Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Hall.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story began and is still being written in Houston, Texas. Being a Houston native, after grade school, I attended college in Nacogdoches, TX at Stephen F. Austin State University. There, I dual majored in Finance and Economics and was fortunate enough to land an internship on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs. After graduating, I began working in Houston for Barclays Investment Bank, then Fidelity Information Systems, and most recently, Direct Energy. My collective experiences of working in the corporate world as a young, minority woman is what inspired me to launch my corporate and career blog, Dresses and Blazers. Although I have been successful on my path, there are many times along the way that I could have benefited from a mentor or guide to help me with things that are not explicitly taught in the walls of a classroom. I had to learn to navigate salary negotiations, decisions on leaving or staying, working abroad (Rome, Italy to be exact), and taking advantage of key opportunities. I’ve also helped many family and friends along the way with applying for roles, interviewing, and getting hired. In addition to my working experiences, I developed a love and admiration for Corporate Fashion. All of these elements are what helped cultivate the messaging and resources that Dresses and Blazers offer to those in the working world, men and women alike. Dresses and Blazers exist to equip and empower professionals to #ConquerCorporate in style.
Has it been a smooth road?
There’s no straight path or smooth road to success. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. My struggles started at the very beginning of my professional career. Upon graduation, I did not have a job offer. Although I had a resume exhibiting Wall Street experience, a high graduation GPA, and abundant community and on-campus involvement, I still faced an issue with most Fortune 500 companies only hiring recent grads from flagship or “target” schools (for Texas that would be: University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of Houston, and Baylor). I had to get creative with landing interviews to get hired because my online applications in most cases were not even being reviewed. Once I was officially in the working world post-graduation, the struggles continued. I faced issues with self-esteem (not believing I was smart enough at times – some people call this Impostor Syndrome), being overlooked and passed over for opportunities, and navigating company politics. I blog about these experiences and more in the “Conquering Corporate” portion of Dresses and Blazers.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
With the launch of Dresses and Blazers, I launched a series of services to help professionals along their way. These services include but are not limited to resume renovations, interview preparation, and one-on-one coaching. The most notable and comprehensive service I offer is the #ConqueringCorporate Master Class. In this online course, I help frustrated and overlooked professionals position themselves to get in touch with recruiters and hiring managers so they can land interviews in their field of study, choice, or expertise. This course is for the recent college graduate that can’t land a job in their field and is doubting the thousands of dollars he or she spent on higher education. This course is also for the professional that’s stuck in a role or industry they hate but lack the skills and connections necessary to change careers or get hired at a company that’s more befitting to their life goals and purpose. The success of taking the #ConqueringCorporate Master Class is measured in interactions with recruiters and landing interviews. In this course, we focus on what I call the three R’s of Career Positioning: Research, Resume Renovation, and Recruitment. The curriculum is structured to make participants better positioned and equipped to make the leap and get hired in their career of choice.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Of course! Houston is the most ethnically diverse city in the US. We have so many talented bloggers that span across different interests and niches. The blogger community in Houston is an established one and is welcoming to any newcomers. The only thing our city can do to improve is to continue to welcome creativity and innovation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dressesandblazers.com
- Phone: 7138240556
- Email: camille@dressesandblazers.com
- Instagram: @dressesandblazers
- Facebook: facebook.com/dressesandblazers
Image Credit:
Ahmad Sweeny of Sweenshots Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
