Add a Line to Your Resume: Fashion Show Volunteer (Part 2)

Click here to read Add a Line to Your Resume: Fashion Show Volunteer (Part 1)

2. the college shows (continued)

local fashion show
Another fashion show volunteer opportunity I got involved with was for non-profit company that facilitates massive clothing swap events throughout the entire country. I heard about the need for show volunteers in the school's office, collected the contact information, and sent out an email with my resume and a brief note that I would like to help out in any way I could and listed my relevant fashion show experience. When I got to the venue for the show day of to help the producers, I found that the person in charge had never really put on a show for the company before... she normally led the Chicago swap event and had the idea that a fashion show would be a good way to kick the event off that weekend.

For the first twenty minutes I tried to figure out who was in charge of all of the different elements of the show and found that no one really was communicating enough to know who was leading anything! When I realized this, instincts kicked in that if someone didn't start putting two-and-two together, there was no way a show was going to form out of the chaos. First I found out where all the models were and confined them to one area so that we could coordinate hair, makeup, fittings, and lineups. That took the longest time (in my experience, models tend to show up and act like they are hanging out at a friends house with a personal hairstylist at their beck and call; I'm not saying all models are like this, just the ones I have worked with). Next we made sure the staging, lighting, and music was all set and had the rehearsal to time out how long each model needed to walk in order to fill the entire song/make sure we didn't run out of music. Finally, we assigned the dressers to their models and got the first looks on the models and lined them up for the show... SHOWTIME.

RESUME LINE:
[Company/Show Title] Fashion Show; Production Assistant


* image from zimbio.com

3. the real deal industry shows

chicago fashion week
If you didn't know it yet, Chicago has a fashion week. During CFW, one can "Experience four days of runway shows, shopping events and FREE educational industry seminars. See cutting edge designs by local emerging fashion talents and stay ahead of the latest trends with previews of designer collections for the upcoming season."

I was looking on the Chicago Fashion Resource and googling Chicago Fashion Week, and skimming Craigslist to find volunteer opportunities for the big week. I believe I found my volunteer opportunity on Craigslist and replied to the call for help via email (after googling the company/show and finding a lot of information about the upcoming event). After reviewing my resume, the company contacted me and gave me instructions to help at the show. I got there early in the morning (the show was not until 8pm).

The producers were very prepared for this show as far as I could tell and everything went smoothly except a few things that came up as the day progressed. 1. a model went missing = lesson learned- have all the model's contact information on site day of the show. 2. the model lineup sheets were handwritten with red pen changes all over making it hard to read = lesson learned- know how to prepare a fairly organized model lineup (including model's name, lineup number, top, bottom, accessories, shoes). 3. the model lineup was switched last minute after I had finished typing everything up for the producers = lesson learned- roll with the punches and be prepared to type up/print multiple copies of the new lineup fifteen minutes before the show.

RESUME LINE:
Chicago Fashion Week [Company/Show Title] Fashion Show; Production Assistant


*image from http://www.nylonmag.com

new york fashion week
If you would like to read about a friend's experience volunteering at New York Fashion Week, click here.

Add a Line to Your Resume: Fashion Show Volunteer (Part 1)

a.k.a. Something else to do while in college to get ahead of the people not doing anything.

Usually when I think of volunteering, images of senior citizens and yard work pop into my head. While I adore senior citizens, the idea of volunteering to be around them does not seem, ehh, humane (because we also volunteer to do yard work).

Regarding the fashion industry, there are many obvious, and not so obvious ways to get involved by working for free! One of the most exciting volunteer opportunities you can be a part of is working on fashion shows. Helping out at a fashion show helps you with your production, organization, design (stage, choreography, promotional materials, etc), and 'dealing with pressure and limited time' skills.

I have gained some experience (that I have touched on during interviews) throughout college (AND in high school; yeah, you should start volunteering that soon). While I wasn't working on the fall/winter Marc Jacobs shows by any means, it does look good to potential employers to see that you have been exposed to a few fashion show elements.


