For anyone who wants to get involved in the fashion industry but does not have a fashion-related degree, working in retail can be a great way in. Working in a clothes shop gives you a good foundation for working in other areas of the industry. You will gain experience of what customers are looking for. At the same time, you will learn about how the rest of the fashion industry works and begin to build connections, which you can use later to find other work within the industry.
Here we will take a quick look at how to find the right kind of fashion work, and do so quickly.
Target your job search
The first tip is to target your job search. The vast majority of modern retail jobs are now advertised online. All of the larger retailers, along with many of the smaller ones, use specialist job boards to find the people they need for their outlets. If you visit the retailchoice.com website, you will see a good example of such a specialist recruitment website.
On a site like this you can quickly find out which retailers are recruiting in your area. If you want to you can add your CV to their database. That way when retailers in your area are looking for people they can write to you direct and ask you if you are interested in coming in for an interview. However, bear in mind that most of the retailers that search the CV database are looking for people with experience. Therefore, if you are just starting out in the industry you really should focus most of your attention on using specialist websites to search for jobs you can apply for.
Never say no to a job
If you are serious about working in the fashion industry you need to be prepared to get your hands dirty. There is no point in waiting for a glamorous job to come along. You have to get started somewhere, so if you are offered a job in a local fashion boutique and you have no other offers, you really should take the job. Doing so will ensure that there is not any long gap on your CV and will give you a breadth of experience, which will help you to find work in the future.
Consider doing low paid or voluntary work
On the same theme, it is well worth considering working for low wages if you are just starting out. Doing so will give you much needed experience. If a local charity or organisation is running a fashion show as a fundraising event then consider getting involved. You never know who you will meet at such events, and the fact that you are willing to help will look very good on your CV.
Consider further education
If you like working in fashion retail or the industry in general, you really should consider taking a fashion related course. Whilst you can get some jobs within the industry without qualifications, the vast majority of the most exciting and interesting jobs go to graduates. Therefore, if you want a role like this you need to be realistic and study fashion or retail at college or online.