used interview outfit to help them step into the job market.

Job seeking has changed since then, but the pandemic changed everything. While the 2008 financial crisis promoted a he-cession in fields such as manufacturing and construction, the pandemic has sparked a she-cession, disproportionately affecting women in low-earning fields such as food services and retail.

We heard from our clients that, aside from the economy and jobs, there were also the pressures of home care and schooling at home, said executive director Mary Tersigni-Paltrinieri, who was gearing up to celebrate the organizations 10th birthday in a virtual party last week.

Before the pandemic, Dress for Success program offerings were mostly face-to-face with only one virtual program. Within a month, all of the programs had shifted online. Clients were even selecting interview clothing online and picking it up curbside.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Questions were veering away from the usual scope of job-seeking to queries about isolation and mental health support, so Dress for Success started to hold virtual weekly meet-ups, said Tersigni-Paltrinieri. Some clients had questions about how to access food banks or apply for CERB and other government supports. Theres now a resource guide for volunteers updated three times a week.

There was still a need to fulfill the organizations mandate of getting women prepared for work. Even though those who work at home joke about wearing pyjamas all day, many Dress for Success clients still work in face-to-face jobs, said Tersigni-Paltrinieri.

In the early days, about half of the donated stock of clothing at the Catherine Street boutique consisted of suits and dresses. Now the collection includes such items as work boots, work wear and gender-neutral clothing.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Organizations like Dress for Success have always had to be responsive to social change. Established to help disadvantaged women seeking financial independence, programs now also embrace non-binary and gender non-conforming people who feel most comfortable in female-centred workspaces.

Some clients are looking to be appropriately dressed for an internship, a court appearance or a refugee board hearing. Others want to prepare for job interviews, develop a resume or take part in the annual full-day career conference, said Tersigni-Paltrinieri.

There are no time limits for how long you can be a client. It can be a day or a month or years.

Christine Bourgeois, now 32, graduated with a degree in music in 2012 and was working in the fitness industry to gain experience in the hopes of entering an MBA program when she was as wrongfully dismissed in 2015.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Devastated about losing her job and still grappling with student debt, she took a course in Java through Employment Ontario, which pointed her in the direction of Dress For Success.

Bourgeois signed up for a workshop on resume-writing and did a speed-interviewing exercise with employers to get feedback on her interviewing performance.

One Dress for Success volunteer handed Bourgeois her own shoes to complete her interview outfit.

I was so touched. They were Michaels Kors, she said. Its more than clothing, it gives you confidence.

Bourgeois Java skills led to an internship, then a job at Ross Video, which lasted for two-and-a-half years until there was a round of layoffs. She now has a contract position in procurement at the Department of National Defence and an on-call job in protection services at the National Gallery of Canada.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Bourgeois is aiming for a career in policing, still wants to do an MBA and volunteers at Dress For Success.

You career is a journey, not a destination, she said. Its amazing to have such incredible people help you.

Dress for Success, a registered charity, relies on its base of volunteers. Last year, it had 652 clients, but expects to exceed 1,000 this year as women head back into the workforce, said Tersigni-Paltrinieri. Programs are funded through donations, corporate partners and sponsors, foundation grants and fundraising.

While the organization looks forward to opening its doors again, there are benefits to offering virtual services, she said. Mothers of small children have reported that its good not to have to find a babysitter.

At the heart of everything we do is about providing women with confidence to take whatever is their next step.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Read the original:

Ottawa's Dress for Success pivoted when the she-cession hit - Ottawa Citizen