Getting a fashion internship in New York City is a milestone that many of us working in fashion hope to have. Ahh yes, NYC one of the fashion capitals of the world. There are so many fashion brands to choose from that have their corporate offices located in New York City. These companies are looking for interns to fill several roles in their business. For example, Michael Kors has interns working in Public Relations, Visual Merchandising, and other departments. So the opportunities are endless in whichever aspect of fashion you want to work in.
So how exactly can you land these sought-after internships when the competition is high. Students from all over will be applying so it’s important to find out what makes you different. First, start by getting active on campus or doing your own side project. If you want to be an editorial intern at Vogue, start by writing for your university newspaper or magazine. You can also write articles on Medium or Blogger to showcase your skills as a writer. This shows that you have taken the initiative to pursue your passion outside of just academics. Talk about this experience during the interview process and incorporate it in your resume and cover letter.
Fashion Internship Timelines and LinkedIn
When it comes to fashion internships in New York City you should apply early and consider the recruiting timeline. For summer internships start applying by November because recruiters are going to take you through several rounds of interviews. You will meet with talent coordinators and hiring managers. When interviewing, bring your authentic self and let them know why you are a good fit for the role. When it comes to fall internships, start applying by May this will give you enough time to secure something by August. For spring internships start applying by September, this will prepare you to start your internship by the end of January. The earlier you apply the better because you have a higher chance of getting your application seen first by recruiters.
Now that we established the timelines, you need to look into how you can find these opportunities. LinkedIn is the number one tool to use when finding fashion internships in New York City. You can search and type in “fashion internships” or the name of the company you want to intern for. Then underneath the search box, you can type in “New York City Metropolitan” for the location. The results will display all internships that are available.
The key to using LinkedIn is to do daily searches for new internship opportunities. Then building up your LinkedIn profile by providing detailed descriptions for your work experience and your bio. It’s important to stay active on the platform and reach out to recruiters directly about internship roles. That is one of the biggest perks of using LinkedIn, is the direct access to the people making the decisions.
Creating a Resume and Cover Letter
Since you looked into the fashion internships you want, it’s now time to start applying. Creating an informative resume and cover letter will help get your application seen. Begin by using resume templates from Canva or Microsoft Word. Start with your education and list the university, the degree you are pursuing, years of attendance, GPA, and courses beneficial to the role. For example, let’s say you want to apply for the marketing intern role at Dior, list some of the marketing courses you have taken. This way you demonstrate you have some knowledge of the marketing industry and the work that may be asked of you.
Now, focus on work and volunteer experience. If you worked part-time or full-time for a retail company list that as your experience and describe your daily duties. For example, working as a stylist at Michael Kors I would build relationships with customers, meet my sales goals, and re-merchandise handbags. Google some power words that can take your job descriptions to the next level. Also, be very specific when explaining your duties and incorporate any accomplishments on the job. If you don’t have much work experience put in your volunteer experience. If you volunteered for your school’s fashion show or assisted at your university’s magazine list what you did in detail.
LinkedIn Easy Apply Feature and Your Resume
Next, give employers an idea of your skillset. Include hard skills such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Word and soft skills like communication and time management. Finally, include a brief profile summary that is short and to the point. For example, “Undergraduate fashion blogger with experience in using WordPress, and SEO seeking to apply my skills in an editorial intern role”. This should quickly summarize who you are, your skills, and how you can apply them to the internship role. Also, if you are out-of-state put in the summary that you are seeking to relocate to New York City for a fashion internship position.
After you create your resume, apply for internship positions using the LinkedIn Easy Apply feature. It’s great because you don’t have to upload a cover letter most of the time and recruiters can easily view your resume on the spot. Using LinkedIn Easy Apply cuts down on the amount of time spent on an application. My resume is viewed often when using this feature. This is also how I landed my visual merchandising internship at Michael Kors.
The Cover Letter
A cover letter should give detailed information about you that complements your resume. For example, talk about “how you lead a group project and in the end produced a magazine for your class”. This dives deeper into your experience of making magazines. Also, touch on your skillset and talk more in-depth about how you used a program like Adobe InDesign to create a magazine layout. This showcases how you use your skills to create a product.
The cover letter should be structure and organized. Write your cover letter with an introduction, middle, and ending paragraph. Also, talk about how you achieved success on different projects and tasks. Lastly, submit a cover letter to stand out from the crowd and pitch who you are as a candidate.
Acing The Interview and Being The Intern
You submitted your application and now the company would like to set up an interview. First, prepare yourself by doing some research on the company. Look up information on the founder and CEO, and see what the company is currently doing. For example, Dior releases a new line of lipsticks, the managers in the marketing department could ask what you thought about the release and how it was advertised. Also, practice typical interview questions like “tell me a little bit about yourself?” or “tell me about a time a project didn’t go well how did you handle it?”. You can also do mock interviews with a friend, a parent, and even a classmate.
During the interview, managers are looking to see if you all can work well together and learn more about you. They will usually ask several behavioral questions so prepare for them by using the STAR method. When using STAR, talk about a situation you’ve faced, explain the task asked of you, speak about the action you had to take, and what the results were.
Lastly, remember it may take some time before you get a decision. So put your best foot forward in each interview. You can get that internship in New York City by being prepared and showcasing your personality.
Getting My Fashion Internship at Michael Kors HQ
Back in 2018, I moved to New York City to get a fashion internship and take classes at the Kent State NYC campus. During that time, I interned at Michael Kors headquarters. I worked as a Visual Merchandising intern in the Retail Development department. I completed a total of two interviews. The first one was with a Human Resource intern and the second was with my three hiring managers. I prepared the best that I could and ultimately got the role.
As an intern, I was able to create visual merchandising directives for stores like Macy’s, Belk, and Dillard’s. Basically, the way you see product setup in the stores we design it on the computer. My role involved using programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I had to learn quickly about working fast, and efficiently with little room for error.
Every week I would do a touch base with my managers to speak about business needs. Then every so often I would go into Macy’s Herald’s Square to help the MK store team re-merchandise handbags, wallets, and accessories. I enjoyed learning what was visually appealing to customers and why they purchased a certain product.
My Accomplishments and Experience
One of my biggest accomplishments was helping to create this directive below for Belk stores nationwide. This directive was designed around the Michael Kors holiday collection and would be featured in over 70 plus Belk stores. I was even more surprised when my work was featured on the MK holiday kickoff call. That truly was a fulfilling moment for me because my creative work was being recognized.
As an intern, I enjoyed the MK sample sales. I was able to purchase exclusive high-end products for a great price. Plus becoming friends with other interns and getting to hang out together for lunch was so much fun. All in all, I learned what I wanted out of a career and what I didn’t want. I was able to push my creativity in ways I had never imagined.
So overall, when you secure an internship take it as an opportunity to learn. Make mistakes and continue to grow during the process. Now that you have a bunch of insight go and secure that next fashion internship in New York City!