Fashion Resume 101

Resume Advice From A Fashion Career Coach

That moment when you download a fashion resume template and then wonder what you would write on it

Have you ever downloaded a fashion resume template and then wondered what you would write on it?

While a visually appealing resume is very helpful in getting noticed by hiring managers and recruiters in the fashion industry, that is only one small part of the equation.

The content of your resume – meaning the words written, how they are written and what they say - carries a lot more weight.

In this article I’d like to lay the foundation of some basic understandings of how to get your resume content right first then present it well with a suitable template.

This understanding will empower you to choose the best resources for yourself, rather than get stuck with subpar “free resources” that have the least to offer you.
   
This is what you can expect to learn...

What Is A (Fashion) Resume?

The most useful definition I could find for you guys comes from the AWAI Pro-Resume Writing Program. I have adapted it…

A fashion resume is a persuasive document built to convince the reader that you are the perfect match for the fashion job.

Your resume is a piece of marketing. Personal branding to be precise.

Like any good piece of marketing, it is based on good solid research. Without which you will be to rely on the good looks of your template alone.

Career Coaching Notes: One majour misconception I find aspiring fashion professionals make is to assume that because they want to work in fashion, they constantly have to prove their creativity. When often, the jobs they are after have a lot more to do with proving your skillset and your credibility as a candidate.

When you start to think of your fashion resume like that – as the frontline of your first marketing campaign that can launch you into the fashion industry – you begin to see that your energy need to be focused on content and skill set before you ever start looking at templates.

That brings us to…

Parts Of A Fashion Resume

We already know that your fashion resume is actually a piece of your personal branding.
So what should you include in this campaign?
Well every resume has some kind of variation of the following parts
They are...

• Headline
• Summary
• Skills
• Experience
• Accomplishments
• Relevant extra stuff

What you include and in what order you arrange them creates...

Fashion Resume Formats

Contrary to popular belief, the format of your fashion resume is not the same as the template you use. The resume format refers to what parts of a resume are included as well as their arrangement.

Every different format is meant to

highlight the candidate’s strengths and
be best suited to the way the resume will be submitted.

Let me explain…

As you go through resources on resumes you will come across these 2 terms

• Chronological format
• Functional format

These are the two main type of resume formats.
Explanations on these could get super technical here.
For the purpose of your fashion resume know that

• As a student, or recent grad a chronological format will most likely highlight your strengths while
• As a career changer – especially if switching industries - a functional format will be best for you.

Now that you know what formats actually mean you are in a much better position to look at…

Templates And Samples of Fashion Resumes

You can find templates and samples for fashion resumes in buckets.

But knowing what we know now, you can filter through all the noise and pick the one that will serve you best.

Certain templates will go heavy on great graphics. But that will mean reduced space to get your written message across.

Ask yourself.
Will they hire you for a great headshot or colour scheme versus proven accomplishments and experience?

If the visualization of what you do is so important, have a dedicated portfolio of that. Or so says Holly Bishop of Sketch Fashion Recruitment. As a recruiter, she works on the side of filtering through resumes to pass on to hiring managers so you might want to read her full interview here.

Secondly, as far as I can tell, most templates cater to a chronological format. For a functional format or resume longer than on page you may prefer a Microsoft word resume template.

A Quick Recap

If you would like a behind the scenes look at how a career coaching consultation would result in a finished resume, you can follow this link.