1. the high school shows

local fashion show
My junior year of high school, I was looking at some Facebook fan pages that featured events going on in and around my (small) town in Michigan and saw a call for models for a fashion show with proceeds benefitting a local charity. I immediately replied to the call and ALSO inquired about possible styling opportunities (explaining to them my passion for fashion). The show's producers replied that I was chosen to model and that they could use my help with styling as well as dressing during the show. In case you are unaware, dressers are a key piece of the fashion show puzzle. During a typical fashion show, one model may have 2-3 dressers to help her quickly switch from outfit to outfit & keep the items organized and safe (aka on hangers, off the floor, and untangled).

RESUME LINE:
[Company/Title/Theme] Fashion Show; Stylist/Dresser

school fashion show
My senior year of high school we had a little thing called prom. In addition to prom each year is a prom fashion show. My senior year I decided to volunteer to produce the fashion show. This involves, picking a theme for the show, contacting retailers about borrowing dresses and tuxes, and deciding on decorations, staging, music, lighting, crew, choreography, rehearsals, models, videography, determining a model lineup, securing dressing space, developing promo materials, and hmm, I might be forgetting something.

RESUME LINE:
[School Name] Prom Fashion Show: A Knight on the Catwalk (Knight= school mascot); Producer


*image from http://jilliansformalwearofoh.com

2. the college shows

college fashion show
As I attend a school with a fashion design program, it is a given that we hold an end of the year senior fashion design showcase (fashion show). Because I am a part of the school's fashion association, I was immediately notified of the need for volunteers to work the show as greeters, check-in attendants, and seating attendants the night of the show (the fashion show production class takes care of the production aspects). By volunteering at the school shows, I have met a lot of people including: other fashion students, alumni (working in the industry), donors (people that can make things happen for the school), and many, many people that are seriously interested in what students can accomplish in the industry (=good for me!).

RESUME LINE:
[School Name/Show Title] Fashion Show; Event Assistant


*image from colum.edu

Q & A with a future fashion student...

While I am not an industry professional with years of experience behind me, I am at a point where I can offer advice about what it is like to study fashion and marketing in a college setting. More recently I have received a few questions from people still in high school trying to decide what to do after they graduate.

I decided to answer these questions as a post on this blog (even though my audience is a class of college students and professor) so that I can get your feedback on whether my answers are sufficient. Have I included enough detail in my answers? Would they have helped you when you were back in high school? Would you add anything?

What led you to decide you wanted a future in the fashion industry?

I knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry before I started high school. I was obsessed with fashion advertising campaigns and was always drawing my own women's clothing designs (even though they were pretty awful). I didn't realize the number of fashion jobs that were out there in this industry until my senior year, maybe even my freshmen year of college. I decided that marketing in the industry was for me as soon as I started taking a few marketing courses instead of all merchandising courses. It is really important to try out courses in a few different departments in college as soon as possible so that you become sure you are in the major that is right for you.

How did you learn about the fashion industry?

My high school didn't offer any fashion courses, so I spent a lot of time reading fashion magazines, Teen Vogue, Vogue, and Lucky.


*Image Credit: http://ingenyfashion.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/

I kept up with each fashion week season by watching the shows on Style.com, and following DailyFrontRow. I watched Project Runway, The Hills (to gain insight on LC's experience as a Teen Vogue intern), The City, What Not to Wear, America's Next Top Model, Make Me A Supermodel, and Running in Heels (show about Marie Claire interns).

In addition, I kept a serious tear-sheet binder. A tear sheet is a fancier name for page ripped out of a magazine (haha). I didn't even know the tear sheet thing until my first college fashion course teacher told us to bring in 10 tear sheets that represent the trends of the season. Now, my binder wasn't too organized so if I am going to suggest getting a tear sheet binder together (for inspiration/reference sake), I would say to make sure to label each tear with the designer/brand, year, season, and what magazine you found it it. By labeling, you will start to remember who designed what and when (in case it was from a spread and not from an ad with the designer's name across it), as you look through your book every now and then.

It is extremely important to have a knowledge database of designers and what they do each season if you would like to go into the industry. It is just expected of you.

