All About Internships and Work Experience Placements

[june gloom]

I personally don't know any Chicago fashion interns myself, but you might want to look into Elite's agency here or Factio Magazine (factio-magazine.com)

 

[shoppingirl89]

I personally don't know any Chicago fashion interns myself, but you might want to look into Elite's agency here or Factio Magazine (factio-magazine.com)

Alright. Thanks, june gloom!

 

[brianna]

Could anyone tell me what does an intern actually do while working for an event planning company? Especially when that company has no "formal" intern. pm if possible.

i just finished up an internship at an event planning company and mostly did a lot of research for upcoming events, making guestlists, getting goodie bags ready, etc.

 

[knightley]

When emailing your CV, do any of you know if a .doc or .pdf is preferred?

 

[C_24]

^The people who responded to my cover letters seemed to be perfectly happy with .doc-documents.

 

[Deleted member 49693]

i just finished up an internship at an event planning company and mostly did a lot of research for upcoming events, making guestlists, getting goodie bags ready, etc.

What kind of research?

 

[brianna]

What kind of research?

just for the events, based on the theme usually. also, researching what type of products companies sell, who we should buy decorations or favors from, etc. it was actually my least favorite part of the job, i never realized how much work was actually spent just sitting at a desk. then again, i do not live in a major city like nyc or la, so it could be totally different. i definitely preferred the days when we were setting up for an event or attending one, instead of all the actual planning.

 

[Deleted member 49693]

^ What did you do when you were attending an event?

 

[brianna]

they usually had me do something different at each event so that i could gain more experience. i did things such as work the door, simply walk around and greet guests/network, at one event i sold roses (part of a game at a charity event), gave away the prizes or goodie bags, etc.

 

[Cicciolina]

Okay it seems the problem is not 'student' related but insurance related, highschool and uni will pay or help you figure out insurance, and thats why they take them instead.
Are there any ways of getting work experience without insurance or without being a student?

If you're not a student, you can ask them to recommend you a place where you can buy insurance. Can't remember how much it is but it isn't too outrageously expensive at all I think.

Lots of smaller places (ie not ACP) might not ask for insurance/school details... though the insurance is for the company to protect themselves really...

 

[Cicciolina]

^ What did you do when you were attending an event?

I did lists, helped anyway I could really, it's lots of little things. Also I was under strict instructions not to eat the cocktail food provided at the event, so I had to make sure I had eaten before hand But then we were allowed to try the food when we left.

 

[Cicciolina]

When emailing your CV, do any of you know if a .doc or .pdf is preferred?

I don't think anyone seems to have a preference or I haven't heard of it, but I use .pdf only because I'm on a Mac and the fonts/layout I use may not turn up on all PCs.

 

[Cicciolina]

shirleebee sounds like you're doing well! If they offer you the position straight away and you have other interviews lined up, you can always be very gracious and thank them for the offer, and you'll let them know in a day's time or something like that because you need to finalise your schedule, etc etc

 

[DriversHigh]

Okay it seems the problem is not 'student' related but insurance related, highschool and uni will pay or help you figure out insurance, and thats why they take them instead.
Are there any ways of getting work experience without insurance or without being a student?

I think you should just wait until you return to school imho. Aside from the fact that you will be essentially paying to intern somewhere, (by searching for and paying for insurance) you also won't be earning credit which is another reason most internships do it that way. Since they won't be paying you they want you to get something out of it besides experience.

 

[shirleebee]

shirleebee sounds like you're doing well! If they offer you the position straight away and you have other interviews lined up, you can always be very gracious and thank them for the offer, and you'll let them know in a day's time or something like that because you need to finalise your schedule, etc etc

Thanks so much for your support and advice. I am happy to report that my interview at Zac Posen today went EXTREMELY WELL, and ironically, all the strengths/skill sets of mine that Malandrino was indifferent towards (writing, music) were things Posen LOVED about me! I even met him while I was there, being interviewed by his exec. assistant (and best friend, as it turns out). I don't know if people are just exceptionally good-natured and gregarious at the Posen house or if I really did just mesh very well with them, because by the end of the interview we were recommending each other movies, talking about Austria, my dad's job, how I can do the most affordable commute to the job (which is actually more of a personal assistant job, I might add ). Also, his exec assistant kept saying such encouraging and complimentary things about my writing that I was nearly blushing...she wants me to send her more of my samples because she says my style is so useful to them (or something along those lines!). Oh, and she said they like quirky, musically-obsessed people because if I get the job, I work with Zac himself often, and he's very much into avant-garde and alternative everything. So, wow...I felt so at home. It's hard to describe and I don't want to believe my own hype or jinx myself at all, but it's impossible to not feel excited and optmistic right now. I should know by Monday.

 

[j_bot]

Congrats Shirleebee! I hope you get it!
This may sound dumb, but what is a CV? I've never heard of them before I started reading this thread...

 

[brianna]

congrats shirleebee! it sounds like everything went great, i hope you get the job!

and j_bot, i assume it's a resume, but like you, i had not heard of it until this thread so hopefully someone will answer.

 

[pout306]

Congrats! sounds like everything will work in ur favour!

 

[knightley]

Way to go Shirlebee! Good luck! Posen sounds like a blast. If only they were my aesthetic or I wanted to stay stateside! I hope you get it. Fingers, toes, and strands of hair all crossed for you!

I just sent my CV to Pringle at their request, so wish me luck everyone!

 

[shirleebee]

It stands for Curriculum Vitae, meaning "course of life". It's like a resume, but in some fields, like medicine and research/academics, it's more involved and detailed.

More here:
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/curriculumvitae/a/curriculumvitae.htm



And thanks, guys!