What I thought then, what I know (Part4 )

Lesson 7: Fashion not for the faint hearted

Fashion PR: It’s the dream. Go into any pr class and half of the girls will beam about wanting to work in the glamorous world of fashion public relations. But what does this actually mean? What makes fashion pr that different to other PR?

Let me tell you, it’s not the workload. My company’s previous clients have included David Jones, Prada and some of the largest fashion districts in Australia. Think it’s all about parties and free goodies? Couldn’t possibly be further from the truth.

In the last week of my placement half of the management team flew to Sydney to work on a fashion shoot. The organisation involved and pre event planning was intense. The biggest concern was making sure all other bases were covered while they were away (there is a reason these people never put down blackberries).

The shoot went amazingly and the whole trip was a success but glamorous is not the word I would use to describe the process, more like hectic but rewarding.

What I thought then: Fashion PR would be the ultimate job of shoots, parties and celebrities

What I know now:Its all that and more- but a hell of a lot of work!

Handy link: Vogue: what is fashion PR?

Lesson 8: Dress to impress

As I was sitting at the front desk for most of my placement, I was the first impression people had when they entered the office. I made sure I was presented well every and my dress standard reflected that of the other people in the office.

What I found alarming was the number of people who arrived for interviews that were not dressed appropriately! People would have hair in their face, dirty tops, and tattoos showing and be just generally unkempt. I had a 100 per cent success rate at being able to guess who would be called back for a second interview, and that was without glancing at their resume.

Dressing professionally for the job you want is a vital skill and I think my internship helped me to learn how to adapt to an offices expectations.

What I thought then:The resume is most important in an interview

What I know now:You can be successful in an interview from the moment you walk in the door

Handy link: How to dress for an interview