Later in college I learned about WWD. It is pretty much the bible of the fashion industry. It costs a bit to subscribe on your own, but I'm telling you, it is worth it if you read it at least once a week (luckily Columbia College Chicago has a subscription for their students to access free!). A few other great websites that I started following in college are JCReport and FashionWireDaily.

Do you know anywhere kids can send in clothing designs?

I am not sure of any places that kids can send in clothing designs, but there is this great website that one of my new friends designed called WouldYouRockThis where you can upload your fashion illustrations and have them critiqued (and maybe even get yourself noticed). You may also want to look into some summer programs at the various fashion schools as they offer a mini-college experience and great insight into what exactly you will be focusing on for your 4+ years of post-secondary education; eg Studio 101, Camp FIDM , High School Summer Institute, Pre-College Academy, etc.



What are the most important things you've learned in college?

The things that I learned in college that helped me the most were not so much the actual technical fashiony things. The important things I learned were more about selling yourself and taking advantage of opportunities. Figuring out what your skill-set is and making sure key people recognize you for those things. When you get to college, you need to think of your peers not as competitors, but as the beginning of the network that can may be connected to the people that could help you find a job one day. You need to seek out any and all opportunities that relate to your interests and keep a record of what you participate in (so when you work on your resume, you don't forget anything).

You will learn everything in your courses that you need with time. The big thing is to ALWAYS do the best that you can. Even if it is the first assignment of an intro class, you still may be able to use it for your portfolio if you do a good enough job... and that teacher will remember you. Realize that there will always be slackers in your classes. There will always, always be people that say, "Oh, that project was stupid. I did it this morning before class." Do not be one of those people. Put your full effort into your work and it will push you to the front of the crowd.

What kind of classes do you take when studying fashion majors?

Here are some classes you may take if you are interested in studying fashion design.
Here are some classes you may take if you are interested in studying fashion marketing.
Here are some classes you may take if you are interested in studying fashion merchandising.

Get your colors in order with Pantone.

I think I discovered Pantone my sophomore year of high school when I was attempting to find out how to become a designer in the fashion industry. This was right before I stopped denying the fact that I had no patience to learn to draw or sew.

For those who have not felt the excitement of discovering Pantone, I will try and break it down a bit. In the simplest form, Pantone is a company that focuses on color communication. When it comes to the fashion industry, Pantone creates a color swatch card system that streamlines color needs and usage from the concept stage to the designer stage to the manufacturing stage.

The image below is of a Pantone Fashion Color Report. These reports come out for each of the fashion seasons and the are incredibly inspiring.
Click Here to See the Report for Fall 2010.

Some things you can do with these reports:

1. Get acclimated with the big colors of the upcoming fashion season.

2. View various designers sketch styles.

3. Find out why certain colors are so hot each season.

4. Discover the "Must-Haves," "Color Rules," and insight on fashion trends.


Click Here to read a Fall '09 article about Pantone in GD USA.

Set up an opportunity for yourself: Part 1 Local Boutiques

Here is something to do today that has the potential to fill another blank line on your resume; in most cases it can be fashion related and get you a few contacts to add to your network; in all cases, it will be a great professional experience that you may be able to talk about at an interview. Note: If you are looking for a job right away, this isn’t the list for you. This list is for those with time to network an gain mini-experiences that could be useful to on the job hunt one day.

1. Find the closest mom & pop shop boutique to your house, or something that is not quite a large chain retailer.



2. Make up a resume or a business card (so contact can call you after you’ve spoken with him/her… instead of chicken scratching your name and number down later). Here is an example card Columbia has designed for its students.



3. Go into the store and ask to speak with the manager or owner (please).

4. Tell them about your fashion interests and mention you are a student and then do one more of the following:

a. Find out if they have any events coming up that you could assist them with (planning, execution, whatever).

b. Find out if you could help them stock items when new shipments come in (it is good to learn to deal with shipments and restocking if you have never done it before… this can help you get your first job in retail).

c. Find out if they have any interest in you working on company social media outlets for them (it is a great tool to know how to use these social outlets from a business perspective. It is now a necessity to understand these methods no matter what company you are working for… if you don’t know them, your job competition will.)

d. Find out if they would be interested in you interning one or two days a week so that you can learn the ways of a store; buying, visual merchandising, customer service, etc.

