Month: June 2022

How to Get a Job in Fashion & Retail Marketing

Education

To gain competitive advantage over your peers you will need to have a professional qualification. It is more important than ever to be tertiary educated and women are leading the way in the education stakes with over 60% of university students now female.

I chose to study a double degree which gave me two degrees in 4 years of study. As English and Humanity based subjects were my best performing in high school, I chose to study Business & Economics teamed with a Communications degree. To work in Marketing it is preferable that you hold either a PR, Marketing, Business or Communications degree. If you study another area, don’t worry as experience on the job is also equally important (you will just need to work harder to get that experience).

If you have studied another area you can also study Post graduate courses held by your national Institute of Marketing.

Work Experience

While you may think that university life is busy enough, you will need to demonstrate that you have hands on experience in retail marketing. While knowing the theory behind marketing is essential, there is a big difference between theory and practice. The best way to gain work experience is to ask any contacts you may have if you can work for them for 2 – 4 weeks (obviously without pay). Any less than this and you probably won’t learn much and will be a burden on the employer.

Another good way to find work experience is to ask your university lecturers. They will generally have companies contact them when looking for students to help out. If you don’t have the above options I recommend contacting a few companies who you are really interested in via phone first and ask if you can send over your CV. Be careful not to be pushy or demanding as this will instantly put marketing managers off.

Try to build up at least 2 – 4 different work experience placements over the duration of your course. It will give you a way of demonstrating your skills in an interview and make you to stand out from the crowd when going for graduate positions!

Internships

Internships generally last 6 – 12 months and are official programs run by companies. Some companies will pay you a small salary while others will simply cover your expenses. Most British retailers run official programs every 6 months. Information on how to apply can be found on their websites.

Simply make a list of all the retailers/fashion companies you would like to work for, visit their websites and find the employment section. You will find that you will have to go through an interview process that is similar to an actual job interview so it will be great experience for the future.

I have found that people who do an internship generally will end up on a higher wage and in a higher position faster than those who do not.

University groups

Get involved with any marketing groups that are run by students at your university. These are not only great for networking, generally they will run information night where people in the industry will come and speak to the group about their experience. If someone speaks on the night and you are interested to either a) learn more about their role or b) do work experience at their company then ensure you introduce yourself and ask for a business card.

If you can get on to the board of a student marketing committee this will look great on your CV as it will show prospective employers that you have participated in extra curricular activities and have a keen interest in marketing.…

Cruising Around the Historical Bloc

Looking back at the cruise industry

The larger passenger jets came into fashion around the 1960s. This meant that the intercontinental travelers had to find some ways of changing the way that they travelled. They started to change from the ships or cruises to the airplanes. It was much faster and cheaper to travel this way. Moreover this was some sort of novelty that they were only too willing to take on board. The traditional ocean liner was no longer the latest fashion accessory and in the end it started to decline. There had to be some way of rescuing the industry and the operators were faced with this daunting task in an effort to get back to the situation whereby they could safely manage the different expectations of the customers and yet deliver a first class service. There was also the commercial pressure to manage costs and reduce the incidence of bankruptcy which was becoming commonplace in the industry. The age of unbridled luxury was also in its last stages and something more practical had to take its place.

There were certain issues with the ocean liners which made the transition to cruise ships somewhat complicated. They had ludicrously high fuel usage rates. They also had some deep draughts which made it difficult for them to enter the less deep ports. Many of the cabins that they had did not have windows because they were meant for customer numbers rather than individual comfort levels. Of course for the rich it was another matter altogether. They had exceptional facilities. Thus the ocean liners were largely dead in the sense of transportation. However the Cunard Line still did some transatlantic crossings. This was largely a niche market for the eccentrics or traditionalists that enjoyed the history that went with the ocean liners.

The cruising lines then had the freedom to express themselves and they gained plenty of traction in the popularity stakes. The redundant liners were used in the initial phases but eventually they came up with their own formulas. We had the great SS Norway that was magnificent in its proportions as well as the Caribbean super ship industry. There were new innovations such as the multi storey balconies and glass elevators. The deck had some private balconies. These began to run like hotels. It was no longer the case that the ship was due to take you from one place to another. Instead it was some sort of adventure where you took your time at sea.

Alternatively you might stop at certain vantage points and get some amenities. Given the commercialization of the cruise industry it was inevitable that safety would become a priority. The idea that you could possibly injure hundreds of people on holiday filled the insurance companies with dread. The claims alone could bring down an entire company. That meant that the operators had to be very careful about the manufacturing standards that were used in those cruise ships. They also had to import engineers that ensured the safe movement of the vessel.…