Renee is a fashion designer. She has an interesting work profile, different from the traditional job profiles. She says, "My job is not restricted to creating trendy and fashionable clothes. It involves discovering a new design and style every time you design clothes. We have to sketch the perfect design on paper first. Based on the sketch, we plan the right type of fabric, and the accessories to suit the dress and the occasion for which it is being made. Then, we purchase the right fabric, cut it for the right shape and stitch it together to give it the planned look. Our work does not complete at creating the dress alone. We also have to ensure the dress gets the right promotion so that it reaches the right audience.
The purpose of telling you Renee's work is to let all the fashion-designing job seekers know what their role and responsibilities involve. Based on the expectation the employer will have from its employees, here are some job search tips for fashion designing job seekers.
- Narrow down your field within the fashion designing area. It could be women apparels, men's wear or children's clothes. You can also specify as per your expertise in designing clothes as per the occasion like wedding trousseau, casuals, formal wear, theatre costumes, party clothes etc. This will help the employer in knowing your strengths and preferred area of work.
- Along with the traditional paper resume, make use of the other types of resumes as well to have better reach to the audience. Use video resumes and flash resumes for better impression on the recruiter. This field regards smart personality of the designers and his communication skills as important as his designing skills. Hence, to make an overall impression, these resume formats will be useful.
- Upload your resume on the social networking sites like twitter or facebook. Start your own blogs and give details of the events you are working on. Upload some videos of the fashion events that display your collection.
- List out the various events or programs in which you have had an active participation. Elaborate on the theme of the event and the creativity used by you to suit the theme.
- Carry your portfolio in form of CD. Include some video footage from the event that displayed your collection. You can also carry book of hand drawn sketches.
- Along with your designing skills, stress on your knowledge of fabric types and quality along with the ability to choose the right fabric for the right occasion.
- Stress on your skills to use creativity and innovation within your work. Designing is one field where these two qualities hold lot of importance. Hence, mention them within your key skills section.
- Other skills that are important in this industry are communication, negotiation and persuasion skills. Emphasize on your ability to sell convincingly.
- Display your knowledge of the current trends and styles in fashion internationally as well as in your own fashion capital during your job search. Being updated with current trends is vital in the fashion industry as fashion changes rapidly.
- Speak of your qualifications proudly. Applicants can have degree/ certifications in fine arts, fashion designing, fabrics quality control, fashion marketing etc. Employers value these qualifications a lot
These are some of the job search tips for fashion designers. These tips are specific to the fashion industry. Use these guidelines to search jobs in fashion and win yourself the job you always dreamt about.