Note: I realize not all companies need to be using social media… but it helps to have experience that has taught you why a company doesn’t need to use them, over not knowing the difference either way.

Do Not Skimp on the Cover Letter.

Obviously I’m not going to write out a full cover letter for you because I would not be able to write anything but what has turned into my own cover letter --though I am pretty open to a peer review and critique.

Regardless, I would like to dedicate this blog post to something that tends to be the more difficult, and terrible done portion of answering a now hiring ad.

I am not going to say that I know the best way to compose a cover letter, or even that I know exactly which cover letter will get you the job. I simply hope to make a few points about what you might want to consider adding into the next CL you have to write. Note: these are all points of advice I have accumulated from the Marketing Yourself course (Columbia College Chicago- highly suggest you take this class no matter what your major is; look it up!), as well as from my mentors and some other people that have looked over my work.



Key Points to Make –

1. Mention why you are interested in the company and position you are applying for (it is very important to send them a “personalized” letter and not just a general cover letter. If for example, you aspire to intern for Elle Magazine, you will want to search their website for a Media Kit. This will have information like the magazines mission statement, demographics, readership and ad rates.



2. Make a statement deeming why the company should hire you that will stick in the HR person’s brain.

3. Look at the job description and explain at least two of the points from your resume more in depth (approximately 2-3 sentences). Do not say my strengths are organization, blah, and blah. Be specific and give details of your experiences that support the qualities they are looking for in a new hire.

4. Thank your reader for their time, offer them a few ways to contact you with any questions, and let him/her know that you will be following up with him/her in x amount of time (two weeks is good), and MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW UP (if you’re not going to follow up, don’t even bother applying for a job). Click here to read more about following up.

Formatting –
1. Match your resume design to your cover letter design. Use a template!
2. In your heading you will want to include a direct contact name for the company if at all possible. If you have someone's email address but do not have his/her full name, Google the email address -- you will find it.

Distribution –
1. Before you send out your cover letter have three people read through it, print it out and read it yourself (and make sure it prints right and no margins are cut off).
2. Sometimes companies want you to paste the cover letter in the actual email message and only attach the resume.
3. Sometimes companies want you to attach both the cover letter and resume. If this is the case, I have been told that you should write something like:



Here are some more tips from someone who I feel is one of the best professional development coaches out there.

Fancy Looking Presentations, No Big-Wig Design Skills Needed

Tip: Produce great work, as often as you possibly can. You never know who will recognize and even possibly recommend you for the effort. It doesn't matter if you are at school, work, or an internship, (or even working on a project of your own), do what you have to do to create something presentable that you are proud of.

If you are not familiar with programs like InDesign and Illustrator, but would still like to create documents that are appealing to the eye, and organized, use Powerpoint. While it is generally thought to be the software you use when you have to throw a class group presentation together, Powerpoint can be used as a design program to help you go from basic word docs, to branded/themed documents.

To begin creating a document, open a new presentation. I recently learned that you can select a vertical or horizontal layout [file-page setup-slides-vertical or horizontal].



It is good to figure out which fonts you are going to use. I would suggest not using more than two fonts. If you do not find any fonts that really stick with the message you are trying to present, download some new ones here.

If you have a logo, you will want to design your pages around the logo. If you don't have a logo, pick three colors that you will use throughout the entire document and use shapes offered in the program [view-toolbars-drawing/picture].



For a simple and organized document, it is good to create a layout for the cover page, subtitle pages, and then general information pages. Use the three layouts for the entire document to streamline the information for your reader by placing information on the correct type of page layout.



To save this as a document as a file that you can easily open, email, and print quickly, do the following:
+ File
+ Print
+ PDF (located on left bottom corner of print options window]
+ Save as PDF
...create your file name.

VOILA!

Any questions? Did that make sense/help?

Obviously this is the basic of all basics to designing a more professional looking document. This is not the only way, and in no way should you always stick to the three layout rule. You can create different layouts based on needs and length of the entire documents. In some cases, you may also want to create a layout for information that will also include images.

