Since the start of the lockdown and quarantine about 3 months ago, I have started sharing tips to help you not completely stop your career during this period of uncertainty. Without a doubt, this situation has slowed down everything and everyone: internships got canceled, lessons and exams have moved online, job interviews have stopped and some are pending, for some jobs that are still getting posted, the starting date is still uncertain and many are having their first day at the new job remotely. However, we should see this period as a sort of personal development session. Where can we implement long-term strategies that in normal times at the rapid speed of our society we could not have done.
You have the time to acquire that new skill that is necessary for the job of your dreams and you can build connections that in the long term can contribute to the development of your career.
If you’ve been following Glam Observer for a while, you know that in the past 5 years I’ve talked a lot about the importance of connections in fashion. Many jobs are assigned through word of mouth but don’t worry if your network is currently inexistent or made up of just a bunch of people. I also started with zero connections, I know what it means to be aware of their importance of having a strong network but also to recognize the fact of knowing absolutely no one and starting from scratch. The good news is that first, now I’m here to guide you, so you’re not alone 🙂 and secondly building your connections in fashion from scratch has never been easier thanks to the internet.
Fortunately, if there is one thing that the COVID has not stopped or slowed down, that is the internet, and indeed has strengthened its importance and demonstrated how many things can actually be done from home simply using a laptop and a connection, including therefore networking.
This is an excellent time to establish relationships with those who work in fashion, also considering the fact that many people are at home so they also have more time to get back to you and answer questions.
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There are three main ways to network online: via Instagram, LinkedIn and via email.
These three tools can be used in a different way, the first one is more informal, the second one has a more formal and cold approach, while the email is yet professional but can be formal or informal.
Regarding which of the three to use depends on the person you want to contact and so you should think if it is appropriate to establish a more colloquial or more formal relationship and conversation.
For every person you want to reach out to, you have to understand if it’s better to have a more informal approach or if it’s better to send an email. You can’t use the same approach for everyone. For example, if you contact someone senior or those who do not use Instagram frequently, it is better to go to LinkedIn or via email. If you want to contact fellow interns or assistants or those you see are active using Instagram and are more friendly, you can approach them from Instagram.
Whatever platform you choose to reach out to people in fashion, never start a conversation by asking if their company is hiring or if there are job opportunities or send your CV straight.
Since you have the time now, think long-term and establish a genuine relationship. This can take a few weeks, but considering that we all have this time now, it won’t be a problem 😉 These long-term built relationships are much more effective and profitable.
The first thing you should do is to create a new excel sheet and list the people you would like to connect with. Typically these people are those who work at the company you would like to work for and in particular those who have the role or who work in the department where you would like to work. So for example, if you want to get a job in buying, connect with buyers, assistant buyers, buying interns. If you want to write for a magazine, add to your networking excel sheet editors, assistant editors and interns.
If you want to work as a fashion designer, connect with the team of designers (not directly the creative director in this case, especially if it is a large company. For example, if you wanted to work as a fashion designer at Gucci, do not approach Alessandro Michele directly but connect with other designers, assistant designers, and again even interns.
To find these people just go to LinkedIn, type the company name in the search bar, and browse the list of people who work there to find the right ones and then go search for them on Instagram.
Establishing connections with peers is less intimidating than approaching someone more senior, so don’t think that just because they are assistants or interns they cannot help you. They can however provide you with valuable information on how the company works and it will also be easier for you to create true relationships and talk about common topics outside the workplace.
Once you have compiled this list, it’s time to think about which platform to use to start the conversation depending on who you contact as I explained before, therefore if you need a more formal or more friendly approach.
It’s important to remind that you can follow on Instagram and connect through LinkedIn hundreds of people, but the goal is not to follow as many people as possible, you can do it but as you can imagine following someone on Instagram does not bring career help except in terms that you can see the behind the scenes of their job and be updated if they post a new job. But if you want to get the most out of it, you need to establish connections that go beyond the number of people you follow.
Here’s how you can build profitable relationships that really lead you to something.
When you use Instagram, start interacting with the content, by liking their posts and commenting their stories but only when you have something meaningful to say.
After that, we move on to a direct message.
Start the message by saying that you admire their career path, a published article or any other concrete example you can refer to.
Then request an informational interview. Usually, an informational interview can be done in person but since we are in this period, we are switching them all via phone calls. Ask if they have 10 minutes for a quick call to ask some questions about their career path because you are considering this option and would like to know more and receive some advice.
Not everyone will be available for the call, this is normal. Some people are shy, others prefer not to talk about the career, not everyone is very collaborative and still others can’t talk about their career for the company policy.
If you do not receive an answer to your phone call request, follow up after one week by asking if they prefer to answer your questions via email or messages. This is your last attempt if it doesn’t work go ahead and contact other people 🙂
The aim of networking is to get these informational interviews because obviously in addition to providing you with the information, they are also very useful in establishing a truer relationship. The people you have informational interviews with are those you can contact when you are applying for a job at their company. That’s why it’s important to build a long term strategy and you can take advantage of this period to build genuine relationships. So when the time comes and you apply for a job, inform the person you had the informational interview with that you are about to apply at their company and ask if they have any advice on the application in the meantime or if they can suggest the direct person to contact for that job offer.
If you did a good job in the previous part of establishing a connection without being too intrusive and pretentious some will offer to put a good word for you or pass your resume directly to the right person.
I am writing this because I receive some emails of those who would like to work for Glam Observer and I hope they do not use this approach when they also contact other fashion companies, remember always being kind to everyone, even if they tell you they can’t answer your questions.
Using LinkedIn or sending an email works the same way, just there isn’t the content engaging part like with Instagram – where you like some photos and comment before sending a DM – but you send directly the message in which you start complimenting for their career, add the detail of an achievement you admire, and then ask for the informational interview.
If someone agrees to talk to you, do not prepare a list of hundreds of questions. Choose 4-5 so that the conversation can stay within 10-15 minutes so to not annoy the person too much with the result that then they will no longer be available to help you later. If you ask for 10 minutes of their time, at minute 9 of the call do not ask another question but respect their time and thank the person.
Update the excel file you created with the list of people to contact with the date of the first email or first message, the follow-up date (not earlier than a week) and the details if they answered you and what they said during the call so as not to forget some important details.
So, to recap:
- network with people who work at the companies you’d like to work at and in particular who work in the department you are interested in
- take this time to build long term relationships
- your goal now is to connect to ask for an informational interview that will help you learn more about the industry but also create a bond with people that you can leverage later when you apply for a job at a company.
- keep track of the people you want to connect with
- never stop connecting with new people.
- set a goal to get at least one informational interview per week!
