By Maria Elena Hernandez
PHOTO GALLERY
Password: clothes (case sensitive)
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – First impressions matter, especially in the hiring process.
That’s why The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Career Center is offering free business attire for students and alumni seeking employment. It's a program called Clothes For Hire.
“The attire does make a difference,” said Andrea Torres, a program specialist at the UTRGV Career Center.
The Career Center is collecting donations for the program. Items needed include gently-used:
- Blazers.
- Blouses.
- Dress shirts.
- Ties.
- Belts.
- Dress shoes.
- Skirts.
- Slacks.
- Dresses.
The Career Center will focus on gathering donations for about two months and will start sorting the items in February.
“This is pretty much in preparation for our Spring Career Expo, which we have in March,” Torres said.
In addition to using the clothing to dress for the expo, students also can use it for job interviews.
The Career Center is working in collaboration with the Students Rights and Responsibilities office, the Student Food Pantry and the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce on this initiative.
“One thing employers tell us is that we have to stress the importance of professionalism,” said Torres. “We want to make sure our students are well-rounded – from that piece of paper that states all their accomplishments, to the way they articulate their accomplishments, to the way they look.”
Business attire collected will be placed in the Student Food Pantry on both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. Students interested in using the service will first need to set up an appointment at the Career Center for a mock interview or resume review. Then they can visit the Student Food Pantry, where they'll fill out a form to select items from the clothing available.
If you’re interested in donating to Clothes For Hire, a list of collection sites follows:
Brownsville
- UTRGV Student Food Pantry (Cortez Hall 215).
- UTRGV Career Center (Cortez Hall 129).
- Brownsville Chamber of Commerce (1600 W. University Blvd.).
Edinburg
- UTRGV Student Food Pantry (University Center 114).
- UTRGV Career Center (Student Services Bldg. 2.101).
- UTRGV U Central (Visitors Center 1.113).
You can learn more about the services available at the UTRGV Career Center at utrgv.edu/careercenter/.
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.
