For some people, getting a new outfit might not mean much. But for Melissa O'Donnell, it represents a new way of thinking about herself.
Ms O'Donnell lives in the regional Western Australian city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and has been out of work for the past two years, despite the high number of jobs available in town.
Ms O'Donnell used to work in aged care but was unable to continue after developing arthritis in her lower back, which made it difficult to do physical labour or stand for extended periods of time.
Additionally, she said low self-esteem and harsh feedback stood in the way.
"I lack the confidence, I go for job interviews and I sit there and I'm nervous," she said.
"I was negative on myself, I thought people would judge me for my weight.
Change of outlook
But a recent conversation and wardrobe upgrade has helped Ms O'Donnell stop doubting herself.
"One of the mentors for Dress for Success, we sat down and had a half an hour conversation and she brought me out of my shell," she said.
"The top I'm wearing has brought more colour to me and I actually feel brighter than what I have been.
Dress for Success, a global charity, has for the past 40 years helped empower women like Ms O'Donnell to achieve economic independence.
They offer women new clothes for job interviews and run free workshops on applying make-up, managing finances, and interviewing skills.
Volunteers from the charity visited Kalgoorlie-Boulder to run workshops at the Goldfields Women's Health Care Centre (GWHCC).
Confidence is key
GWHCC CEO Gloria Moyle organised the visit and said it was the first time they had brought their services to regional Western Australia.
"It's a wonderful little not-for-profit that has very similar values and mission statement to us and that is to empower women, but particularly to get them confident and ready to get back into the workforce if they've been disadvantaged at any stage of life," she said.
"Also [with] the COVID-19 pandemic last year, a lot of people were out of work — particularly women.
"There's a lot of homelessness happening here and WA-wide, but also we've got a lot of carers here who are predominantly women who have either stopped looking after their loved ones and it's actually time for them to regain meaningful employment and sometimes you just don't have the finances or support systems to do that."
Dress for Success business development and operations manager, Karen Woodcock, said they focused on building confidence and getting clients to recognise their strengths.
"We know they have the skills — they're just buried. So it's helping them unpack those skills and recognise that those skills are important in a workplace."
Ms Woodcock said she hoped to bring Dress for Success's services to more regional towns in WA.
Women missing out
Dress for Success volunteer Nadia Maso ran workshops on creating a good first impression.
During a session at Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison, she said some women struggled to recognise their value.
"There might be a position that talks about organisational skills and I can remember one person we had who said 'I don't have organisational skills'," she said.
Ms Moyle said the Goldfields was rich with employment opportunities and questioned why some women were struggling to access them.
"We know being women is a disadvantage, unfortunately, but also looking at our CALD women, our Aboriginal women, we've got our LGBTQI community," she said.
"It's time that we really embraced that and looked at the synergy that a different point of view can bring to your workforce.
"There are some barriers to that and I think all our local employers really need to be open to the diversity and inclusiveness that we're supporting here."
