We are in the midst of November and there are 6 weeks left to the end of the year, of which 2 are Christmas holidays. So roughly 1 month left of 2023. You might be tempted to loosen your grip and postpone your job search until the new year. But today I want to share why this is NOT the time to pause applying for fashion jobs.
8 years ago around this time, I was in the middle of my first proper job search. I was looking for my first internship in fashion. I am glad I didn’t pause my application in November and December. On December 13th, I actually started my very first internship at Alexander McQueen!
If you remember, in this podcast episode I shared that I applied for and got 3 internships. Then I chose to go with the AMQ one. I went to job interviews with companies such as Fendi, Santoni, and Alexander McQueen at the end of November and December. My first day at my fashion internship was December 13th! So, if you were looking for a sign that it’s still possible to get your dream fashion job these last weeks, this article is the motivation you were looking for. Plus, if you want to do something extra beneficial for your career in fashion that will make you more qualified but you feel nervous about working on your job applications now, I will share with you some strategies you can start implementing already now to start 2024 on a new, fresh, organized, and results-promising page 😉
How to Get a Job in Fashion before this year ends
I encourage you not to give up or pause your fashion job applications these last weeks of 2023. This is why and what you should do instead:
1. Fashion companies might be planning their Christmas Parties already, but they are not on holiday yet
Just because the holidays are approaching and companies will close some days for Christmas, this doesn’t mean that the recruiting teams are waiting till the new year to hire new people. There are still people who start their jobs in December exactly like I did. When I went to job interviews in December I was convinced that they would have then asked me to start the internship in January. We only had less than 10 working days till the Christmas closure. But I was wrong. In fact, I finished my job interviews around Dec 10th. On the 13th I was seated at my desk starting my internship.
I spent my first week from Dec 13th to the 20th on training and actual work. My supervisor and boss were teaching me all the tools and things I had to do in my job. And I was working regularly just like anyone else. My office was also getting excited about the upcoming Christmas party. All employees of the Kering group from the CEO to creative directors and interns attend the party. Everyone was talking about the upcoming short trip to Florence for the party, we were still working pretty regularly – even on the train from Milan to Florence!
So yes, another perk of starting your internship or job in December is that you’ll join just in time for the Christmas parties 😉
I took a Christmas break from Dec 24th to Jan 1st and on Jan 2nd I was already back at my desk. I felt glad for those good 10 days of training and work in December, cause with the new year I felt already more confident and independent about my tasks.
2. Want to start a job in 2024? Companies hire in advance
Even if you are looking for a job that starts in 2024, this doesn’t mean that you need to start looking for that job in the new year. Many companies in fact plan their hiring in advance. This means that they could be having job interviews for roles that will start in 2-3 months from now. Have you ever happened to see Summer Internships posted in March already? This is because companies plan in advance their hiring. So you could be having job interviews already this month or in December for a position that will start in January or February. How amazing would it feel to enjoy your Christmas holidays with a job contract signed off?
3. Stressed out by the job applications and feeling like you need a break during the holidays? Do this instead.
If you are feeling discouraged and you are thinking of pausing your applications for a while just because you are not getting success and you need a break because you’re stressed out, I really invite you to revisit your strategies more than postponing your job search to the new year. If you are not getting responses from companies, most likely there is something wrong with your application strategies. So using the same ones in January won’t make a difference.
Keep applying these last weeks of 2023. However, adjust your strategies already from now, not from January. Update your resume and make sure you are building a strong cover letter. Also, build your writing portfolio if you dream of working at Vogue. I also recommend to make companies feel special and surprise them with an unconventional approach. It could be emailing them directly to request your internship.
December is also a good time to learn a new skill to become more qualified for the fashion industry. Perhaps you feel nervous about getting tested on some skill (that you did or didn’t indicate in your resume) during the job interview, or you simply want to feel more prepared and confident for the role. So what you should do BEFORE you get the job is to acquire the necessary skills, and you should start now. One of the essential and frequently requested skills for any job in fashion is Excel, and I encourage you to learn it. Did I mention that during my second step of the job interview for Alexander McQueen, I had to pass an Excel test to land the internship?
In January you wish you started earlier, so don’t wait. Start today.
Ready to revamp your application strategies and make 2024 the year you finally land your dream job in fashion even if you don’t have experience yet? Join my free masterclass where I teach 3 out-of-the-box strategies to break into the fashion industry quickly.
