Essential Skills for Fashion Interns

Essential Skills for Fashion InternsEssential Skills for Fashion InternsThe fashion industry is a very competitive field, and to become successful, you must have the talent, creativity, skills, and ability needed to do the job. Your Intern Role With Required Skills in Fashion In an internship in the fashion industry, your role can vary greatly depending on the aspect of the business in which youre working. Some options include fashion retail, fashion design, ausverkauf or editorial work. Your day-to-day responsibilities can include merchandising, sales, sewing, sketching, promotion, advertising or event planning. Interns are encouraged to have a passion for and skills in fashion to succeed, as the days are often long and the hours grueling. If you dont love what you do, youre likely to burn out quickly. Finding an internship in fashion is a great way to learn the ropes and find out what its really like working in the industry. You may decide that you have the skills in fashion wo rk to succeed in a fashion career. Top Resume Skills for Fashion Design Interns When listing your skills, list some of your skills in fashion that pertain directly to the work youll do in fashion. For example. youll need to have strong drawing skills in order to sketch out and present design ideas. Other skills are less specific to your fashion job but apply to any schrift of job youll do, such as persistence and good listening. Both of these skill categories are important to employers. Design-Specific Skills in Fashion Describe the skills that youve learned through your education, experience, and training that apply to the type of work you think youll be doing as an intern, such as the following Highly Creative and Artistic Even if you are not in the design portion of the industry, creativity and an eye for what is visually appealing is important in every aspect of the business. Your creativity and sense of style can influence even written materials and promotional ads.Your skills in fashion should include these. Creative ideas about design and fashionStrong sense of styleSuperior writing and descriptive skillsAbility to translate ideas into words Strong Drawing Skills Interns need preliminary fashion skills, including the ability to sketch ideas, from potential garments to room layouts of a runway show. While being a true artist isnt necessary, you should be comfortable sketching out your thoughts to help explain your ideas. Ability to translate ideas into sketches that illustrate potential garments and accessoriesTranslate ideas into useful sketches that illustrate room layouts for a runway show Good Eye for Detail In fashion, the details are everything. Thats true of both the clothes and the business. You will often have to juggle multiple projects at once that require your constant attention, making aya nothing falls through the cracks. Attention to and an eye for detailProject management skills to balance multiple projectsInteract with all facto rs and people that have an impact on a project or task Understanding of Texture, Color, and Quality Fabric Whether youre a designer or a public relations specialist, fashion interns should understand the basics of fabric quality, textures, and complementary colors to talk and write intelligently about the products. Understand the basics of fabric qualityUnderstand and appreciate texture in the various types of fabricKnow complementary colors as well as how to match colors in intriguing and different waysBe able to talk professionally and knowledgeably with customers and fashion coworkers Strong Visualization Skills When dealing with garments and fashion events, you have to be able to visualize what the finished product will look like so you can plan accordingly. Able to dress mannequinsSelect and coordinate outfits, colors, and accessories for displayMaintain retail displays for attraction and cleanlinessAble to drape fabric, pin fabric, and trim fabric General Job Skills for a F ashion Intern The following skills are very important to employers, and they matter regardless of which field youre working in. You can also mention some of these skills, along with an example of when youve used them in the past, during an interview. While you wont necessarily be expected to have competence in all of these areas, these also give you an idea about the skills you need to develop to grow in your career Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills Your interpersonal communication skills are essential. As an intern, youll be dealing with people at different levels in the company, as well as outside designers and vendors. Able to build rapport with customersAble to build rapport with coworkersRespecting the diversity of customersSelecting and helping customers select outfits and accessories that enhance their appearanceAble to communicate tactfully when an outfit is not quite right for a customerKnowledgeable about the clothing and accessories being soldRespect the c onfidentiality of customers and coworkers A Good Sense of the Business Its important to have an understanding of current trends so you can pinpoint what will be the next big thing. Understanding that fashion is a business and not just about creating beautiful clothes is important for your success. Represents the company respectfully and professionallyHave an eye for current fashion trends to spot potential sales winnersAble to operate organizational and computer systems to input dataDeal with inventory management and orderingKnowledgeable about social media marketing including Facebook, Twitter, and InstagramUnderstands the concepts of generating revenue and making a profitCan do bookkeeping and understands payroll and financial matters A Competitive Spirit The fashion industry is competitive, often with many interns competing for just one position at the end. You need to be able to handle the pressure while remaining gracious and professional. Able to handle competition and pressur e with grace and dignityWork well with other fashion interns who may also be striving for the same goalUnderstand the competitiveness of the fashion industry, in general, and thrive in this environmentAble to handle the pressure leading up to major fashion events and rise to the tough challenges. Ability to Work Well With a Team One of the key fashion skills youll need is the ability to collaborate with others effectively. Youll be part of an extensive team that works very closely together on major projects and in meetings. Able to effectively collaborate with the other players in a team environmentProblem solve and generate solutions rather than finger-pointing and blamingBelieving that diverse ideas and points of view add value to projectsValuing diversity in your team members Knowledge and Interest in Current Fashion Trends While you dont need to be a slave to the recent trends yourself, you should be aware of whats going in the fashion world to have the right perspective when co ming up with ideas. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic about current fashion trendsKnowing when a fashion trend is not right for a customerSeeking new fashion and product knowledge to serve as an expert for the customersConstantly looking for the latest and greatest to stay competitive in the fashion industry The Bottom Line The fashion industry is very competitive. So make sure to include core skills in your resume like excellent communication and other interpersonal skills. Dont forget to highlight your knowledge of current fashion trends in your cover letter. And use examples to demonstrate how you applied this knowledge and your skills to succeed in prior work during an interview.

