POV- It is fall of your senior year of college. You are a Retail Management major , a Fashion Merchandising major, or just someone who loved watching the Carrie Diaries and related to Rachel from Friends. You notice all of your business school friends coming in with their "XYZ" analyst or investing job immediately after leaving their insanely high paying internship. You start feeling anxious about what the future holds after your final year of formal education and the industry of your dreams seems like an unattainable bubble. You wonder where to even start- and that is when you find this post.
One of the biggest things in gatekeeping is how to get a job in fashion. I have read the books and looked at every word trying to find the "secrets" to not just finding a job, but finding a job in the fashion industry. Everyone seems to chalk it up to luck, being "at the right place at the right time", but where are the actionable steps that I can take to actually get the job? I didn't go to a fashion school in New York, I went to The University of South Carolina and I don't regret it at all. I loved college, but I will say, I did not have the built-in links that people who may have gone to schools like FIT or Parsons did.
Your first job in fashion is all about getting your foot in the door. You have to start entry level because that is how you will learn a business, things to look out for when making decisions, and you will meet people that will become mentors for the future. Each week for the next month, I am going to break down how I got my job at Michael Kors and things I learned along the way. I spent over a year applying to jobs ( thanks to the COVID hiring freeze), so I have learned a thing or two. But let's get into it!
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Cutting straight to the chase, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. People don't hire resumes, they hire people. Your goal when applying to any job is to be at the top of mind of the person recruiting and hiring. You will know that you are doing a good job networking when people come to you with job opportunities instead of you constantly seeking them out. Now that you have the golden key, I am going to explain how to unlock your way to success!
Tip 1: Make a List of Companies to Apply to
This is the number one place to start. You have to know where you want to apply. Think of places you have always dreamed of working, places in the area you want to live, or places you have worked at before. This is very similar to the process of applying to college! Figure out the type of job you want and find companies that offer that role, and don't be afraid to include companies that may not have the exact title you are going for because networking is truly about getting yourself out there!
Tip 2: No One is Off- Limits
Now I know this sounds a little aggressive, but don't be afraid to click the "connect" button on LinkedIn. The first thing I would do is connect with people from your college or even high school. You already have a common denominator to share in conversation and relate to them with. If you search your school's name and the company you want to work for, you would be shocked with how many people you may find. Take advantage of alumni from different organizations and clubs you were in! See if your school has an Alumni group too- that will make it easier to find people!
The next thing I would do is search all of the HR reps from the list you made of companies. When you connect with them, you are able to see their job postings in your feed and they are able to get exposure to your profile, your resume, and your professional development. A lot of times you are qualified for the job, you just need other people to see it! Also, even if the HR rep doesn't have anything at the time, they might message you when something opens up!
The last thing I would do is literally ask around. Ask your friends, you parents friends, really anyone if they know people who work in the industry you want to be in. Even if it is not at a company you are particularly interested in, you can still learn about their role, get advice for future reference, and again GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE! The world is truly so small and especially in fashion! You never know who people have worked with, socialize with, or even workout with.
Tip 3: Prepare an Elevator Pitch to Message Out
Now that you have started finding people to connect with both on and off line, you need to be ready. There is nothing worse than getting a random connection with no background on who the person is. Sometimes LinkedIn gives you a cap on how many characters to included so what I do is open a Word Doc and practice a couple different pitches. I always give a brief background of what I studied in college if it pertains to the job you are applying to, any past internships or jobs you held, and what you are interested in doing in the future. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ASK FOR WHEN MESSAGING PEOPLE IS AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW. Informational interviews allow you to get to know the person and the company in a low stakes way. It is basically a professional way of asking to call or to get coffee. Informational Interviews are the networking slam dunks!
Tip 4: Don't Be Afraid to Follow Up
Remember that people have lives and jobs too! If someone is not getting back to you, they might be busy or the message got lost in their inbox, or something else. 9/10 it is not intentional, so remind yourself that before you freak out! But, at the same time, if it did get lost or they did get busy with their job, they will forget you even sent your message in the first place, so do yourself a favor and remind them that you still are interested in getting to know them. I would wait probably two weeks and just send them a message saying that you would still love to connect and are flexible to their schedule. People love feeling like the priority and it is not being a kiss ass to be nice. I think my personal cap is three messages: one initial introduction, a follow up two weeks later, and then a final message linking your resume and contact information a month after that. You don't want to annoy the person or look like you are desperate yourself , but you want to be intentional and resourceful in selling yourself and your goals!
Tip 5: Continue to Post on Your LinkedIn Account
This is a tip a lot of people don't view as a part of networking, but it is actually really important and can help you grow your connections without even trying. If you are in school and did a cool project that you are proud of, post about it. If you got selected for a leadership position in an organization you are involved in, post about it. If you got a skill certification, post about it. If there is a creative platform you run like a podcast, YouTube channel, or Blog ( hehe), post about it! If there is something going on in your industry that you have an opinion on, post about it. You want to be at the top of these people's newsfeed and stay relevant in their minds. The more impressive stuff you have going on, the more they are able to get a picture of what you can offer their company. I know social media is often known as a highlight reel, but when you are applying to jobs, you want to show off things that you worked on or were a part of, so people know what they are getting into. By posting on your networking accounts, you are able to present a virtual, active resume without even talking to people directly!
If you made it this far, you are the best or just really want a job or both! I hope this helped even a little and next week, I will be tackling the part that comes after the initially networking calls.....THE APPLICATION!
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Stay UNIQUE,
Sara Anne
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