Your questions answered

Approximately 40% of our clothing is brand new and comes from a range of luxury brands and high street retailers such as Hobbs, John Lewis and Burberry. The other 60% is donated by individuals, companies and various other organisations that run clothing drives for us. All our clothing donations are carefully sorted and steamed before being hung in our dressing room.

You will receive a complete outfit for your interview that could consist of a suit, shirt, heels and a handbag or a skirt, blouse, jacket, tights and shoes. This outfit is yours to keep and free of charge. When you get a job you can come back to Smart Works for a second appointment and here you will receive an additional five items of clothing for your working wardrobe.

Hair-styling and beauty make-overs are not part of the core Smart Works service, however, our expert volunteer dressers are always on hand to offer advice around choosing the best interview outfit to suit your needs. Once a month, our long-term supporters at Bobbi Brown, send in their make-up artists to provide interview-appropriate makeovers for our clients.

Smart Works is a service that is dedicated to helping unemployed women. If you are unsure if you qualify for our service; please speak to your careers adviser.

If you have already been to see us for a first appointment and would like to book your Second Dressing, call us on 0207 288 1770. 

If you can’t make your appointment please call and let us know as soon as you can, the more notice the better. If you are running late, again, please call and let us know, however if you are running more than half an hour late we can’t guarantee that you will be seen as we work on an appointment schedule, and do not offer walk-in appointments.

We prefer for you to come to Smart Works without your family if possible. This is your time and we want to focus solely on you. Please do speak to your local Smart Works if you have any concerns about this, particularly if you are struggling to find alternative childcare arrangements.

We ask that you do not bring animals to your appointment.

If you have an item such as shoes or a jacket that you’d like to wear to your interview, you can bring this, and our dressers can work around the garment to find the rest of your outfit. For your interview coaching session, if you have the job description for the role you are interviewing for and your CV, we’ll ask you to send these ahead of time, and we can print them for you.

No, we are unable to pay for your travel to the appointment; this is something you need to discuss with your referrer.

No, any unemployed woman with an upcoming interview is entitled to our service so you do not need to be on job seekers allowance.

No, appointments at Smart Works are by referral only. Each local Smart Works works with a large range of referral partners who support women back into work. If you are unsure please call and we will be able to advise you.

No, the Smart Works service is a one off service to prepare you for your interview. If your last visit to Smart Works was more than two years ago do call and we will be happy to discuss this with you.

Our service is available to women across the UK, regardless of their distance from a Smart Works centre. All our coaching can be done over the phone or via video call by the same trained volunteers who come to our centres, and parcels of workwear can be posted to your home address.