You CAN study fashion design at a community college!

I decided to conduct an interview with various fashion student across the U.S. to gain some insight on what fashion students at other schools are learning. This was a unique interview because it exposes a fashion program at a community college, a great way to learn design at a more affordable tuition cost.

1. About you...
Name: Susie, Houston, TX | Graduation Year: 2011

2. Why fashion?
I decided on a fashion because it was a secret passion of mine.

3. Why fashion design specifically? I was tired of never finding clothes that fit me properly. I also had a hard times finding unique things that I loved

When/how did you first realize you had a passion for fashion?
A few years ago, when I was tired of skimpy clothes that weren't for my body. I want to make my own clothes that are for people of all shapes and sizes, not just runway models or superskinny individuals.

4. What is your favorite element of the fashion industry?
I love YSL and Alexander McQueen, need I say more!

5. What is your proudest accomplishment thus far in your life?
I am proudest of having a 4.0 average in all my classes thus far and learning to sew at such a late age in life. I am proud that I didn't give up because of the skills that I lacked when I started on my journey to become a fashion designer.

COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
1. What college/university do you attend and where is it located?
Houston Community College Central; Houston,TX

2. What is your major/minor? Fashion Design

3. What are the top 3 reasons you chose to attend this school?
Location,Cost, and the local talented staff and students that I get to associate with and learn from

4. Would you recommend this school to someone looking to go into fashion? Definitely!

5. What courses in your major have you found to be most valuable?
Fashion History, Textiles, and Ready to Wear Construction

6. Besides your courses, what have you done to expand your knowledge and passion for fashion?
I have begun to associate with various people in the fashion world to expand my personal knowledge outside the classroom. I will start a blog this year and try to get an internship before and immediately after my graduation with local designers and may be a summer internship in New York.

7. Does your school offer internship connections/ assistance in finding internships? Yes
Can you receive credit? YES

8. What unique features does your school offer that other fashion schools may not?
Students that went to Parsons, FIT and other schools that share their experiences with me. At HCC, I also have befriended a staff member that attended Parsons of New York.

9. What advice would you give to someone hoping to attend this school in your major?
Always be on time and prepared for anything... Apply for your classes early to be sure to get a seat.

10. What is the best advice you have been given concerning a future in the fashion industry?
Always be early, do more than what is expected of you, ALWAYS... and if I make a mistake, own up to it and correct it... LOOK the PART.. Be professional... know how to keep your composure even when your boss is screaming at you. Oh and the most important.. Keep a stash of chocolate on standby.

11.Does your school host any fashion events (fashion shows, networking conferences, etc.)?
They host several fashions shows yearly

LASTLY
What is next for you and what is your ultimate dream career?
I'm working on finishing my degree in fashion design. I plan on starting a blog this summer. My ultimate dream career would be to work for a major design house and to start my own on-line boutique.

A Chicago Fashion World Exists!

If you haven't noticed yet, I began my fashion journey in Chicago. While this isn't a city known for its fashion week, it does offer several opportunities to gain industry experience. I am going to list a few of the resources I have found pertaining to this city's fashion industry, so that when the time comes to get that big fashion magazine internship, you will have done a few things to give you a competitive advantage on your resume.

Chicago Fashion Week
[Make sure to get on their mailing list... once you hit "Go" it will give you the option to select send emails about intern opportunities.]

There are several, several opportunities for students to help out at Chicago's Fashion Week; dressers, backstage management, public relations. As soon as fashion week dates are announced for 2010, you should email the producers of the show ASAP and tell them that you are interested (in whatever you think you could help with).

Chicago Fashion Incubator
The Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy's on State Street is Chicago's version of the CFDA's Fashion Incubator. In this program, six upcoming designers have the opportunity to access exclusive fashion resources and mentoring. The chosen designers also take workshops which will aid them in launching their design careers.

There is a ton of good information on the Incubator blog for anyone looking to go into fashion. You may also find events listed here that make offer great local networking opportunities.

