Looking for work is tough. You send out all those applications and it's as if they disappeared down a dark hole! You don't hear from anyone. You wonder if anyone at all looked over your resume. You don't get any feed back so you just keep sending out applications. It isn't pointless but at times it can seem like that.
Why not give yourself a little break one day a week and volunteer? You get out of the house, meet new people, make contacts, network, give back AND gain additional skills to add to your resume. Employers like to see that you have used your "down time" productively.
Contact Bottomless Closet if you are interested in volunteer opportunities. We would love to see you.

It seems that many people are uncertain about what to wear to an interview these days, especially since there is such a wide variety of fashion tastes in our modern age. We decided it would be a good idea to give you a few guidelines to take into account when dressing for an interview.

First of all, it's smart to remember that first impressions are very important. Appearance matters, and no matter how good you look on paper, a sloppy or indecent outfit can ruin your chance of landing the job before you even get to speak. Secondly, it's good to remember that if you're in doubt about what to wear, choose the more conservative outfit. Below are some parameters to take into consideration.

• No short skirts--keep dress suit skirts at (or right above) knee length
• No tight fitting clothing
• No low cut blouses
• Avoid overly bright or neon colors
• No visible bra straps
• Limited, tasteful jewelry
• Clean nails
• Light makeup and/or perfume

Wearing a navy, gray, or black business suit with a coordinated blouse is the perfect combo. Remember that your idea of what is fashionable may be different from the interviewer's. Playing it safe and being extra modest is better than being sorry afterwards.

We at Bottomless Closet like to have a good time too! Take a look at our photos from today's holiday party! Besides enjoying a great meal, we played a game involving gifts. When someone's name was randomly drawn, they either chose a wrapped gift from the center of the table or could choose to steal an opened one from someone who already had a turn. Needless to say it got pretty interesting!

Happy Holidays From Our Family to Yours!!!

Thanks to all who came out to our last overstock sale of the year! We truly would not be able to survive without our supporters, so we appreciate it so much when you come to our monthly sales. Here are a few pics of our shoppers and volunteers last week:

As the New Year rapidly approaches, we begin to think about setting goals to better ourselves. Bottomless Closet is hoping to find ways to reach more people in the coming months; we want people to know about our mission. As an organization that offers hope to women in need, our wish is to gain a larger following in 2012. Consider these facts:

• Every month, on average, we serve 100 women and help them get back on their feet
• 89% of our clients have a single income
• 76% of our clients are single mothers with children to support
• 100% of our clients live on or below the federal guidelines for poverty
• 100% of our clients are of working age; between 17 and 55 years old
• 96% of our clients tell us that their visit to Bottomless Closet has made them feel more confident and ready to find work or advance their career goals

We depend on donations to pay our overhead; rent, insurance, utilities, supplies, and payroll. YOU can make a difference in these women’s lives by supporting us. Please make a monetary contribution today. Thank you and happy holidays.
 

Although there has been a small increase in the number of new jobs available to Americans this year, studies show that a large number of those who received the benefit of these were male. In this article found online on the site Wider Opportunities for Women, the 2011 jobs aganda is discussed to warrant that women are included in the upturn of the unemployment figures .

Below is an exerpt from the article. To read it in it's entirety please go to www.wowonline.org/documents/WOW2011JobsAgenda.pdf

Women’s job re-entry is lagging behind men’s
Women, particularly women heading families, are not faring well in today’s lackluster economy. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that women are gaining jobs at a slower pace than men.2
In the first two years of the recovery (June 2009 through May 2011), the unemployment rate for men fell from 10.6% to 9.5%; for women, it increased slightly, from 8.3% to 8.5%. From May 2009 through May 2011, men gained 768,000 jobs, while women lost 218,000 jobs.
Moreover, men are making inroads into the better paying “women’s jobs” like nursing, while gaining many more jobs than women in sectors like manufacturing. Pew found women lost a total of 120,000 jobs in manufacturing, where pay is relatively good, while men gained 86,000 manufacturing jobs.
Disproportionate unemployment of women-headed households
Current levels of unemployment are dangerously high among households that rely solely on a woman for support. In July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for women householders age 20 and over with no spouse present was 12 percent compared to 9.1 percent for the general population.3
1 Among women household heads, the unemployment rate was 17.4 percent for African Americans and 12.4 percent for Hispanics. While the overall unemployment rate for female householders declined by a slight 0.9 percent in July, it increased for both black female householders and Latina householders.¹

¹www.wowonline.org

Please consider giving to Bottomless Closet this holiday season to help fund our mission of clothing women trying to re-enter the work force.