MURFREESBORO — A
partnership between Raiders’ Closet and Dillard’s Department Store could result
in scores of well-dressed millennials lining up for jobs.
The Stones River Mall location of Dillard’s in Murfreesboro
will conduct a Trunk Show Friday, Oct. 7, to support Raiders’ Closet, a
nonprofit MTSU service that provides students with appropriate business attire
for job interviews at no cost.
Customers who donate a gently used suit or sport coat to
Raiders’ Closet during the Trunk Show will receive a discount on items
purchased from Dillard’s during the show, as well as a free shirt and tie with
each purchase of a made-to-measure suit.
“I think it’s important for, especially me, being in the
College of Business, to educate … my peers on how to present themselves, how to
dress for success, and, really, how to crush that interview so they can stand
out,” said Devon Wallace, a senior economics major from Hendersonville and
manager of Dillard’s men’s department.
Calling it a chance for Wall Street to connect with Main
Street, Wallace said the store will emphasize business suits by Hart, Schaffner
& Marx, a company that was founded in 1887 in Chicago and makes all of its
men’s wear in the United States.
The 22-year-old Wallace, who is on pace to graduate in December,
manages 10 employees in a department that rings up $3 million in sales
annually. He started out as a part-time sales associate during his sophomore
year.
“Get something that’s very versatile, that fits you very,
very well, in a fabric that’s going to last a long time,” advised Wallace.
Wallace said he is concerned that his contemporaries are not
well-versed in the art of dressing for success, which is particularly essential
for acquiring that first job after graduation.
“I’ve seen even MTSU students come into Dillard’s eating ice
cream, in a T-shirt, saying, ‘Are you guys hiring? I need a job,’” said
Wallace.
Raiders’ Closet is located in Room 327 of MTSU’s Keathley
University Center. It stocks business-appropriate suits, dresses, separates and
accessories that students may obtain free of charge.
Both monetary and clothing donations for Raiders’ Closet are
accepted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in Room N349 of the
Business and Aerospace Building.
For more information, contact Raiders’ Closet founder and
director Virginia Hemby-Grubb, a professor of marketing, at 615-898-2369 or
virginia.hemby-grubb@mtsu.edu.
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