Stiches Fashion Program
"The Stitches Fashion Program is the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center's (CEC) program that has been developed to provide Chicagoland's fashion entrepreneurs with business counseling, mentoring, and resources. On their website, you will find a lot of information about what you can do in Chicago to get a fashion career off the ground (and lets you know about any opportunities to meet people that can help you reach your goals). They also have great packets you can download like the "Fashion First Steps Packet" and the "First Steps for the New Retailer."

Chicago Fashion Resource
The Chicago Fashion Resource contains a suitcase full of information. You can find internship listings (event post your intern resume), job opportunities, discover local designers and boutiques, and get informed about upcoming events.

+ DIY: Passion for Fashion Wall Art

Sometimes when I have had a stressful and busy week and haven't been able to open up my WWD Week in Fashion E-Newsletter, or scan more than a few fashion ads, I go into craft mode and decide to submerge myself in a project. This past week, the project was to get through some magazines I have been stockpiling for the past few months, and move the fashion from the pages to my walls where I can see them more regularly. I figured I would share the project in case you are having a "show your passion for fashion" block.

1. Find a frame displaying a picture you are kind of tired of and empty the frame.

2. Pull out all the magazines and catalogs you can find (Urban Outfitters and H&M Have some editorial-like images.

3. Flip through the pages, find interesting wording, poses, designs, images.

4. Cut out the images and begin placing them in the frame.

5. Last tips:

+ Fill in the gaps with scraps of bright colored paper.
+ The paper cutter I use is amazing... I've had it since freshmen year of high school. Here's a good one I found on Amazon in case you are in the market for a paper cutter Click Here.



6. Find somewhere to hang up the frame so it doesn't have to sit on the floor like mine had to.

Interview to get hired. Yes, I mean sell yourself!

A few months ago, when school was still in session, I received an email about a job opportunity with a major convention holding company this coming fall.

I quickly responded to the call with a resume and email-cover letter, and spent the next few weeks talking with the person in charge of hiring for the temp job.

This past week, I went interviewed for the position at a very nice restaurant just off of the mag mile (because the company was from out of town).

I ended up getting hired.

Here are some things I did to snag the position.
*Note: I cannot say they will work with every interviewer, but they worked this time for me.

1. CREATE A SITUATION ANALYSIS | Make sure they know you have spent the time looking into their company. Don't just read the about section of their website so you know they are a fashion brand... find out what their customers are saying about them via twitter and product ratings; find their press releases to see what the have announced recently; and find industry news to see what top editors are saying about their products. Copy any key topics and past them into a word document, then add a question, comment, or idea you have about this topic. Your interviewer will be impressed that you know what is going on with their company, and will be even more impressed that you are able to discuss the topic with them. Bring this to the interview and when they ask you if you have questions, refer to it. Don't ask a million, ask the ones that make the most sense after talking with them for awhile.

2. SHOW YOU WILL ADD VALUE TO THE COMPANY | I left this interview realizing that instead of talking most of the time, the interviewers spent time reacting to my questions and ideas that expanded on elements that had touched in the position overview.

3. SHOW ENTHUSIASM OR DON'T GO | Do not go to an interview if you do not care one bit about what you will be doing. If you absolutely need the job for other reasons, find something you do like (even if it is so minor its silly). You need to show you are excited, passionate, and that you enjoy learning about what it is you might be doing in the position.

4. ASK THEM FOR THE JOB | Before you go, ask for the job you are interviewing for. I had a guest speaker come into my marketing class last year that is a higher-up at a HUGE consumer product goods company... he said out of 100+ candidates he had interviewed (at his level), only three people had asked for the job at the end of the interview... all three were hired. He said, "Do not be obnoxious, just say, I want this job, and I look forward to hearing from you on (date they said they will be announcing the new hire)."

How-To: Read All the Books in a Library... Create Your Own

Did you know that President Truman read every book in the Independence Public Library? I heard this when I was in third grade and I can remember random days since then when I considered taking on the challenge. Of course two seconds later each of those times I decided I wouldn't have the patience to reach such an extreme goal that would obviously take several years to complete.

Thus, I've decided to make my own little library to get through this summer (among all the marketing books I hope to read by labor day).

