Current and former Elmhurst University students often don’t have the time or money to shop for interview-appropriate clothing, and the university recognizes that—so that’s where the Career Closet comes in.
According to Emily Korkowski, senior coordinator of Career Experiences at the Russell G. Weigand Career Center for Professional Excellence, back in 2020, the university recognized that students preparing for job, internship and other interviews were often in need of business attire, and “they didn’t have the time, they didn’t have the budget” to go shopping.
“They’ve got enough going on,” she added.
The university noticed that some of the “big” schools had clothes closets, Korkowski continued, and “We saw that our students had a need.”
Casual attire is nice for some situations, but when it comes to interviews, “You’re being looked at in a different light,” she emphasized.
Since the Weigand Center is “the career center on campus,” the coordinator continued, it stood to reason that besides getting assistance for everything from polishing interview skills to writing résumés, providing students with appropriate attire was a critical component of the interview process.
As Korkowski put it, the center helps students “every single step of the way” during and even after graduation.
The clothing at the Career Closet is “all completely free to students,” she said. “We have a lot of people bring in their husband’s clothes.”
However, although “we always have clothes in the closet,” the center can always use donations—right now especially needed are women’s blazers and button-down shirts, according to Korkowski.
“We would love more shoes, belts and laptop bags,” she mentioned, and “anyone who has ties we’ll accept that, too.”
Korkowski said the Career Closet is also a useful resource during the university’s various career fairs, commenting that it is “another reason why the Career Closet is so nice.”
Not necessarily for interview purposes, but the Career Closet will also accept nicer winter outerwear, and hats and gloves, Korkowski said, particularly because some of the university’s international students may have come with very little clothing in their luggage.
“All clean, gently used business professional clothing is appreciated,” the university stated in a press release.
Students can stop by the Career Closet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but will be closed Tuesday, Aug. 18.
You are asked to let the front desk know you are donating items to the Career Closet, and to drop off clothing items by Aug. 31.
The Russell G. Weigand Career Center for Professional Excellence is located on the lower level of the A.C. Buehler Library, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst.
With all that students have going on, from classes to seeking jobs and internships, “We want to make sure that’s [appropriate clothing] something they don’t have to think about,” Korkowski summed up.
About the Russell G. Weigand Center for Professional Excellence
The Russell G. Weigand Career Center for Professional Excellence (WCCPE) helps undergrad and graduate students as well as alumni to identify and shape their career goals and make the connections with the people and resources needed to achieve their goals.
Services include career advising and mentoring, internships and career experiences, health professions advising, pre-law advising, career education and development, E-celerator (business innovation), career advice on demand (to explore career videos and use the university’s four-year timeline to define career goals) and Hire a Bluejay! (resources to help employers of all sizes connect with students, post openings, recruit interns and conduct on-campus recruiting for full-time positions. and recruit on campus).
The center is open to all current and former students.
Visit https://www.elmhurst.edu/academics/academic-centers/wccpe for more information.
