Maybe you’re a few years into your career in the fashion industry and
the relief at being
one of the few from your graduating year who got a job is beginning to
fade. Maybe
you’ve been entrenched in a job for too long but when you peek outside your
cubicle,
you no longer see the forest for the trees. Either way, you’re ready to
rise, get promoted,
earn more. But how do you make that happen?
Strategize your exit. While Millennials are known to job-hop after
graduation until they
settle into their groove, which apparently is viewed favorably by the
industry as it
demonstrates adaptability and social ease, the same cannot be said for
professionals
who are more established in their careers. Resist the urge to move too
often as
potential employers will view you as flighty and unserious, possibly even
doubting your
commitment to followthrough on projects. If an employer decides to invest
in you, they
want reassurance that you’re a solid prospect who will be around long
enough to show
a return on their investment. Your resume will tell them that.
Always keep in touch with your preferred recruiters, providing them with
an updated
resume and let them know if you’re looking to move. Remember, recruiters
are putting
multiple candidates forward for the same job. Individual companies also
work with
multiple recruiters to increase their chances of getting the best
candidate. By the same
token, you should build relationships with multiple recruiters. The
relationship only
becomes exclusive when you have received a job offer as a result of a
recruiter’s
introduction and have decided to take it.
Personal introductions can fast track your transition. If you apply for
a position through
HR, your name may languish in the company’s database for weeks, but the
right
connections can have you in front of the hiring manager first thing in the
morning. HR
managers relying on key word searches to locate suitable candidates are not
always
kept up-to- date with the immediate needs of the design team. They mightn’t
always
know how to interpret your resume, overlooking some unique accomplishments
that
would intrigue a creative director enough to invite you for interview. Be
proactive and
recognize opportunity wherever it crops up because no one is as motivated
as you in
your job search.
The industry, particularly in the U.S. will attempt to pigeonhole you.
If you have spent
the past two years designing only shirts, you will be packaged as a shirt
designer and
will have to fight against this branding, even if you designed other
categories before
shirts. If you’ve been working in menswear, your desire to return to
womenswear will be
questioned. This only increases if you’ve done a long stint in
childrenswear, swimwear
or another niche category, and wish to return to ready-to- wear. To break
free of these
labels, tailor your portfolio thoroughly to demonstrate the extent of your
abilities even if it
means creating new work focused on where you see yourself now.
As you move up the ladder, there is more at stake. With salary increases
and new titles,
employers expect more. At the beginning of your career your resume was not
enough;
you needed a portfolio. But there comes the time when your portfolio is not
enough.
Companies seeking to fill a position often ask shortlisted candidates to
complete
projects for them but offering minimal guidance on what they are hoping to
see. The
project is your chance to impress and you should demonstrate your
understanding of
the company’s DNA, its customer and market position, innovative design and
slick
presentation. There is no other industry I can think of which requires its
professionals to
produce work for free like this, yet it has become common to the hiring
process. The
more positions you apply for, the more projects (work for free) you will
do. Look at it as
portfolio building.
Put culture above the cult of celebrity to boost your credibility with
those that matter.
Your superiors might be anything from 10-40 years older than you and
referring to the
Helmut Lang S/S 1999 collection in which the designer mixed reflective
techno fabric,
marabou feathers and minimalism can score you major brownie points over
someone
extolling the wonders of Beyonce’s shoes on last night’s red carpet. Bring
the outside
world into the cubicle: museum inspiration; books and articles you’ve read;
photos from
your travels…As a new, possibly younger, member of the design team, step
up and be
their ear to the ground. Relish the responsibility of keeping things fresh
and it will be appreciated.
The heady mix of unchecked egos and the industry’s multibillion dollar
turnover can
lead to behavior that wouldn’t be tolerated in other fields. Buyers have as
much
influence as designers, particularly in the U.S. Old styles that have sold
well will be
endlessly repackaged bumping out new experiments which for a creative can be
frustrating. At a morning meeting, your “super-cute” idea can be gushed
over, yet it’s
canceled by mid-afternoon. People in our industry change their minds based
on whims,
sales feedback, fear. Many employers will expect you to respond to emails
as soon as
you are awake right up until the moment you fall asleep. Why? Because they
do. The
industry’s culture of second-guessing promotes neuroses and possibly
insomnia. Don’t
take anything personally; it’s just business but find ways to navigate
these prickly
phenomena that go with the territory.
It is widely agreed among my design peers that while the industry itself
has bounced
back from recession, the salaries here in NYC have never quite returned to
their pre-
recession heights and the upper middle design positions have all but dried
up. Hiring
one candidate to do several people’s jobs is now commonplace in many
companies.
Bulking up from the bottom, hiring a handful of junior designers together
with intern
manpower instead of hiring a senior designer has become acceptable
practice. So if
you get that offer to fill a senior design position, snap it up but be
prepared to wear many hats.
Keep a sketchbook, paint landscapes in your downtime, cultivate lifelong
curiosity. Allow
your creativity to flourish outside your job and you will find you will
bring more to your
job. Too many mass market companies reduce the design process to ripping
looks from
magazines or from competitors’ collections and riffing off them. Whether
early in your
career or seasoned, you will inevitably land such a job and it can sneakily
undercut your
creativity to the point that you become conditioned to think in this
reduced way. Then
when you upgrade for a more creative environment but exhibit this approach,
it can be a
big turn-off to your new employer. The onus is on you to stoke the fires of
your creativity
or others will snuff them out.
Strive to become an expert in your field. Look beyond the job
requirements prescribed
by your current position, don’t get comfortable, and keep your skills in
top condition.
Seek to realize yourself as an individual as well as part of a workforce
because the
industry’s fast pace and hamster on a wheel nature can dry up your creative
juices but
make you feel like you can’t get off. It is an industry in which keeping a
job is not always
a measure of your talent but your tolerance. Take charge and steer your
career
consciously. Look laterally for ways to apply your expertise that keep you
excited.
Perhaps you learned that you have an eye for photography, a head for event
organization, a leaning towards PR, a penchant for styling, a compassion
for mentoring,
a head for fashion journalism… Embrace these as opportunities to branch
out and
explore your creativity to the max. The fashion industry can be immensely
generous to
those who know how to reap its rewards.
By contributing guest editor Jackie Mallon, who is on the teaching
faculty of several NYC fashion programmes and is the author of Silk for the
Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion industry.
Photos and sketches: Jackie Mallon
During the month of August FashionUnited will focus on Work in Fashion. For
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