1. The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion (Fairchild Publications Inc)

This book is on the list because...

a) Fairchild Fashion Group is the the company that founded Women's Wear Daily. That should be enough of an explanation of why this resource is so necessary for me (and anyone else expecting to be hired into the industry) to delve into.

b) This book will no doubt help in the development of a fashion term knowledge base including technical design terms, big time people of the industry, etc.

c) it might be entertaining to get the chance to mention during small talk that I have read a dictionary

2. The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever (Harper Paperbacks)

This book is on the list because...

a) I had an amazing teacher in my fashion business class recommend that I read this as soon as possible. Apparently it offers a deeper picture into why the industry is like it is today.

b) As I have flipped through the first few pages, a lot of topics come up that would be good to have as general knowledge for say interviewing, meeting new professionals, and for use in fashion course discussions.

3. The Teen Vogue Handbook (Razorbill)

This book is on the list because...

a) I forever want to be a teen... aha, not really. But, this book is the book I wish I would have had back in high school when I thought there were only three things you could be in the fashion industry: designer, fashion magazine editor, and stylist.

b) This book supposedly has a good overview of life as a fashion professional and the things you need to consider if you want to work in the industry

Making strides on Twitter.

Do you see how many pages on the web are ready to offer you their input on how to use twitter?



It's all insanity really.

I am going to join the ranks today and become the "About 818,000,001st" Google result.

Let's start with a little story/side-note. I am a marketing major. As of 2007 when I began studying marketing, my life has revolved around demographics, objectives, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and surprise, a whole lot of creative thinking.

There are people in my department that are a little slow to get their minds on board with the trends of the industry. These are the people that still think Twitter and Facebook are the hot marketing tools that every company needs to utilize.

As you and probably everyone but these people hopefully know by now, Twitter and Facebook can only be useful if you have produced quality, original content-- whether it be a company website, a blog, a gaming site, etc. Once there is some meaty content, Twitter and Facebook can aid in increasing the awareness of that content, and allow you to interact with the people you want viewing your content. Pay attention to that last bit... an important part of using Facebook and Twitter is to make sure that the people you want to be engaged in your content, are also using these social media outlets.

So, as the title implies, I would like to focus this post on Twitter. I set up an account a few months ago, but have not had a chance to figure out what works with my target and what does not. I knew there is a huge Twitter fashionista audience so I needed to get moving! This week I began trying out a few Twitter tools and decided today I would like to share some things I have put into practice, and some things I wish I hadn't put into practice.

Background
Today I added a background to my twitter page. I created it in Adobe Photoshop FYI, the jpg image on my background is 1000 x 889 pixels.

The Good: I now have a more customized background.
The Bad: I am not very happy with my photoshopping skills.
The Opportunity: I can search graphic design students in the Twitter search bar and voila, plenty of people to ask if they would possibly be interested in revamping my background for me.

Reply @...
Another thing I did on Twitter this week was search some of the main keywords on my site; i.e. studying fashion, want a fashion internship, best fashion schools, got into parsons. With these keywords I can quickly find and contact people attending schools that would make good contributors, people looking for fashion internships to suggest my site's internship search database to, and suggest my site to people on the fashion college hunt.

The Good: Contact many people easily & quickly
The Bad: A ton of tweets going out in a short amount of time; don't want to clog my follower's Twitter feeds
The Opportunity: My network expands with every @______ I post on Twitter & every +Follow button that I click





Twitter Lists
The last tool I began using this week was Twitter lists. When I start following fashion students, I am going to place them in my "fashion student" lists. When I follow feeds that post fashion internships, I will place them in the internship lists so that I can easily see when there is a new internship I can share on my site. Another important list I have started is that of my contributors. This is so I can keep track of who is promoting NIF and their guest submissions via Twitter, and thank them for their efforts.

The Good: Stay organized!
The Bad: Haven't found the bad yet.
The Opportunity: Don't miss out on an opportunity to answer a question, share interesting content, or thank the best contributors on the web!

