A big myth that I’ve noticed in fashion enthusiasts is the idea that you can’t get a job if you have no experience. So I’m going to bust that myth today because actually what you really need to get an entry-level or internship in fashion is the potential and I presume that if you are reading Glam Observer, you are somebody who takes the time to educate yourself and learn, so you are definitely one of those people with the exact potential that the fashion industry is looking for when hiring interns and young resources!
“Hey Giada, I can’t get a job in fashion… I’m applying for so many jobs but no one is getting back to me. I think it’s because I don’t have enough fashion experience.“
I get emails and messages like this all the time, my friends. But trust me when I say that this is not the reason why you are not getting the job (of course unless you are applying for jobs that require 3-5 years of experience in a similar role, then, in this case, this could be a problem).
But if you are at the beginning of your career and you apply for entry-level jobs and internships, the reason why you are not getting the job is not that you don’t have a fashion background.
As I wrote in this article, the fashion industry is hiring for potential, which means they are not looking anymore for someone who knows it all already, especially for entry levels and internships. They are more and more focused on different things than a prestigious university or tons of experience. They want to know if you have the potential to learn everything on the job.
Think about this: anyone started from scratch. Look at your favorite editors, stylists, fashion designers… anyone started somewhere. No one is born with already some kind of experience on their resume. They all started somewhere and so can you.
If you are at the beginning of your career and you have no experience, you may feel like you have very little information to include on your resume, but this is totally okay my dear friend. It’s totally okay to have a short resume when you are looking for your first fashion internship. I got my first fashion internship at Yoox Net a Porter and I had no previous experience in fashion! But I totally feel you, I remember that feeling, I remember that I wanted to find a way to grow my resume somehow to show to potential recruiters that I was committed to working hard and very interested in fashion.
I took some online fashion courses and I used unconventional strategies to impress recruiters and show them that I had the potential. And that was enough to get me my first internship. And this formula, the combination of unconventional strategies and some few but key elements that you can add to your resume even if this will be your first job, is something that I teach inside Break into the fashion industry and that has helped thousands of fashion enthusiasts as well!
You should not worry about the fact that today your resume is empty because it’s enough that your CV contains those few elements that make a fashion recruiter understand that you have the potential to learn everything on the job. Don’t fall into the trap of writing not-relevant-experiences such as babysitting, working at a supermarket, or at a restaurant… just to fill out your resume with something. You’d be surprised about how many interesting and more relevant things you can add to your resume even if this will be your first job, just from your personal experiences, school, and personal projects!
And don’t add an endless list of skills just for the sake of adding.
For example, adding Photoshop for a buying internship and then missing relevant skills such as Excel could be a serious problem.
Trust me that you already have so many skills already that are relevant to get your first fashion internship.
Together with the content of your resume, the eye wants its part, especially in a sector like fashion where appearance is something people look at. The layout of your resume says a lot about you and how you present yourself to brands. So it doesn’t matter how much experience you have, even if the only thing you could add to your resume is your degree, some online courses and your fashion blog, the layout says a lot about your personality and your potential. A curated and well-structured resume is a sign that you have attention to detail. Which is very much appreciated by fashion recruiters. If your CV arrives with a layout that is not clear and easy to read, recruiters will pass on and continue with other resumes and only eventually will look at yours (you have to hope that the other resumes are not good enough because if they find someone interesting, they won’t even go back to yours to give it a second chance).
When you are at the beginning of your career and you lack some fashion experience, don’t focus too much on your resume. Like I’ve just said, it’s enough that your resume has a nice template and some few but decisive keywords that you can add even if you don’t have experience. Then, don’t send only your resume, but add more documents such as your cover letter and a portfolio to tell and demonstrate to recruiters your potential. Don’t worry if you have never worked before because your portfolio can be filled out with personal projects that you can create and design right today ad hoc to show something to brands.
Many people don’t send over a cover letter when it’s not requested. Especially when you’re at the beginning of your career and you have few or no experience to add to your resume, the cover letter is the document that will actually get you the job. Recruiters will spend more time looking at the cover letter to see if you have the potential to learn everything you need on the job even if now you don’t have any or enough fashion experience.
Even those who send it, they are making a lot these mistakes: they use the same cover letter for all the jobs and it’s just a recap of their resume. If you’re at the beginning of your career and your resume is (normally) poor of experience, it doesn’t make sense to repeat on the cover letter again that you don’t have experience.
Both documents (resume and cover letter) serve you to have more possibilities to say to companies different things. If you use the cover letter to repeat again the information that is on your resume you are missing the chance to tell them something else that could make the difference and get you the job. Most of the time it’s actually the cover letter that makes or breaks the hiring decision because through this document, you can express the potential that fashion employers are looking for!
A recruiter prefers a candidate who says through the cover letter that they are aware they are at the beginning of their career and they are very quick learners rather than receiving a resume with your babysitting and supermarket experience which are not relevant to fashion that is again repeated on the cover letter.
As well as they prefer receiving a portfolio that demonstrates that you have the capabilities and skills despite that your resume is poor of experience. Look, trust me that you already have the necessary skills to start your fashion internship no matter what you studied. You just need to learn how to present yourself in a way that recruiters and future bosses will see that you have this potential.
So to wrap up.
It’s totally okay if your resume doesn’t have any experience when looking for your first job in fashion. The problem in fact it’s not you, it is normal that sooner or later you should have started somewhere and recruiters know this well, in fact, they look at other things when hiring those who have no or little experience in fashion such as your potential. Two ways you can show recruiters you have the potential is
1. via an unconventional application approach which shows you are resourceful and can think out of the box and
2.your mindsets. They want to know that you are smart enough, passionate, and a quick learner!
In case you are ready to learn more about how to approach the job search and application way in an unconventional way that impresses recruiters check out my free masterclass and the online course break into the fashion industry.
