Posted at: 04/27/2010 5:29 PM
Updated at: 04/27/2010 5:47 PM
By: Matt McFarland

Print Story  Email to a Friend

Albany students 'Dress for Success'

ALBANY - From head to toe, RJ McCall looks sharp.  He has the suit, the tie, and even some snake skin shoes, but the Albany senior isn't just dressed to impress.  McCall is hoping he's dressed for success. 

"Getting my clothes ready and ironed it was a hassle, but it tells me how you need to be when you go into an interview. You can't come in with street clothes on and expect to get a job," he said.

The idea is that instead of the normal jeans and sweatshirts, McCall and his classmates at Abrookin Vocational Technical Center would show up to school as if they were heading to a job interview.  As part of its Dress for Success Day there were also workshops on popular careers, along with tips for interviewing.

"You definitely have to learn how to speak, how to just present yourself if you want the job," added Mone Ware, a junior at the school.

In addition to the workshops, students could drop off resumes to get them critiqued or sit down for a mock interview.

"For me it was nervous, but I got through it with confidence and I just learned how to speak for myself," Mike Fallen, a senior, said,

"We're really pushing them, wanting them to be prepared as possible so they can stand out for everyone else when they go to a job interview, whether its McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts, anywhere, its become a lot more competitive" said Kristy Koldis, a school counselor at Abrookin.

As for McCall, he wants to go to school to become a radiologist and says the day is already paying off.

"They basically told me what I need to work on, what I'm good at in my interview, so when I go to my next interview, I know what I need to work on," he said.