CollegeFashionista: Looking for internships can be overwhelming – what are your tips for beginning a successful hunt?

Aya Kanai: Study the masthead of the magazine! Google the fashion director and all the people on the fashion team. Follow them on twitter and instagram so that when you meet them you will already have a sense of their personalities. Write down your interests and what you would like to learn from an internship.  Research the best sources for internship postings.  When looking for a summer internships great resources are websites that show listings like Freefashioninternships.com or ED2010.com (if the candidate is interested in Publications). Internship coordinators often post to those websites for the semesters they are hiring for and candidates can submit their resumes or cover letters directly to the employers. These websites also list the  job qualifications and descriptions of what interns will be responsible for. This way when finding internships that fit your interests you are able to weed out the opportunities that do not exactly fit your learning objectives.

CF: How can you determine which internships will be the most valuable for you?

AK: Interns can determine the internships with the most value by researching job descriptions for the career they eventually want whether that is a stylist or a buyer, etc. It never hurts to submit your resume/cover letter for an interview. The employer will often explain what the job entails during the interview or on the posting itself and the candidate can weigh if it sounds like a fit for their career path. When you land an interview, ask what the responsibilities entail.  For example – if a task is “setting up for run thrus” – have your interviewer explain what that actually requires from you.  This way you will have a better understanding of the role and can then decide if it will be valuable to you.

CF: How do you wow potential employers when you don’t have a ton of previous experience?

AK: Wow a potential employer by researching their company and catching up on the latest news involving the company before hand. (My editors have  interviewed so many candidates in the past that didn’t even pick up a copy of Cosmopolitan or Seventeen to read before hand which was so frustrating!) Also spend time on a fantastic cover letter.  Keep your cover letter short and concise with a hint of your personality.  Let employers know that you would be a great fit for the role by tailoring your skills and experiences to those presented in the job description.  You want to show that you are confident and can succeed at the job even with minimal experiences.

Photo courtesy of Atisha Paulson.