The fashion industry is one of the toughest industries to break in to. Everyone thinks they have what it takes to find a career in fashion, but how do you find a way to prove to employers that you are the only one for the job? What’s the best way to stand out in a sea of resumes and have an employer say “yes” to you?

Tip 1: Intern or volunteer

Not only does interning and volunteering give you the opportunity to build experience, but it also gives you the chance to network and meet people within the industry. The key to having one of these opportunities benefit your career is to consistently work hard and treat the role as though it were a paying job. Internships can often lead to full time jobs or at the very least recommendations if you demonstrate your value to your supervisor and build the reputation of a hard worker.

Tip 2: Take classes

There are many options when it comes to taking classes. Options like night, weekend, and online classes now give people the flexibility to achieve a designation and further their career while juggling other responsibilities. By taking classes in design, marketing, or whatever you wish to learn, you demonstrate to employers a certain level of skill which can benefit you in the area of fashion you are pursuing.

Tip 3: Create your own job

Don’t wait for an employer to say yes to you, start doing what you love on your own. Whether you enjoy styling, designing, blogging, or what have you, start doing it! By actively working on what you love, you can start to build a portfolio and share your work online – you never know who might see it and be interested in your work!

Tip 4: Embrace your inexperience

Everyone has to start somewhere. When you are applying for an entry level position, the hiring manager already knows that you do not have a wealth of experience. Instead of worrying about your lack of work experience, focus on the positives – leverage your motivation to learn and draw on personal and educational experiences to demonstrate the skills your employer is looking for.

Tip 5: Be different

Reach out to hiring managers directly and personalize you resume and cover letter to express your interest in their company. Avoid generic lines like, I love fashion or I have a passion for design. Chances are the hiring manager has received 100 e-mails that read the same. To stand out, make it personal. Connect with the company and demonstrate that you have done your homework by offering up ideas on how you can add value based on your research of the company. Finally, get creative with your resume. Based on the job you wish to pursue, you can demonstrate your technical and design skills with visual or interactive web resumes – it will definitely make you stand out amongst the slew of traditional resumes.

By: Nikita Due

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