How to Make Yourself Stand Out When Applying for Jobs

I often get asked the question, "but how do I stand out within a sea of potential candidates?" I'm not going to lie, that is actually a really tough question because it doesn't have just one answer. Everyone person you will interview with is different, and every company you will interview with is different. If you're applying for your first internship or for a fashion assistant position right out of college, one company may be looking for one type of candidate, while the other may be looking for the polar opposite. When it comes to more senior level positions though, at this point, the company usually has a better sense of what/who they want. But when you’re just starting out, it really just depends because at the end of the day for an entry level position they want to hire the person that is super passionate and is willing to work hard, not someone who might have great experience but a bad attitude. 

When it comes to sending out your initial emails to editors and potential employers though, there are a few general tips and tricks I can give you to help make your email/cover letter really stand out and get you noticed.

Note: The traditional cover letter is a thing of the past. Nowadays, the “cover letter” you will be sending is really just the body of your email. There is no need to write up a formal cover letter in the fashion industry and attach it to your email. Write up a really killer body of your email and simply attach your resume, that is all you need. 

• Before anything, do your research.
Before sending out any emails to anyone in the industry, it is so important do some initial research. To start, I would simply Google the company and the person you are going to reach out to. You might then be directed toward their LinkedIn or Instagram pages and there you can get a better understanding of who the person is, their interests, and their overall esthetic. If you are emailing an editor, I would try to find as many articles as you can that they have written or spreads they have styled and read every single one. Use the information that you have now learned in your research to write a well thought out email that isn’t super generic and will catch your employer’s attention. If you saw online that this person just wrote a really interesting article on summer trends, maybe mention how much you enjoyed the article. Anything that goes beyond the traditional format will stand out to the person on the other end and will really show you care.

• Have a well thought out and clear resume.
Tips and tricks for building a good resume can be found here.

• Be honest and sincere. 
Through your initial email let your passion and drive shine through, but don't be too aggressive. Write about how you are a hard worker and briefly list examples of that. Quickly touch on your previous experiences that make you a good candidate for this opportunity. An employer with probably only scan through your email so key words such as companies or past employers names are good to help catch their attention. 

Now, if you’ve written a 5 star email and they actually asked you to come in for an interview congratulations- you've made it past round one! Now when going on the actual interview you'll, of course, again want to make sure you stand out. Stay tuned because next week I’ll be breaking down the basics for killing it at an interview.

Have a question or just want to say hi? Feel free to email me! 

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