Getting a job in fashion is not like getting one in any other industry. In fact, fashion is a particular sector especially due to the high competition that provides companies with the possibility of choosing among thousands of candidates for each position.
When you receive an average of 500 applications, it is assumed that you choose the best.
But the truth is that the best candidate is not the one who studied at the best university in the world or has many experiences at the best companies on the resume. The candidate that the company will hire is the one that has been able to present herself/himself in the best and most creative way in the application and interview phase.
Many ask themselves if ,after a “generic” degree not related to fashion, it is better to attend a fashion course or look straight for a fashion job, and I discussed it in this article.
Most of the industry passionates like you who want to work in fashion, believe that it is necessary to have studied fashion or have experience in the field to get a job, and that these are the two main reasons why their applications are not working and do not have a job in fashion yet.
The truth is that the main reason why your application has not been successful to date is not related to the fact that you have not studied fashion, or because you don’t know anyone in the industry, you don’t live in a fashion capital or you don’t have experience in the field …
… these are false assumptions related to the fashion industry.
In 90% of cases, the reason why people (both those who have attended a fashion school or not, who have little or no experience) are unable to get a job in fashion and do not receive responses from companies is that they are doing something wrong in the application.
Applying for a job in fashion seems to be a process that takes place in the standards: creating a CV, writing a cover letter and applying for many jobs …
… But it’s not that simple actually. And you probably know this already.
For each single step:
- selecting the job offers
- building the CV, cover letter and portfolio (where needed)
- applying
- getting ready and nailing the job interview
- and following up
there are specific procedures and tricks to use to make the application super effective.
It’s not necessary to go wrong with all the steps, even a single mistake in one step can put you out of the games.
Many people do things wrong already at the first step of the process by applying for unsuitable jobs: graduates who apply for jobs that require 2 years of experience, those who apply to jobs that require an excellent use of Photoshop and on the CV it doesn’t appear anywhere.
Others go wrong by not customizing the CV and cover letter for each job offer and submit to everyone the same.
Still others do not follow up after the first email. Do you know that some fashion managers choose the candidate only among those who have followed up and therefore reinforced greater interest in the position?
Those who apply going above and beyond the standard path, who submit a direct, creative and above all specific CV for that position, who wrote a new cover letter every time they applied for a new job, who studied the company and named the important details during the interview, are the ones who have a job in fashion today.
All those who work in fashion today have started somewhere without experience and / or without having attended a fashion school. Fashion companies hire in the same number those who have attended a fashion school or not. Don’t be afraid to apply for the most prestigious companies even if you haven’t studied fashion or if you don’t have experience in the sector yet.
Work on your application process today. I have a free masterclass with 4 tips to get a job in fashion quickly 🙂 You can register here.
Watch the video below to know how Abby, a student of How to break into the fashion industry, went from lots of failed applications to going to job interviews at least twice a week by changing her application strategies:
