Hello! How are you?
Today I'm going to be talking about something a little bit different... ohh how exciting! Some of you may remember that over Christmas I landed my first Fashion PR internship at Asos! You were all so lovely as to wish me luck and ask how it went so now I'm finally getting round to talking about it, and I've also got some tips for anyone who is interested in interning with a fashion or beauty company!
I'll start with a bit of background and how this all fell in to place...
It all started way way back at the end of my second year of Uni, when I had to pick my modules for my third year, For my second semester I chose Comedy, Culture and Form (because I thought that sounded like a laugh - it wasn't) the Dissertation module and Learning from Experience, (which is abbreviated to LiFE - not sure how that works, also it did sound funny when I was all, "I'm off to my LiFE lecture now!")
So this was a placement module which NONE of my friends were in, no one had even heard of it and it was mostly full of second years so I was kicking myself for not picking the Public Relations module which would be so much better suited to what I wanted to do!
Anyway, in case you were wondering, this long drawn out story has a point; I had to find myself a work placement to assess for the unit and found it really difficult, sending out emails daily and getting no response I resigned to the fact that I was going to have to so something irrelevant like helping out at Brownies and Scouts. Then I got an email from the Press Assistant at Asos who had seen my email and wanted me to come in for an chat about the placement! I went along all nervous, but it was really informal and she was so nice and asked me to start as soon as I'd broken up from uni for Christmas!
Then fast forward a few months, I was trying to plan what I was going to do after graduation (so I didn't end up working back at the cinema with no prospects) and I emailed Oasis to see if they needed a press intern, and they did so I went along for another interview and I start that internship in June!
I really enjoyed working at Asos and can't wait to start with Oasis, yes it's unpaid but it's so beneficial to my career in the long run and also it had made me certain that this is the field I want to go in to! The summer holidays are fast approaching and whether you're at school, college or uni, work experience always looks great on your CV, it keeps you busy in a productive way and once you've got one internship under your belt it gives you experience to talk about in interviews! So here are my tips on how to get yourself an internship this summer!
1. Email companies directly. Companies nowadays rely on interns, they are happy to work just for the experience and that's great for the company who don't have to pay them. At Asos, the press team alone had two interns at all times so there are always openings coming up every 3 months or so, maybe even every month. Go on the companies website, under the contact me page and email the press office (or whichever department you want to work with) directly asking if they need an intern.
2. Send out your emails on mass, a lot of companies won't even respond but if you've contacted all the fashion stores you can think of, you have a good chance of getting a reply.
3. Also keep up to date with websites like MediaJobs.net and InspiringInterns.com which list the internships that are advertised. (You can also follow these sites on twitter too!)
4. When you've got an interview, remember to know your stuff, ('Interest in Fashion is crucial' name that film!) research the company. If it's a PR internship, have a look at what kind of PR stunts they have pulled recently, look at which bloggers work with the brand regularly, look at which celebrities are often seen in their pieces. Also remember to be open about why you want to intern at the company, they know it's not for the money and it's not long term enough to start discussing what you can add to the company, so telling them that you want it to enhance your career is fine!
5. When you've landed your internship make the most of it! Get to know people from all departments and make contacts, ask as many questions as you can and observe how the company operates! Most of all enjoy it, and if you can see yourself working there, that's great! If you can't then that's fine too, you've ruled off that job from your list and you can pursue something else.
So that's all of my tips! I'll be sure to keep you updated when I start on Oasis's Press team!
What's your experience of internships?
Have you got any planned for the summer?
Thanks for reading!
Georgia xx
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