If you incorporate learning into your work you will be happier says study

If you incorporate learning into your work you will be happier says studyIf you incorporate learning into your work you will be happier says studyThere is a big difference between people who like their jobs and those who are truly happy and find joy every day in their careers. Now a lot of factors determine your happiness and some of them can be out of your control like a bad boss or toxic work culture but new research from LinkedIn has found something you can control in your work that will improve everything.If you spend a portion of every workday learning, you will see some dramatic results. The survey questioned 2,049 workers including freelancers and entrepreneurs, in the U.S., the UK, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Australia, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Heavy learners, defined as those who spend five hours a week on learning exercises such as reading, taking classes and watching zugreifbar courses, reported being hap pier, less stressed, more productive and more confident than those who didnt do this (light learners were defined as those who only spend 1 hour or less on learning activities.)Here were the results of the survey for heavy learners74% more likely to know where they want to go in their career48% more likely to have found purpose in their work47% less likely to be stressed at work39% more likely to feel productive and successful21% more likely to feel confident in their work21% more likely to be happy at workMedium learners (those who spend between 1 and 5 hours per week) also saw some significant results. They were14% happier than light learners13% less stressed than light learners16% more productive than light learners32% more likely to know where they want to go in their careerJosh Bersin, an HR industry analyst who developed the survey in partnership with LinkedIn said, There is a clear relationship between time spent learning and a persons career satisfaction, career prospects an d general happiness, says Bersin. People who either have the time or make the time to educate themselves are performing at higher levels.This is great news, right? Yes, except not too many of us make time to do all this wonderful learning. Just 7% fell under the heavy learning category but at least 47% made it into the medium group followed by 46% in the light learners group.Bersin noted that people would have time for learning if they werent so distracted at work by email, social media, and meetings. Something to think about.

