“It’s sort of like you’re dressing your future self,” says Shaquan Hoke, an employment and personal-development coach in New York. Do your research — whether online or in person — about the culture of your potential employer. A hedge fund, for example, will have different clothing expectations than an art gallery. Choose something that makes you feel comfortable and powerful — a version of yourself that already has the job. Hoke often tells clients to opt for a classic white shirt, a pencil skirt or a blazer and slacks that can be paired to look like a suit. Wear dark-colored shoes you could skip in. “If your feet hurt, it will show,” she says.
The suit was gray, by a classic American designer known for catering to affluent career women. The pinstriped fabric had weight to it, and the cut was a tasteful A-line that, one can imagine, some fast-talking, "pls fix"-replying executive had chosen for its figure-flattering yet sensible shape.
When Shaquan Hoke put on this two-piece ensemble at the Queens location of Dress for Success 14 years ago, she was a homeless single mother of five children under the age of 8. She'd just completed a three-week job-readiness program and was about to embark on interviews in the community development field, but she lacked the funds for an appropriate outfit. Today, Hoke, now a 43-year-old CEO and entrepreneur, steps on set in a regal violet ruched dress, hands folded loosely in front of her, like a benevolent monarch survehttps://websites.godaddy.com/ying her realm.
Shaquan shares her inspirational story during the 2nd annual Write, Rhyme & Recite Collective.
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