I’ve been mentoring people who want to get a job in fashion for 8 years now…
and I hear these things all the time from people who can’t get a job in fashion:
- I don’t have anything on my CV so I can’t get the job
- Fashion is too competitive
- There are so many people with more qualifications than me
- I have zero experience
- I don’t have connections
- I’m not confident enough
- I give up easily
- I didn’t study fashion
- I’m not qualified for the job
well my dear friend, yes these above could be problems and separating you from your dream job in fashion BUT only because you don’t have a strategy in place.
Let me explain.
Yes, if your CV is short and it’s also not-so-well-structured or you don’t even include an effective cover letter or you just apply online, then in this case the fact that your resume is short could be a problem because you not only don’t have experience, but you are not doing anything to balance the fact that you don’t have experience like for example impressing recruiters with an outstanding job application so that you can overcome any lack of experience and requirements so you can get the job.
Getting a job in fashion is about balance. Do you miss something? What else can you add to your application so that you can fill the gap?
Let’s take into consideration the example of a short resume when you are at the beginning of your career.
What else can you add to your application to balance this short resume?
Maybe you can write a super-powerful cover letter or you can do something like one of my students, Udita who sent over a video cover letter and impressed recruiters getting a job at Vogue business with no previous experience.
Or (example #2) when it’s a big fashion brand and it’s really competitive and 500 people are applying for the job… if you believe there is a lot of competition and you might be scared that other candidates have more skills and qualifications… What can you do to balance your application to make it stronger?
Maybe instead of just applying online, you could email the recruiter or someone in the team (editors, stylists, buyers, designers…) ?
The truth is that those who get a job in fashion are not those who studied at the top fashion schools, who already have some experience or a long list of skills.
Because even those people who have a fashion degree or some experience at their back, struggle to get a job in fashion.
And this is because getting a job in fashion is not like getting a job in any other industry.
Especially after the pandemic, companies are more and more looking for people who demonstrate they have the potential to learn and grow inside the brand.
That’s why what they look at in your job applications is not WHAT you have on your CV but HOW. How are you applying for a job? How are you presenting yourself to companies? How is your CV so irresistible? What are you doing to show that you really want that job?
The way you present yourself, the way you apply for a job says a lot about your mindset and personality. Fashion wants to hire people who are very passionate, knowledgeable but also very smart (and let me confirm to you that the smartest people are not those who studied at the top schools, it’s all about the mindset you have).
Those who get a job in fashion today are the people who have a strategy in place and don’t approach the job search process randomly leaving it just to chance.
The only mistake that you are making is not that you didn’t go to fashion school or that you don’t have experience yet or the right qualifications… it’s just that you are not using a strategy. You don’t have a plan to get a job in fashion. You are simply following the flow: you go online and look for jobs, then, once you find a job that you like, you build a resume/CV quickly and you apply asap.
But that’s not a strategic approach.
If you want to stand out and stop struggling to get a job in fashion, you have to stop sending your CV with your fingers crossed hoping that this time it will work.
That is not a strategy. A strategy instead is going to help you look at things differently. A strategy is not going to let you randomly apply for jobs and wait for your favorite companies to post a job so that you can apply.
When you have a strategy in place, you find a way to make it happen. You find the balance you need to finally get a job in fashion.
If you look at the examples above and you might think, “ok but what do I know what I’m missing and how should I balance that?”. Well, a plan, a strategy helps you analyze things differently. When you follow a plan you have a list of steps to take and so you know where you are and where you want to be. When you know where you are you know what are the missing pieces. When you have a plan you make sure you get the resources you are missing to get to the final goal. If you don’t have a strategy it’s even harder for you to see clearly what are the things you need for the job, and this confusion is not only making it harder to get the job, but it’s also leading you to lack self-confidence as well. So by not using a strategy and leaving your job search to the flow or the chance is not only dangerous for your job search in terms of results but it also affects your mindset and level of happiness and confidence. Which means that you are tempted to give up so much sooner. And I don’t want you to give up your fashion dream. Why would you if the only real thing you need to get a job is to start strategizing your job search process? It’s so simple.
It’s hard to see what the solutions to your problem are when you don’t have a plan in place. You focus only on the main problem: I can’t get a job in fashion, without understanding what’s behind this. Getting a job in fashion is many things and if you can’t get one it’s not because you are not qualified, but it’s because you are not working on a plan to get the missing pieces you need to get the job.
For example, if you know that connections are very helpful to land a job in fashion and now you have zero, when you have the right strategy in place you are well aware that networking is one of the steps part of your plan to get a job in fashion, so your to-do list will also be filled with taking some time to network whether it’s online on linkedin or instagram or in-person at events.
Or, if you love that job at LVMH and it’s based in France, then you need to start learning French. When you have a strategy in place, you are no longer asking yourself whether or not French is necessary to get a job. You have in fact already added French on your CV and downloaded an app on your smartphone and started watching videos and reading in French to learn it as fast as you can because you need it for the job.
Having and following a roadmap for your dream job in fashion is not complicated. Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean that you have to do 10000 things. In fact, you are probably doing more and stressing more now to get a job than what you would do if you had a plan with specific actions you need to take.
The correct strategies will help you replace more applications with better applications. With the right strategies, the quality of your job applications will improve so much that you won’t need to send thousands to see results. Like Udita who applied for only two internships after she took the course Break into the fashion industry: one at Marie Claire and the other one at Vogue Business and she got both! You see?When you follow the strategies you don’t need to send thoudsnd of applications. You just need to focus on making brilliant applications to make it. You’ll make the switch from how many applications am I sending? TO: how good are the applications I’m sending?
So yes, the only mistake you are making today and that’s separating you from your dream job in fashion is not using the correct strategies but leaving your job application to the flow.
Ready to strategy your job search process? My online course Break into the fashion industry is the full roadmap and plan you need with all the strategies to get a job in fashion. If you are not ready for the course yet register for this free webianr where I’ll teach you 3 strategies to apply for a job in fashion. Click here to register for free
