5 Tips to Help You Get a Job in the Fashion Industry

After graduating from a fashion training school, you need to find a job that allows you to explore and practice all you learned. A career in fashion holds lots of promises. But you need to put in the required work to access such jobs. 

Many times, skill and aptitude are important requirements. But then, there’s more to it. So, in today’s post, we’ll share 5 tips to increase your chances of getting a job in the fashion industry. Read more below. 

1. Create and nurture healthy relationships in your market

In the world today, a lot of factors come to play in getting a job. Besides having all the qualifications and skills, you need someone to introduce you to an opportunity. As such, networking is an essential skill to get you a job in the fashion industry.

A good place to start is the relationships you built while in school. You should also reach out to like-minded individuals in the fashion industry. Be on the lookout for fashion events and attend them. You may be seated next to your next employer – you never can tell.

More importantly, invest in the relationships and make constant efforts to nurture them. Even when organizations are not officially hiring, they may employ based on recommendations from employees or business associates.

2. Learn about the industry

You don’t need a degree in fashion design to land a job in the industry. There are employment opportunities, such as marketing, supply chain management, designing, corporate finance, and many others, available for you.

It’s up to you to choose a career path and channel your efforts into getting a job there. Knowing the available opportunities will help you cut the chase, which is common with most fresh school leavers. 

Several applicants contest for popular titles and job descriptions when many unpopular opportunities could be more appealing. So don’t focus on the popular ones only. Since this is a job in the fashion industry, you need to learn how to dress for an interview.

3. Hone your relevant skills

The fashion industry is evolving at an alarming pace. So, the world may have moved from what your tutor described as the ‘hot cake’ in college.

First, develop skills that will be relevant to the industry in the future. Since organisations hire applicants with the long-term well-being of the establishment at heart, your relevant skills pitch you better for a shot.

In fashion nowadays, you’ll encounter terms like omnichannel distribution, blockchain, customer experience design, and sustainability. So, we recommend that you take a fashion business course. 

You’ll learn several professional skills and roles in the industry. That way, you can identify the most relevant skills to develop to position you better before recruiters.

4. Follow the trends but be unique

Keeping up-to-date with what’s trending in the industry is a valuable skill. But you must understand that trends come and will eventually go. So, don’t limit your view of fashion to the industrial aspect. Instead, see it as an art where you express yourself through your craft.

Discover your uniqueness and what inspires you. You can draw inspiration from people, nature, art, and, more importantly, from within yourself. That way, you’ll be able to create trends using your creativity.

So, while others depend on trends to make money, you’ll stay relevant with or without trends.

5. Research the industry and select your preferred employer choices

You don’t want to complete a blind chase with no results to show for the efforts. Instead of randomly distributing your CVs to companies, it’s sometimes the best practice to select a handful of companies where you stand a chance to meet their requirements. This will also make it easier to come prepared for the interview. You only get a single chance to make a good impression, so you shouldn’t waste it!

Doing this requires some thorough homework on your part. Things you should pinpoint are:

• Listing out the companies
• Identifying and shortlisting roles
• Crosschecking to see if your profile matches the requirements for the roles
• Creating a cover letter that projects what qualifies you for the position
• Identifying the skills that pitch you better than other applicants
• Understanding if the job will keep you employed in the long term

This way, you’ll have fewer applications to submit and enough time to prepare adequately. Resultantly, you stand a better chance of hitting your target.

Conclusion

The fashion industry is fascinating, with many opportunities to earn a good salary. Take some time to research the industry and identify relevant skills. 

Don’t ignore the power of networking. Sometimes, fewer is better when considering job applications. Lastly, stay abreast with the trends, but maintain your uniqueness. All these tips will help you land a job in the industry.