3 Things To Do So You Don't Completely Waste Today

ONE | Become a Professional Social Butterfly
Wander around the web clicking from link to link until you find a local upcoming event that you could attend. If the event is held by a company in your industry, even better! Plan on going to at least one event a month so that you can continuously meet people. Make sure to add the people you meet day-to-day on Linkedin so that you don't lose a new contact that might help you get to your dream career in the future.

Good Googling Keywords:
+ (Your City) Fashion Events
+ Fashion Incubator (Your City) -> Events
+ Fashion Association (Your City) -> Events
+ Fashion magazines (your city) -> Events

TWO | Update your Resume Once & For All
You know you have been putting off adding your last internship on your resume. Now is the perfect time to update!

Yes, I mean it, right this minute!

You never know, tomorrow you may be offered an opportunity to send your resume to someone important, and you will certainly stand out if you are the first to respond to the call.

While your working on your resume, here are a few things you may also want to check on:

+ Is all of your spacing consistent between the different sections?
+ Is the overall layout appealing to the eye?
+ Are your titles, subtitles, and descriptions all the same fonts/sizes that they should be?
+ Do all of your sentences end with periods? Did you forget one?
+ If you aren't using periods at all, do any of your sentences have periods on the ends by mistake?
+ Did you win an award this semester? Has your GPA gone up?

For more resume tips/examples, visit these websites:
+ Resume Action Verbs
+ Interesting Resume Layout Example
+ Article: 6 Words That Kill A Resume
+ Create An Online Resume

THREE | Change Your Homepage
Do you open Firefox every morning to the bland blueness of Facebook? It's time to change your homepage. Find a site relevant to your industry so that every morning when you get online you are immediately aware of what is going on. Knowing what is going on in your industry will be helpful any day when you happen to speak with ANYONE --especially someone in your industry. They will be impressed, or at least appreciative you give a damn and are interested in the things they feel are important.

Some Fashion Industry News Sites:
+ Women's Wear Daily
+ Fashion Wire Daily
+ Fashion Week Daily
+ Fashion.net's List of Additional News Sites

Engage & Interact Here

Since I began building my website, NextInFashion.com, I have discovered several websites that allow me to easily engage and interact with potential site visitors and contributors. Here are two of the sites that have proven to be most effective in creating awareness for NIF.

1. Independent Fashion Bloggers

When I first came across this website I thought, "Great, there are even more competitors than I could have imagined, and they're all in one place!" As I started to click from page-to-page on the site, I realized that there is a large fashion blogging community that is willing to offer advice and share what is and is not working for them. It was also apparent that the bloggers were very interested in networking with other bloggers and excited to "meet" new people.

Almost immediately I decided NIF had to have a strong presence on this site and created a profile. Some of the tools I found useful in attracting potential site visitors and contributors were:

+The real-time "wire" feed: write a note that is posted for everyone on IFB to see; i.e. new blog post announcements, calls for submission announcements, general updates

+ Groups: you can start a group and it is added to the "Latest Groups" bulletin for everyone on IFB to see, so if you need advice on certain advertising methods or are looking for fellow bloggers to talk with from your city, this would be the place to figure things out.

+Polls: use polls to get answers to your big blogging/fashion questions. Anytime you want you can start a new poll and it will be posted in the poll feed for everyone on IFB to see and answer (if it is an interesting enough poll).



2. The Fashion Spot

The Fashion Spot is an excellent general fashion website for the fashion conscious looking to interact with others with similar interests. A large portion of TFS is the forums. The topics have thousands of replies, and view counts in the hundred thousands. If you have a need to engage people with a passion for fashion, this is the place to be, and the place to dedicated some hours in the day to. For NIF, I have posted calls for submissions as well as answered a few of the questions from future fashion students; this portrays NIF as an informer in the area of academic meets fashion and the people answering the questions have visited the site after seeing the answers I gave.

The trick is to post a few topics in the forum (with intriguing titles) and you will reach many, many people who may be just who you are hoping to reach. The catch, you have to apply to be able to utilize The Fashion Spot forums; it is a simple process, but may take a few weeks before you will be accepted.

Introduction.

Hello,

I'm Shelby. I am not actually a fashion student anymore. I now study marketing on a daily basis. This blog was created for the New Media Summer Course at Columbia College Chicago.