Five things you can do to strengthen your resume when you can’t intern.
Just starting out and don’t have any professional experience quite yet? Need to beef up your resume? Or, can’t intern next semester, but want to do something to build your resume? Here are 5 options for you:
Take relevant courses at school or online. Don’t buy into the myth that you have to major in PR to work in fashion PR, or in fashion design to be a designer. Not every university has every major! Want to work in fashion PR? Take a communications course. Tech? Look into coding or data science classes. Design? Look into art classes. Don’t forget to see if your college accepts credits from other local colleges, you may find better course options at local community colleges, and receive elective credit.
Research awesome courses available to you online from reputable sources. Look to courses that teach you hard skills, like Google Analytics if you are interested in fashion marketing, or sewing techniques if you are interested in fashion design. Avoid fluffy certificates from fashion schools that provide certifications that don’t really mean anything.
I am often asked about the Parson x TeenVogue Fashion Industry Essentials certificate, since I’ve never reviewed the curriculum. Historically, I’ve recommend against pursuing the course as it seemed out-of-date, but as of today it looks like it’s been updated. Regardless, I’ve never seen the content, so cannot give a recommendation. Since that’s the case, I recommend courses that teach hard skills.
Get a part-time job in a similar field. Want to work in fashion event planning? See if you can get an hourly gig staffing events. Marketing? Look into college promotional work - tons of brands hire college students to help them create awareness on campus. Have a current job? Ask for expanded responsibilities. If you’re interested in social media, ask to help with the company’s Instagram account. Marketing? Ask to help build their e-mail list, and create regular promotional emails to encourage sales. This is all excellent experience that can easily be reframed on your resume.
Get creative. Work on your portfolio. Code a website, sketch a small collection, write regularly on your blog, create cool videos, whatever is relevant to your field. Practice your skills in a way that can be represented on your resume.
Do good. Volunteer with a local charity. Philanthropy is always impressive, and a great way to seek and develop leadership skills!
Read (or listen!). Get inspired, motivated, and learn a thing or two through books and podcasts relevant to the industry you’re interested in. Being up-to-date on the top fashion designers and magazines, trends, and general industry knowledge is an incredible skill to flex in an interview!