Smart Works, a UK charity, offers career coaching, interview preparation, and personalised styling to help women feel confident returning to work. After two years away from full-time employment, I was excited to re-enter the job market but anxious about my interview skills after more than four years. Freelancing kept me busy but left me feeling isolated without colleagues or routine.

Despite my experience, I wasn’t sure employers would recognise my skills after my time away. Determined to rebuild my confidence, I sought help from Smart Works in Croydon. Their support became a transformative highlight of my journey back to work. They offered invaluable coaching, CV advice, and interview preparation, along with a stylish black Burberry blazer for my interview, reminding me that my past achievements still held value.

What Is Smart Works?

Smart Works is a UK charity supporting women into employment through career coaching, interview preparation, and clothing. Since launching in 2013 and opening its first centre in Islington, it has expanded across the UK. The charity supports over 40,000 women, with 94% feeling more confident, showing its significant impact and encouraging further involvement. Founded by Juliet Hughes-Hallett OBE, who moved from British Vogue to volunteer dresser, Smart Works focuses on more than just clothing. The Duchess of Sussex has been Patron since 2019, alongside ambassadors like Betty Jackson CBE, Jennifer Saunders, and Clare Waight Keller. You can see the wider line-up on the Smart Works Patrons and Ambassadors page.

That combination of fashion and practical career support makes the concept interesting. Women re-entering the workforce can access Career Coaching, while those with an interview can receive a personalised dressing consultation followed by one-to-one interview preparation. The clothes may be the most visually appealing part, but my time there quickly showed me why the right outfit is only the beginning.

My First Smart Works Appointment

My first appointment was at Smart Works South in Centrale Shopping Centre, Croydon, and even before I walked through the door, it didn’t look like what I expected from an employment support service. From the shopping-centre entrance, it looked more like a contemporary fashion boutique, with a bright glass frontage, mannequins, and clothing displays offering a glimpse of what was inside.

Once inside, the boutique feel continued. The interiors were bright and modern, with exposed brick, full-length mirrors, carefully arranged clothing rails, and fitting areas screened by curtains. Clothes, shoes, and accessories were displayed around the space, making it feel more like a personal styling studio than the office I had imagined.

Because of my background in fashion retail, I noticed those details immediately. Seeing the clothing rails took me back to my retail days and gave the space a reassuring sense of familiarity. Part of me wanted to explore everything, although clothes weren’t the reason for my first appointment.

I was there for Career Coaching. We went through my CV, discussed the types of roles I was interested in and looked at how my previous experience could translate into what I wanted to do next.

I hadn’t fully appreciated how much my confidence had suffered from being away from my profession. After years building a career, it’s easy to focus on the gap in your CV rather than the experience around it.

My adviser helped me see things differently. Instead of treating my return to work as something to apologise for, we talked about what I’d achieved, the skills I’d developed, and what I could bring to a new organisation. I left with a clearer sense of the roles I wanted and much more confidence about putting myself out there.

Within two weeks, I had secured my first interview, which meant I would soon be heading back to Smart Works. This time, I would finally get the chance to explore those clothes rails properly.

Finding An Interview Outfit That Felt Like Me

I was excited about the styling appointment but also slightly anxious. Steroids and reduced mobility had caused weight gain, and I wasn’t completely comfortable in my body. Having someone else choose clothes for me felt more exposing than it might have a few years earlier.

I needn’t have worried. The stylist was kind and welcoming, and I didn’t feel pressured to fit someone else’s idea of a professional woman. Instead, we discussed the role, my personal style, and what would make me feel comfortable.

My field isn’t very formal, so I didn’t want to look like I was interviewing for a different profession. Creating a capsule wardrobe felt like a fresh start, reconnecting me with my style and confidence for this new chapter.

We eventually settled on a black Burberry blazer, patterned blouse and black trousers, along with shoes and coordinating accessories. By the time we’d finished, I had a complete interview outfit that felt smart without feeling like a costume.

Looking in the mirror was emotional because I could finally picture myself going back to work. I wasn’t thinking about how long I’d been away or worrying about weight gain. I looked like myself again, a polished version wearing a fabulous Burberry blazer.

It’s why I’ve always believed that personal style is about much more than following trends. The clothes that work hardest are usually the ones that fit your body, your life, and who you are today.

Smart Works gets its clothes through donations and relationships with the fashion industry. You can explore the brands and organisations involved on its Smart Works Partners page. For anyone who loves fashion and wants to support the charity differently, there is also the Smart Works Fashion Club, a fashion-focused membership community.

