Corrie Osuna - Fashion Resumes That Really Work

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my sweet love,

the truest inspiration in my life, and the source of the most impactful encounter I have ever had with becoming the woman I am destined to be.

....................

You're presence has changed the trajectory of

my imagination and allowed me to glimpse the

beauty of what can be.

....................

I am humbled by your love.

With all sincerity,

I dedicate this book to you,

Introduction

In order for your Fashion Resume to Really work and attract the best employers, you must first put yourself in the position of someone who works in Fashion and is desperately in search of assistance as they try to meet customer demand, keep prices competitively low, yet designs enticingly beautiful. The fashion industry is incredibly seductive in its appeal to everyone from the dutiful Design student, to the Head Designer of your favorite fashion brand and the multitudes of folks who fall in between. What do they all have in common? A desire to create, style and or sell attractive apparel and turn a profit. No easy feat, but definitely doable with the right team in place. Heres where you come in. This guide is created with the comprehensive knowledge of the demands and seemingly impossible undertaking of getting into, then surviving in and ultimately thriving in the Fashion industry. Before you can even get your foot in the door though, you need an outstanding resume. Heres where the first challenge comes up. What should you include on your resume? What if you dont have any fashion related experience? How long should your resume be? What format should you choose? How can you best showcase your potential? Theres much to consider, but not to worry, Ive done lots of trying, failing, trying again, and finally succeeding in the wonderful world of fashion. Im sharing this insightful guide to assist you every step of the way based on my experience. Here are the areas we will focus on:

Key Words

Summary

Skills

Education

Relevant Course Work

Work Experience

Freelance Work Experience

Additional Information

Portfolio

Branding

Color Scheme

Font

Paper vs. Online Resume

Nail these areas and your resume will earn you the opportunity to interview with the best of the best. So, roll up your sleeves, grab a good cup coffee or tea and lets get started creating your

Key Words

First things first, you should know that when applying for work in the Fashion industry, there are key words, or specific words that employers are looking for on your Fashion Resume. Computer software has been programmed to search for those words as a way to narrow down which resumes will be considered for the job interview. So when creating your Fashion Resume, be sure to use exact industry terminology. Do not change the wording in an effort to be creative. Unfortunately, that will work against you in this case. Wanna know a secret? The key words that you should include on your Fashion Resume are listed in the job description under Responsibilities. Tricky, huh? It sure is, so review the job description well and incorporate all of the words that the employer lists, when describing the responsibilities of the potential new hire. This means that you will need different Fashion Resumes for the various positions you apply for. The good news is that, once you have created one resume, its relatively easy to slightly change the original, and make other versions of youre your Fashion Resumes. Heres an example of what Im talking about; one person may apply for a Retail Sales job, a Visual Merchandising Assistant position and for an Assistant Design job. These are all entry-level positions that Fashion students worldwide apply for. That same person will then have to create 3 different Fashion Resumes reflecting those 3 positions. You get the idea, right? For EVERY different type of job you apply for, you will need to create a resume that reflects that position. Study the written job description carefully and you will do well to use all of the same terminology that the employer has used to describe what they are looking for. Here are some general terms and words that you may find employers are listing in their job descriptions. Of course there are many, many more, but these are very common and definitely worth mentioning:

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Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Assortment

Croquis

Cut Ticket

Email Communication

Fit Comments

Flat Sketches

Gerber Software

Line Sheet

Marker

Merchandising

Microsoft Excel

Mood Board

Online Content

Patternmaker

Photo Shoot

Plotter

Production Calendar

Pull Samples

Reference Styles

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Sample Maker

Sewing Instructions

Shopping the Market

Spec Sheet

Styling

Tech Pack

TukaTech

Yield

Do not abbreviate when creating your Fashion Resume although it is tempting. In a few instances, there are certain abbreviated terms used widely in the Fashion industry that are the exception to the Dont Abbreviate Rule . In general however, spelling names and technical words completely is the way to go. Utilize all of the tools such as spell check and make use of the software that is available to check your grammar. Speaking of exceptions to rules, consider the fact that there are some industry terms that are not grammatically correct, but widely used in the fashion industry. The term Patternmaker, for example, is listed as one word in the Fashion industry, but it is technically incorrect according to the rules of grammar. Although it is two separate words outside of the industry, I recommend following the industry standard in this case, and writing it as one word.