You’ve Graduated! What Now…?

It’s a time that you never imagined would emanate. After 3 (sometimes more, depending on your course) years of lectures, dedication and putting in the hard graft, you’ve finally graduated and can breathe a big sigh of relief! But what now? As it transpires, this is when the hard work really commences. You’ve attained a degree and now it’s time to put it to good use.

Finale of the Bath Spa GFW show by Chris Daw

Fashion is an exceedingly elating nevertheless highly competitive industry to break into, with a total of more than 60 universities promoting fashion-related courses, and typically 4,000 fashion and textile students graduating each year, it’s safe to say, it’s every man (and girl) for themselves. So exactly how do today’s fashion graduates distinguish themselves from the creative crowd?

At FashionCapital, we’ve proposed some useful tips on how to stand out as a fashion graduate and suggest some exciting courses and apprenticeships that we at FCFTA.com are currently offering.

Experience is invaluable 

Differentiating yourself from other students is a quality you’ll attain when embarking on work experience, especially in the fashion industry. Being compared to fairy dust, experience really is the magical element on any CV as future employees love to see that you have been pro-active, are willing to learn and can see an extension in your fashion network.

Experience is its weight in gold and you can never start too early, nor too small. The majority of top industry influencers began their style successes working in places such as tiny local boutiques; experiences that spring-boarded their careers to unimaginable heights. Work experience will elevate your CV, deepen your learning and improve your confidence and chances of employment.

Acknowledge your strengths 

In fashion, you cannot afford to be a wallflower. In order to be heard, you need to sell yourself and illustrate to others how and why you’re different from the next fashion graduate.

If perhaps you are uncertain regarding what your strengths are, ask your family members, peers or tutors to help identify them for you. As an example, you could uncover you are a brilliant visual communicator, you are confident at engaging with modern materials or an admirable print designer. Realise whatever your positive attributes are and shout them out loud. In CVs and cover letters, ensure your strengths are well documented and are mentioned when conversing in various methods. Additionally, certify that your dexterities are applicable in relation to your applied positions.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” 

It’s the age-old saying when concerning any type of employment but in fashion, the phrase goes without saying. As an individual preparing to participate in the would of fashion, it can seem like a daunting prospect, given its widespread community but it’s surprising to discover how small it actually is; everyone knows someone who knows someone.

Contact people who have previously and currently undergone positions in the fashion world and explain to them what you’re looking for. Inform them of your options, accompanied by your CV and a PDF of your work and you’ll be surprised how helpful people can be. Networking is the way forward!

So, if you’re looking for fashion apprenticeships, wish to experience some invaluable industry insights or just want to broaden your style dexterities, FashionCapital, together with FCFTA, is your place to go to gain practice through a unique combination of training and career specific work experience that will look fantastic on any CV.

Log onto https://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/events/ to discover our range of exciting events as well as https://fcfta.com/apprenticeships which give you the opportunity to work for a real employer, earn a real salary whilst gaining valuable workplace skills, experience and ultimately an accredited qualification. Employers include ASOS.com, Marks & Spencer, New Look, Hobbs and Jigsaw!

By Katie Farley

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