What’s an informational interview and why it is useful for your career in fashion

Are you curious which career in fashion is made for you, and what lies behind the fascinating titles of a fashion buyer, editor, or marketing professional? 

Did you know you can have an informational interview with industry professionals to find out?

When applying for fashion jobs, I recommend trying different strategies to get closer to your dream role. While there are many resources to learn about fashion careers, what better way than speaking to those who already got your dream job?  

One of my favorite strategies, which many people don’t know about, is the informational interview. It’s the perfect tool to broaden your research, maximize your chances of getting a job you love, and leverage your connections with industry professionals in the process. 

If you’ve never heard of the informational interview or have never used this strategy before, I will explain what it is and why it is useful for your career in fashion. 

What is an informational interview?

An informational interview is a conversation with a fashion professional that can be done in person or online during which you can ask questions related to their role/job and the company where they work or worked in the past and even career advice. 

This is NOT a job interview! It’s not the place to ask for a job or internship.

Think of the informational interview as a research meeting where you can learn about a fashion career and a particular person’s career path in the industry.

How can an informational interview help your career in fashion?

Understand which career in fashion is made for you 

The first concern that usually pops up at the beginning of your career path in the fashion industry is understanding which job is made for you. The fashion industry has many roles: Fashion buying, Fashion E-commerce, Event Production…

But have you asked yourself what responsibilities lie behind these nice job titles? 

What do these people do every day when they arrive at the office? 

What are the perks and challenges of working as a fashion editor, stylist, PR…?

Although it’s a good start to read about these careers here on Glam Observer, attending career days and exhibitions, and analyzing job descriptions, an informational interview is a more advanced strategy, where you can ask professionals for their first-hand experience and insights about your dream role. 

If you are undecided between two or more careers, having conversations with different people can help you clarify your ideas. It can also be useful throughout your entire career in fashion if you want to move to another role, for example if you work in marketing and want to switch to styling.

In sum, whether you have clear ideas about which career in fashion is right for you or need help understanding that, or have any other doubts regarding the industry, an informational interview is always a super powerful tool you should consider.

Understand the company better

Fashion companies all look fascinating from the outside. I worked at AMQ, YNAP, and Kering, and I can tell you it is indeed fascinating to work at fashion companies. Many dream of getting their foot into Dior, Saint Laurent, Prada, Vogue… But if you talk to someone who actually works there, it can give you a deeper understanding of the company behind this glamorous image. Remember: you don’t just choose a job but a company too. 

Pay attention to two things though. 

First, know that some people cannot talk openly about their company due to a strict policy. So I suggest playing it safe and be gentle and careful. Try first asking a more generic question like what are the different departments inside company X, or how the work environment is, and see how the person responds to that to see if they are comfortable talking about their place of work.

Second, avoid saying explicitly that you want to work at the same company, because people can feel “used”. So keep the focus on the person and their career. If you want to find out a bit more about the company and feel like they are willing to answer your questions, you can do so, but because you are new to this industry and are doing research on different companies – not because you want to ask the person for a job at the same brand.

 Build connections with industry professionals 

Although an informational interview is not a job interview and I don’t recommend asking for a job recommendation on the spot, it is still a precious tool to start building your network. I understand how hard and intimidating networking in fashion can be at the beginning of your career when you don’t know many people. Therefore, an informational interview can help you meet fashion professionals and build your first connections in the industry. After the informational interview, you can stay in touch with them to keep an eye on future opportunities.

For career transition

The informational interview is not only useful at the beginning of your career in fashion to land your first job or internship but also later when you want to transition from another industry. 

How to request an informational interview?

 Requesting a job interview is not hard but still requires a smart approach. 

 Step 1: Once you identified one or several possible career options, start by researching professionals who work in that field.

Let’s say you are interested in fashion merchandising. So you should look for professionals who work as fashion merchandisers. You can do the same for other roles.

 You can create an Excel sheet with a list of your favorite companies and the roles that seem most interesting to you.

Don’t limit your research only to senior roles. Even fellow interns and assistants can give you precious information and are more likely to respond to you. Plus let’s be honest, it’s less intimidating 😉

 Step 2: Use LinkedIn to reach out to fashion professionals. It’s my favorite career tool because you can find anyone working in fashion there.

If you are targeting a specific company, say Dior, then you should try first looking for professionals in this company so you can learn more about it as well. And also because a fashion merchandiser’s role at Dior might differ from the same role at another company. 

However, if the company doesn’t really matter to you and you are open to opportunities at different companies – say you are interested in luxury brands in general -, you should reach out to professionals from different luxury brands. This will also broaden your research and maximize your chances of getting more responses. 

But again, a friendly reminder: don’t disclose at the informational interview that you are looking for a job at the same brand. 

Step 3: Prepare your questions. 

Start with prior research on the internet to find out about fashion professional’s studies and career path so you can avoid asking these questions. Indeed, being able to ask questions during the informational interview doesn’t mean you should ask those to which you can find answers on their LinkedIn profile. Reserve your questions for information you cannot find online.

I recommend asking 3-4 questions max so people don’t feel overwhelmed and are more likely to respond to you.

How to write an email for the informational interview

Start the conversation by introducing yourself and saying you admire their career. This is a softer opening which shows you are interested in the person. Then, say that you’d like to ask a couple of questions about their role, as you are new to the fashion industry and have some doubts. 

Ask to meet up for a (virtual) coffee, or if you live in the same city, you can bring coffee to their office so they don’t have to leave and have more time for you.

Done! It’s this simple to ask for an informational interview. After the meeting, add the person on LinkedIn/Instagram and keep cultivating the relationship for future opportunities.

You will not receive answers from everyone, but I assure you that there will be someone willing to answer some of your questions to help you 😉

Want to learn more about job application and networking tools? 

Fashion is a competitive industry, and we all know this. Being able to enter this sector is not as simple as it seems, but it is not so complicated, especially if you know a trick or two about it. In our online course How to Break into the Fashion Industry, we reveal the industry secrets and provide students with the tools they need to get their first job or internship in fashion and master their networking and personal branding skills. Enroll now if you want to get your dream job or internship quickly!