Getting Interview Ready Beyond The Outfit

Once the outfit was sorted, I focused on the interview. I had two coaches during my session because one was completing her training. Together, we worked through the job description, what the employer wanted, and how I could communicate my experience with more confidence. Working through the role with me helped me move beyond simply worrying about which questions might come up. We practised interview techniques and looked at how my experience related to what the employer actually needed.

The coaching made me realise where I had started underselling myself. When returning after a career break, it’s easy to focus on what’s missing from your CV rather than what’s there. Having someone else look at my career objectively helped me recognise strengths I’d taken for granted.

It also reminded me that an interview isn’t simply an employer deciding whether you’re good enough for them. You’re also deciding whether the organisation, role and working environment are right for you.

That’s especially important to me now. Living with Lupus has changed how I think about work, energy, and accessibility. Knowing what I need from a workplace matters as much as showing what I can offer. I’ve written more about speaking up for what you need in How To Self-Advocate Effectively With A Chronic Illness.

By the time I left Smart Works, I had my interview outfit, useful information to keep preparing at home, and far more confidence than I’d arrived with.

Returning To Work On My Own Terms

We don’t talk enough about how emotionally complicated returning to work can be. A career break can happen for many reasons, including illness, caring responsibilities, redundancy, raising children, or life taking an unexpected turn.

Whatever the reason, time outside a conventional workplace doesn’t erase the skills and experience you had before.

For me, returning to work isn’t about pretending the last two years didn’t happen. Living with Lupus has changed how I think about energy, boundaries, accessibility, and the working environment I need for a sustainable return. Those experiences haven’t made me less ambitious or capable. If anything, they’ve made me clearer about what I need from work and what I can bring.

I explore this more deeply in Working And Living With Lupus: Redefining Success On Your Own Terms, particularly the idea that success doesn’t have to require sacrificing your health to prove your ambition.

My relationship with clothes has changed too. Comfort can be a necessity, not a preference, when dealing with fatigue, pain, or mobility problems. Still, I’ve never believed comfort and style must be mutually exclusive. There is more on adapting everyday life without giving up what makes you feel like yourself in my Living With Lupus hub.

Returning to work also means thinking about how a job fits around the rest of my life. I want a career and to enjoy having colleagues and a routine again, but I also need enough energy for everything outside work. My approach to creating a healthier work-life balance will be as important as what happens during the working day.

And Then I Got The Job

After all that preparation, only one thing remained: attend the interview. I walked in feeling prepared, comfortable in what I wore, and much more confident about explaining what I could bring to the role.

I’m not going to pretend the Burberry blazer answered the interview questions for me, though it was a very good blazer. The Smart Works experience eased some interview anxiety, so I could focus on being myself and communicating my experience.

And it worked. I got the job.

After two years away from full-time employment and more than four years since my last interview, receiving that offer meant more than securing another role. It felt like confirmation that the professional part of my life hadn’t disappeared while I was dealing with everything else.

Another lovely part was still to come. I was told that once I secured employment, I could return to Smart Works for a second dressing and begin putting together a capsule working wardrobe.

After spending so long away from full-time work, building a working wardrobe again feels symbolic. This time, the clothes aren’t about preparing for an opportunity. They’re about getting dressed for one I’ve already earned.

I’m already thinking differently about what that wardrobe needs to look like. Rather than buying endless pieces just to have “work clothes”, I want pieces I can mix, match, and enjoy wearing. My capsule wardrobe guide explores that approach.

Starting My Next Chapter

My experience with Smart Works started with getting ready to return to employment, but what stayed with me most was the reminder that confidence doesn’t always return in one dramatic moment. Sometimes it comes through updating your CV, applying for a role, putting on an outfit that makes you recognise yourself in the mirror, and sitting with someone who reminds you that your experience still counts.

Smart Works reports supporting more than 40,000 women, which gives you a sense of how many different versions of that story there must be.

Now I get to start my next chapter. I’m excited to go back to work, have colleagues again, and build a new routine, but I’m also approaching it with a better understanding of what I need to make working life sustainable.

That’s closely connected to what I mean by Elevated Living. It isn’t about creating a life that looks perfect from the outside. It’s about making thoughtful choices that let everyday life work better for the person you are now.

If Smart Works sounds like something that could help you or somebody you know, visit the Smart Works Get Support page for current information about accessing its services. You can also keep up with its campaigns, fashion partnerships, and latest news on Smart Works on Instagram or in the latest Smart Works news.

If you’ve returned to work after illness, a career break or another major change, I’d love to know what helped you find your confidence again. Leave a comment below or share this feature with someone who might need to discover Smart Works.