Fashion interning : Part 2 preparing to start the internship

This is the second part of a little feature on itsfashionoclock, consisting of my personal tips and tricks, experiences and other stuff all to do with fashion internships.

So, you secured your placement and you have days or weeks to prepare - organisation at this point in my opinion is KEY, this is how I prepared in the weeks and days leading up to my internship... 

A large majority of fashion internships are in central London. If you live central? fab. you know your way from a - z with no trouble. But for the rest of us who rarley go into the big city other than Oxford Street TUBES can be VERY daunting. I have a life saving app for you my friends! 'Tube Map' app on the iPhone is the best invention, I PROMISE YOU it is nearly impossible to get lost using this app, you simply type in your starting tube station and your finishing statement and this beautiful app tells you the colour of the line the direction, everything! panic over. When picking transport into London its worth researching whats cheaper for you - coaches, train, driving or staying there infact, on top of this you need to consider which mode of transport will work with your working times, for example, I was finishing at 5.30 at Closer and by that time my coach at Victoria would have left - meaning I needed to get trains. If you are going by train its also worth making sure when you got your overground train ticket that tubes are included as this will save you a bomb later in your internship if your asked to do returns in other places in London. It also saves money to buy a weekly. If you have friends who have interned or know of people who have ask them which way they found quickest to get to the office. Know your directions well, write them on your phone, save the address and post code of your final destination on your phone or written down incase of getting lost...

SO in short...

1) Research which transport is cheapest and corrolates with your working hours

2) Keep the address of the office on you at all times

3) Make sure you have the 'Tube Map' app installed

4) Buy a weekly train card in advance - if you do buy a weekly you need a passport size photo!

 

[Printscreens of the Tube Map app in my phone... simply click on routing on the bottom right]

Its no secret that working in fashion you need to be well presented. As well as wanting to look fashionable - think practically. Wearing those beautiful heeled chelsea boots for 8 hours work in London isn't a great idea and you are going to be knackered. If you wanna wear them? be sensible and take a change of comfy shoes! Interning in a fashion cupboard means lifting and getting up and down alot, so wear stuff that your not going to be sweating in or its going to get caught on everything. I'd also say to save first day nerves wear something fairly low key so you can scout out the rest of the office and see whats appropriate and whats not - e.g. is everyone in black and formal-esque stuff? or are people rocking crop tops and heels.

[Image: google.co.uk]

RESEARCH find out who everyone on the desk your interning with IS. what do they look like? is there anything they've tweeted about that they hate - that you should avoid, or that they love - you can make conversation .. little bits like this pay off. If you wanna be super organised plan your outfits for the week, I did this and it saved me SO much agro. Set yourself a budget plan, make sure you know what you can and can't spend! Research the magazine in general not just facts and figures but read previous issues, get an idea for the tone and what they do and don't do

[Image: weheartit.com]

Get your outfit out ready for you to step into - right down to the pants and bra your putting on, try it on in the day make sure your 100% comfortable in your choice - then you have no stress at 6am before your commute, pack your bag, make your lunch and set out cosmetics - the less you have to do at ridiculous o'clock the better. Above everything get a good nights sleep! your gonna need it!

.. and finally? 

Are you going to be interning soon? 

Hope this helps!

Fashion interning : Part 1 Getting the internship

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I disappeared for a while? I was actually interning on the fashion and beauty desk of Closer magazine. I know a large proportion of people who are blogging/read blogs are also looking to go into the fashion industry. I also know how hard it is to get on the first step of the ladder. So this is going to be the first out of 3/4 sections on my experience and tips with fashion interning.

I got my internship on my own, through no connections or uni help. The only thing I utilsed was friends who'd already interned for advice and the good ol' internet. I don't think this is a bag thing, infact when I finally got a yes I was over the moon and SO proud of myself, that's not to say don't utilse your connections - but I relish the chance to prove myself. 

BE RELENTLESS. Don't just apply to Vogue and expect a yes just because your doing a degree in fashion or claim to be their biggest fan. Apply for everywhere that you are slightly interested in. If you read interviews with people from all fashion backgrounds a big majority say they started in smaller magazines and offices and built there way up. Every experience counts. When applying for jobs everyone's asking for experience - the more you have the bigger chance you have. I applied for so so many magazines and PR companies I couldn't even tell you. I accepted Closer magazine and River Island's head office in the PR department, however I had to turn down the Observer's fashion desk and Newlook's PR desk. Alas its all about timing for me as I also need 100 hours of work experience for my third year. At the end of the day what have you got to loose? The more you apply for the better chance you stand of getting atleast one

[Image: google.co.uk]

The biggest mode of contact I picked up on was twitter.@ukfashionintern is great for quick internships with stylists and some magazines - however twitter is usually used when people need interns literally in a matter of days. I got offered two internships in London starting 3 days after I'd spoke to the stylists - unless your cental with no job and uni this is pretty impossible - However this isnt to say you can't get peoples details and build foundations with future contacts. I may have rejected both of those stylists internships, but through email I actually got to know one of them really well and am hoping to intern with her later this year. I contacted as many people as I could for twitter asking if they were looking for interns and asking for email addresses, and majority of people were kind enough to reply. I never contacted editors and head of companies - chances are they're too busy to reply to the thousands of people begging for an internship, go to the paid interns, the assistants, the people lower down the chain.  Its their job to recruit interns. Go through your favorite magazines and find out the names of who you need to apply for - find their twitters and emails, for PR research whos looking after your dream brand? are they inhouse PR or do they have an external company. I also didn't post one application - it was all by email. I know for sure if I had the option of replying to an email or opening a letter typing in the details and replying - I'd be replying to the email!

[Image: google.co.uk]

Taylor your cover letter to who your applying to - do your research impress them! make your application sound like you. Add a picture of yourself or your work - BIG YOURSELF UP, share your knowledge of all things fashion, most importantly tell them why you would benefit them, thats what they are interested in at the end of the day - think outside the box! don't be afraid to google the shit out of something! If you blog? TELL THEM, its the most creative outlet we have guys!

[Image: weheartit.com]

I got three no's and two no replies whilst applying for internships. You have to realize just how many thousands of people are applying for this one position  Maybe you weren't right for this one, or maybe you were seconds too late - doesn't mean someone else won't see your potential. Persistence and confidence is key.

[Image: weheartit.com]

This was a bit of a wordy one from me! But I know I love reading other peoples experiences and tips and soaking them all up, what did you think of this post?

I'll be posting another part of this in the week!

Hope you enjoyed it,

Enjoy your week!