All of our dressing and interview coaching services are delivered by a team of highly-skilled volunteers.
Rewarding and important, if you’d like to support our clients and be involved in an organisation that is promoting self-belief, confidence, and positive encouragement to women, here are the four areas you could help with.
Trish has been volunteering with Smart Works Scotland for five years as an interview and career coach.
A few of Trish’s favourite memories as a Smart Works volunteer have been every email she receives saying the client was successful at an interview and has got the job, hearing about the success rate of clients getting work as a result of the help Smart Works provides the genuine positive feedback, and thanks for how much better the client feels after a session together. She has loved meeting determined and inspirational women who are dealing with serious life challenges such as physical disability, mental health illness, homelessness, single parenting and redundancy.
“Smart Works is an inspiring example of how women can support other women in need, helping propel them forward in their search for work through confidence-building and practical advice is one of the most satisfying aspects of my role at Smart Works.”
There are five main areas where we look for support from our volunteers
Dressing & Stylist Volunteer
Our dressing volunteers work with our clients to find the perfect outfit for their interview. They listen to our clients, understand how to make them look and feel fabulous, and have a great eye for fashion and style.
“We love helping other women. It’s a privilege to be part of this team, to see how happy our clients are when they come in, and the confidence boost it gives them as they walk out. And it’s really fun too!” – Carol and Karen, Dressing Volunteers, Smart Works Scotland
Coaching Volunteer
Interview volunteers help clients prepare for their interview by focussing on their skills, their confidence and their presentation. You will need a background in HR, recruitment or senior management, and will need to be able to use everyday technology.
“I met the fairy godmother of coaches! We went through brilliant interview techniques and practice questions. It felt like a true privilege to be coached by an expert and it helped me reach new heights in confidence and self-esteem.” – Selina
Wardrobe Volunteer
Wardrobe volunteers keep the whole system running smoothly by sorting, steaming and hanging our stock and making sure clothes are immaculately presented. We also have an exciting calendar of fundraising events including our signature fashion sales and annual Fashion & Fizz events, where our wardrobe volunteers are responsible for curating amazing rails for our supporters to buy from and in turn raise vital funds for our service.
This role would be perfect for anyone who has a passion for clothes and sees fashion as a force for good, you need to be highly organised and tidy, love clothes and have lots of energy. Our wardrobe volunteers have a meticulous attention to detail and passion for organisation as you would be involved in all things sorting and quality control.
Administration Volunteer
Admin volunteers help in the office by answering phones, greeting clients, inputting data, filing and helping with other office duties. You need excellent customer service skills and general office skills.
Outreach Volunteer
Outreach volunteers support us to deepen our reach in the community. This involves attending events, speaking directly with referral partners, potential clients and is vital work in ensuring every woman can find her way to a Smart Works centre.
Get in touch
If you feel you can bring the skills we need to our volunteer team and you have a passion for what we do we would love to hear from you.
Signing up as a volunteer is simple. All you have to do is fill in this form and email it to scotland@smartworks.org.uk
Our team is small and we want to ensure that we bring in the right people to help our clients. It may take us a little while to respond but bear with us and we will be in touch.