I grew up on welfare and now I have $50,000 saved at age 28

I grew up on welfare and now I have $50,000 saved at age 28I grew up on welfare and now I have $50,000 saved at age 28I grew up in a three-bedroom apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with four brothers, four sisters, and our two parents, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in the 1970s (just picture lots of bunk beds and a constant fight for the bathroom).My parents spoke little to no English, but we all uttered the word welfare often. When my mom had to attend face-to-face appointments at the food stamps office, I would frequently serve as her very official 10-year-old translator.Although we didnt have much, I understood that my life here in the U.S. welches much easier than the one my parents had grown up in the D.R. - after all, theyd had to drop out of school to work on farms and took showers without hot water. And even though I vividly remember using our EBT card at the bodega, I didnt understand what it meant that my family had one. Being a child of im migrants kept me humble and grateful for the little that I did have.Despite all this, it became harder and harder not to compare myself to my peers as I grew into my teenage years. I felt ashamed to be one of the only kids who didnt have a North Face coat, the latest pair of Jordans, an XBOX, an iPod, a cell phone - whatever. I never dared complain to my parents about this because, even though we often talked about money, it welches always within the context of how little we had. (No hay dinero, theyd say, meaning, There isnt any money.) So, like many people, I welches never taught to manage my finances. And thats how I found myself still living paycheck-to-paycheck several years out of college.It was 2014, and I was feeling overwhelmed by my poor leistungspunkt, student loans, and leistungspunkt card debt. On a whim, while waiting in line at Duane Reade, I picked up a copy of Suze OrmansWomen and Money.I was hooked. It was the first time I felt like I was in full control of my own financial future. Soon after, I came across the research ofDr. Nari Rhee at The National Institute on Retirement Security. She reported that Americans of color have much less money saved for retirement than their white counterparts, regardless of their age and income. This was partially due to workers of color (particularly Latinx workers) being much less likely to have employer-sponsored retirement options, like a pension or 401k. But also, the actual dollar amounts that each racial group saved were radically different. Whereas white households had an average of $111,749 set aside for retirement in 2010 (less than a years salary for a programmer in Silicon Valley), Latinx households like mine saved even less - an average of $17,600. It all sounded too familiar.Immediately after that, I opened my ROTH IRA retirement account, and Ive been contributing the maximum amount ($5,500 yearly) ever since. I also took major steps to cut back on my spending, which has allowed me to accumulat e $50,000 - all before my 29th birthday I was feeling so good about everything Id learned that, in 2015, I started my YouTube channel, MissBeHelpful, to spread financial literacy in a fun and relatable way.I honestly believe that employers should be responsible for teaching their employees about the financial options available to them. Schools should teach their students the same. If most high schools and colleges require basic courses like biology and math, why not make personal finance a required course, too? It would certainly level the playing field for students who dont have the privilege of learning this information at home. But alas, thats not the way our current society works. So until then, Ive got your back Here are the exact steps I took to save $50,000 in just two and a half years. Read them, then check outmy YouTube channelfor mora tips and tricks.1. Leave all credit and debit cards at home so that you have to plan for every purchaseWhen I decided to get serious about my financial future, I started by studying my credit card and debit card statements. One thing that stood out was all of the meaningless purchases I was making on a daily basis. The biggest offenses were the constant snacks and drinks Id buy from places like Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Rite Aid, Duane Reade, Walgreens, and a ton of other cafs and delis around the city. I also realized Id picked up a slight shopping addiction after seeing multiple charges from stores like Old Navy, Gap, HM, TJ Maxx, and Target appear on my credit card statement multiple times each week. None of these purchases seemed like much at the time, but they added up to a lot of money over the course of a month. So the first thing I did was leave all my cards at home. That way, I had to use cash and plan ahead for anything I wanted to buy. After just one week, I noticed a huge difference in my bank account. And within a few months, I finally broke my habit of shopping just for fun.2. Make an adjustable monthly b udgetThe second thing I did was draft a very strict budget that cut out almost everything I was spending money on around that time, apart from bills, absolute necessities, and a few things that made me significantly happier. When setting your budget, its key to remember that you can include anything you want - but you cant include everything you want. You have to decide which expenses that dont qualify as needs are truly important to your overall happiness. For me, things like having my groceries delivered to my apartment, being able to take two or three trips each year (capped at $850 each), getting a massage every few months, and having a little money free to spend on one spur-of-the-moment experience each month (a fitness class or going to the movies, for example) became priorities over going out to brunch every single weekend or hitting up happy hour a few times each week.3. Set up automatic paymentsAnother thing I noticed when studying my credit card statements was the amount of money I was paying in interest every month - ouch But I did a little research and discovered that I could cut those numbers in half by paying off my credit cards with a personal loan that had a lower fixed-interest rate. I took out two loans and set up automatic monthly payments for the money to be taken directly out of my checking account come payday. Each month, I owed one payment of $313 on paper, but I always doubled that amount and sent $600 or more. Yes, the payments were high, but having the money taken out right away meant it was never in my account long enough for me to become attached to it. I used Lending Club for the loan process because a friend sent me a referral deal. But other companies like SoFi and Prosper are work just as well. Make sure you get the lowest interest rate offer available and only accept a manageable monthly payment, in case something happens and your income decreases.4. Dont just spend your money - invest itOnce I stopped going to brunch every weekend (limiting it to once a month or every other month) and started cooking and packing my meals at home instead of ordering out for dinner or buying lunch at work, the money I was saving started piling up. Initially, it all went toward paying off those two loans I took out to cover my credit card debt, which took about 23 months. After that, I was able to start funding my savings account. Once I hit my savings goal of having three months rent set aside, I started putting the extra money toward my retirement fund ($458 each month) and the rest into the stock market. Thats when your money really starts working for you, because it grows more than it would sitting in your savings account5. Use your time off to generate even more incomeSince I significantly reduced the number of times I went to brunch, the movies, restaurants, and happy hours, I had a lot more free time on my hands. And I used that time to pick up a shift at my gym in exchange for free classes (saving me hundreds of dollars) and posted YouTube videos about my new money habits. After a year of uploading videos, my channel began to generate income I then added that to my savings plan, which, combined with my ROTH IRA contributions, totaled $30,000 by 2016.6. Explore minimalist living and declutteringWhen I decluttered my finances, I realized that my surroundings still impacted how I was spending money. Oftentimes, I felt like it was necessary to add things to my apartment or change things in order to spruce it up. Then I came across the Mr. Money Mustache blog, which promotes the concept of minimalist living as a way to be more frugal and accumulate money at a faster rate. The less stuff I spent money on, the less stuff Id have, and the more money Id keep. It made total sense to me So I decided to declutter my entire apartment. After selling many belongings that I didnt need or want anymore (and saving the profit), I felt refreshed and ready to make space for my new priorities. Ive continued to s ave aggressively (50% of my monthly income) and by the summer of 2018 - right before my 29th birthday - Ill have more than $50,000 savedThis article originally appeared on Jopwell.