Write a CV that works with the Fashion Companies (+ Free Template)

We are receiving lots of request on how to realize a CV that works to get an interview for your dream job. That’s why I want to share with you this post today that includes everything you need to know to create an effective and powerful CV that works with the fashion companies.

You studied, took courses and gained a few work experience and want to send your CV to your favorite companies but, just wait a minute and take some time to prepare your CV template. You need to make sure it is perfect because you could have studied at the best schools and acquired some amazing work experience but, if you cannot let people understand all these things you won’t get anything.

Getting an interview today is really difficult and it is sad but true, but people will judge you on your CV before letting you prove them what you’re capable of.

That’s why it has to be absolutely perfect.

Also consider that now Fashion companies have some partnerships with Fashion Schools so, if you’re applying for internships you should remind that the CVs of the students from these schools are usually read first by the HR of a company, so how to stand out among everyone if you didn’t attend a fashion school or among all the other students?

These are all the things you should consider when you create your CV Template:

• Customization

Fashion companies receive thousands of CVs every day. Can you imagine receiving he same white page with just text a hundred times? Doing so doesn’t make you stand out and won’t help the recruiter figuring out how amazing you are. You should also consider some companies don’t read all the CVs simply because they receive lots of them. So to not let them delete yours within a couple of seconds, let’s create a custom template that stands out from all the others.

Can you imagine watching at a stack of CVs and seeing one which is different? The HR people will for sure start with it and you’ll soon gain an extra point for your creativity showing you’re different from anyone else.

Of course, there are many levels of customizations that depend on the job you’re applying for.

If you’re applying for a creative role you can play with colors and graphics to create a cool CV, but if you’re applying for more “serious” jobs you should consider to customize it but still make it looks like professional. Play with fonts, columns add some lines (at the end of the post I’ll show you a template 😉 )

• How long does it have to be?

All of your experiences need to stay on just one page. Especially at the beginning of your career, you won’t have so many experiences so having everything on just one page is absolutely mandatory. People prefer to read short CV templates that are clear and go straight to the point. In 30 seconds they should know everything about your experiences.

• What to add?

Imagine you are the company. You want to find a person who has the work and education experiences that matches that job position. So let’s make your CV the one they really want to read. This doesn’t mean you have to add false information or experiences, but you need to be able to elevate yours and making people understand that your previous experiences have something in common with the current position you’re applying for or that you have  learnt something useful that you can use. For example, if you’re applying for a job position which is relative to numbers you should add in your CV template some data about the numbers within the job descriptions of your previous experiences.  Enhance your experiences and change the CV depending on the company and the position for which you are applying, giving greater prominence to the experiences that are most relevant to that position.

• Photo, yes or no?

Your photo must be inserted. It’s always better if someone associates your experience with a face and not just with a name. Insert a professional photo of you (if you are a photographer you can consider to add a more authentic photo with a camera in your hand or on a set, for example) better on a white background and showing your face from the shoulders up. Today it is enough a smartphone and a white wall to make a picture that is simple but professional. Remind to smile, you need to look friendly.

The experiences must be inserted in chronological order from the most recent onwards.

In general, it is always better to follow this scheme:

• Education
• Start with your graduation even if you are still attending the courses, specifying the start year and that you are still in progress.

• Experience

At the top there should be your most recent one and you should insert the name of the company, the period (June – December 2012) the city and, of course, your job title. If you still have place you can add a short description for those experiences that are more relative to the one you’re applying  for. Who is interested will ask you more during the interview.

• Language

Here you’ll add the extra languages you know also adding any courses or certification you have

• Technical Skills

Add here your Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Blogging and Social Media expertise  adding also a level detail: basic, good, excellent, deep knowledge

• Other Information

Here you could enter if you have a driver’s license or if you have obtained some other sporting diploma, something that also shows your human side.

The other various skills that are generally written in the CV as ability to adapt or the ability to work in a group could also be avoided because everyone is writing the same thing and companies don’t consider them so much. Everyone writes that they can work in a group, but it is your work or school experience that shows it. Better to write that you did a group work at the university rather than writing that you know how to work in a group. As well as all the other skills of this kind it is better to make them understand through your experiences.

To get a practical example of how your CV should look like, I have prepared a template for you that you can download and fill in with your information using Word.

If you are an expert in Photoshop you can use it to create your own template by playing with graphics. I designed it in Photoshop and then I recreated its version with Word so that it is cute aesthetically, but at the same time, simple,  professional and easily editable by everyone using only Word.

By entering your email and clicking on “I Want the Template”, you will receive the CV template by email approved by a Business School and that also made me get 3 interviews even before I finished the Master’s courses.