Monday to
Saturday
8AM – 8PM
Sunday
9AM – 7PM
The Sidings,
Waterloo Station,
London SE1 7BH
Trainline has opened its first ever fashion pop-up, offering members of the public free clothing suitable for job interviews. Celebrating pre-loved clothing, all of the outfit options are sourced from second hand suppliers, offering a sustainable new look for a (hopefully) successful interview. The Sidings is situated under platforms 20-24 of Waterloo Station, the UK’s busiest train station, so there’s no doubt that it makes for the perfect Trainline pop-up location.
Below is the full story from the Train Line.
MORE THAN HALF OF GEN-Z STRUGGLE TO GET ON THE CAREER LADDER AS AVERAGE COST OF JOB INTERVIEW EXCEEDS £100
Tuesday 28th February, London: The majority (53%) of Gen-Z say they’re finding it difficult to get on the career ladder as the average cost of attending interviews has reached over £100, according to new research announced today.
Trainline surveyed 2,000 adults from across the UK and discovered the average pursuit for a new role costs 16-24-year-olds a total of £103.15[1], with candidates typically spending £31.28 on new clothes and £22.54 on travel to simply attend the interviews before securing a job offer. As a result, despite only two out of five (39%) Brits being satisfied in their current role, just a third (32%) plan to look for a new job in 2023 and more than one in 12 (8%) say the cost of the recruitment process will prevent them from moving.
Following these findings, Trainline has launched The Interview Store at London Waterloo Station to provide candidates with a less stressful and more cost-effective solution to tackle the recruitment process. The pop-up space will offer visitors a range of pre-loved outfits to ensure a more sustainable shopping experience, with all items available for FREE. Trainline will also be offering a limited discount of £10 off to subsidise their train travel to interviews[4].
The pop-up space will be particularly helpful for Gen-Z seeking to kickstart their careers, with the research showing two-thirds (64%) of them are actively looking for a new job. Indeed, while the average Brit goes through the recruitment process every 4 years, this drops dramatically to just 14 months for 16-24-year-olds motivated to climb the career ladder. Although 45% say the rising cost-of-living has made them more stressed, four out of five (82%) of Gen-Z still feel under pressure to purchase new clothes for job interviews because the majority (53%) believe wearing an outfit they’re not happy with negatively impacts their performance. In contrast, half (49%) feel more confident and prepared when dressed in a new outfit.
Career coach, Alice Stapleton, will also be attending The Interview Store following results that three-quarters (73%) of Brits admit that they find the interview process stressful. A third (34%) say they get nervous because they fear there will be an intimidating interviewer, while a quarter say they suffer from confidence issues (25%) or find it difficult to talk about their experience (23%). Meanwhile, a fifth (19%) of 18-24-year-olds worry that they’re underqualified for the job.
Alice Stapleton, career coach and supervisor, said: “Interviews can be incredibly nerve-wracking. We can get nervous and anxious, mainly because we don’t know what to expect. There’s also a lot of pressure to present ourselves in the best way possible, in what can be a very unnatural and forced scenario. The Interview Store is a great initiative which will provide many people with the tools to tackle the recruitment process, and I’m looking forward to coaching those that attend and answering any career questions they might have to help put them at ease. It will be great to help people feel prepared for their interview, comfortable in what they’re wearing, as well as confident and calm enough to make the most out of the opportunity they have invested in.”
A fifth (22%) of Brits admit they don’t know how they should dress for a job interview, leading two out of five (42%) to stress that they don’t have anything suitable to wear. The research highlighted the confusion with three out of five (57%) thinking you should wear the most formal version of how you would expect to dress if you were to get the job, while two out of five (42%) believe you can dress more casually for interviews nowadays. A third (33%) of Gen-Z think wearing a suit to an interview is outdated, and half (47%) believe buying a new suit for an interview would be a waste of money.
Of course, the recruitment process has also changed following the introduction of hybrid working. Half (51%) of those who have been involved in a recruitment process since the pandemic have had an in-person interview, compared to two out of five virtually (44%) and a third (34%) over the phone. However, a third (32%) of Brits confess they have only formally dressed the top half of their body which is on camera, and a fifth (21%) admit they have still purchased new clothes for a virtual interview. Instead, they look for new ways to impress. A quarter (23%) have done a virtual interview in a different location, a fifth (21%) have read their notes from a screen, and one in 25 (4%) have had people sit in to help them with answers.
Mike Hyde, Chief Data Officer at Trainline, said: “Applying for a new job can be a stressful and expensive process, and the research has shown that young adults seeking to climb the career ladder are hit harder and more often than anyone else. We are delighted to open The Interview Store to support job seekers by providing both free clothing and discounted travel to attend their interviews, as well as advice on how to overcome confidence issues and handle those tricky questions.
“At Trainline, we are always looking for opportunities for travellers to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets. Our customers save an average of 35% by purchasing their train travel directly with us every day[2], while all 16–30-year-olds are eligible to save a third off their train journeys[3] with either a digital 16-25 Railcard or 26-30 Railcard. We hope to welcome you to our pop-up in London Waterloo Station.”
The Interview Store will be open 07:30 – 19:00 from Tuesday 28 February – Thursday 2 March and can be found within London Waterloo Station, The Sidings. Walk-ins are available and for those who want to reserve their spot in advance, you can book your place at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-interview-store-tickets-550822353487.
