All About Internships and Work Experience Placements

[pinksatin]

1. How long do they typically run? Are summer internships harder to find/get?

It totally depends. I mean some places will hire interns for really short periods (like a week and usually those are ASAP posts) like during fashion weeks and that's all they need at that moment. Others could last a month to six months. It totally depends. It is a good idea to tell them in the email your dates of availability though. For example I also want NYC internships and don't live in NY so for me I usually tell them the dates the week after school ends in spring to the week before school starts in fall.

2. Is previous work/intern experience in the fashion industry necessary to get a highly sought for internship?

I don't think there are hard and fast "rules" like that. I mean if you know the right people or are exceptional than you'll be able to make out well, but logically, if they're "highly sought after" internships, a lot more people will be applying and a lot of them will have more experience than you (if you have none) and be more likely hired. Since I have not had previous internships I'm not being picky about it. You can't really be picky if you don't have a lot of offers. I would say you're best getting whatever experience you can even if it isn't directly related to what you want or your dream position. Just get experiences so in the future you can be more selective. I think this is the kind of thing where you have to start at the bottom (unless you get lucky) and not worry about it in the beginning.

 

[maganda_x3]

is it me or do fashion magazines not like hiring college graduates for internships? i have a great resume (two internships @ internationally known magazines) & i haven't gotten any calls from any of the places i've applied for.

 

[Oria]

is it me or do fashion magazines not like hiring college graduates for internships? i have a great resume (two internships @ internationally known magazines) & i haven't gotten any calls from any of the places i've applied for.

I don't think this is necessarily true. A good friend of mines graduated from NYU with a degree in journalism, and she currently works for W magazine, after interning at several media houses in nyc.

Perhaps a nice follow-up call or note that's non-intrusive would work. Is the time allotted for a response past? Did they say if they'd reply even if you didn't get picked? I know it seems hard but sometimes calling on those old college professors who specialized in say publishing or writing helps. I got my foot in the door of fashion from a professor. Good luck.

 

[laurette]

I hope this is the right place to ask, I don't even know if this kind of career is okay to be discussed on tfs.
I want to start studying medicine this winter and before I do so I'd love to do an internship in a hospital in NY. The problem is that I need a reference person in the US who "knows" me and who would recommend me to the hospital (via phone).
Plus, I can't afford to stay in a hotel for a full month so I am looking for a place to stay at a family.
I've already done this before in Milwaukee, my teacher recommended me to the family but now I don't know anyone with relatives/friends in NY...
Can you tell me where I could find a person from NY to recommend me to the hospital and where to find a family?
I have absolutely no clue and can't think of any internet sites where I could find such a person....

 

[Cheetara Jones]

Does anyone know of any fashion students looking to intern for an online mag? needed ASAP!!!

pls direct info to [email protected]

thx!!!!

 

[Cicciolina]

is it me or do fashion magazines not like hiring college graduates for internships? i have a great resume (two internships @ internationally known magazines) & i haven't gotten any calls from any of the places i've applied for.

Many publications have rules about hiring only students who are still at college - I know one of them is Seventeen and I believe Teen Vogue? A lot of other places do accept college graduates - I think some Conde Nast publications, Hearst and HF.

Like Oria said maybe do a follow up email or call.

Otherwise perhaps they may feel that because you have two great internships and have already graduated, you may be dissatisfied working as an intern. If so, perhaps address this issue in your cover letter. I hope this helps!

 

[Cicciolina]

Sorry, these have probably been posted before but I don't know much about internships and have a few questions.

1. How long do they typically run? Are summer internships harder to find/get? I'm planning on living in NYC during the summers since my school is in Santa Barbara.

2. Is previous work/intern experience in the fashion industry necessary to get a highly sought for internship?

THANKS!

Pinksatin's post had lots of really great information baBidoll, it may be helpful to read this thread from the beginning as there's heaps of useful information posted by other people as well.

Regarding competitiveness - it is a scary thought that now it's just as cut throat to get jobs that are unpaid (and pretty absurd, as well ) However pretty much most jobs out there are competitive and "hard to get" to some extent. To ease into it, it may be easier to start interning at a smaller company - not only will it be more hands-on, but you will gain invaluable experience and will probably be the only intern or one out of a very few. Many of the larger companies/publications have so many interns, the experience is really very different. Many people often ignore the smaller publications which are just as if not more worthwhile - every 15 year old girl probably now dreams of interning at Teen Vogue for example

It also seems a bit frustrating with the "you can't get experience with experience" thing, but I think if you have no experience, you can show that you are keen and eager by other activities, whether it's a part time job, extra-curricular activities, being involved with a club or society at uni that is related to where you are interning, etc. As someone posted earlier, people hiring interns are relatively understanding that the applicant is not going to have a lot of work experience, which is why they're applying to be an intern in the first place!

 

[*Bianca*]

This is probably a silly question, but is there an age limit for internships?

 

[katherine]

I don't think so but they are usually looking for college aged students, so around there. I'm guessing like 17-25 maybe? Some of them also take graduates.

 

[Deleted member 49693]

I'm a 24 year old graduate and been offered an internship.

 

[weirdolove]

Does anyone know of any internships in the Los Angeles area? I'm really interested in one, but i am unable to find one in my region :/

 

[Deleted member 49693]

^ For what field? PR, Advertising, Publishing, etc...

 

[Cicciolina]

weirdolove have you tried cold-contacting companies by email, or even by phone? Many New York based fashion companies (if that's what you're interested in) have satellite offices in LA, like Conde Nast.

 

[Deleted member 103203]

I know this is a DUMB question, but what is a CV? everyone has been typing about CV and i have no idea what that is.

 

[laurette]

^CV means Curriculum Vitae.

 

[Deleted member 103203]

whats that?...i know im like the dumbest person in the world

 

[laurette]

Curriculum vitae
A curriculum vitae (singular), meaning "course of one's life, is a document that gives much more detail than does a resume about your academic and professional accomplishments. Curricula vitae (plural) are most often used for academic or research positions, whereas resumes are the preferred documents in business and industry.
Note about plural / singular forms:
"Curricula vitae" (vee-tie) is the plural form; "curriculum vitae" is singular.
The informal shortened form, "vita" standing alone, meaning a brief autobiographical sketch (Webster's), is singular, while "vitae," is plural.
The abbreviation is often used: CV or CVs.
Curricula vitae are commonly used in applying for the following:

• Admission to graduate school or as part of an application packet for a graduate assistantship or scholarship.
• Grant proposals.
• Teaching, research, and upper-level administrative positions in higher education.
• Academic departmental and tenure reviews.
• College or university service appointments.
• Professional association leadership positions.
• Speaking engagements.
• Publishing and editorial review boards.
• Research and consulting positions in a variety of settings.
• School administration positions at the superintendent, principal, or department head level.

While your resume - even for most graduate students - should be kept to one page, vitae are usually two pages at the shortest, and can be many pages in length. Common lengths for curricula vitae are one to three pages for bachelor's and master's degree candidates; two to five pages for doctoral candidates; and five or more pages for an experienced academician or researcher. Even though it's a longer document, write it concisely and give it a clean, easy-to-read layout.
A curriculum vitae includes information about professional publications, presentations, committee work, grants received, and other details based on each person's experience.
You can include:

• Education
• Master's thesis or project
• Dissertation title or topic
• Course highlights or areas of concentration in graduate study
• Teaching experience and interests
• Research experience and interests
• Consulting experience
• Internships or graduate practica
• Fieldwork
• Publications
• Professional papers and presentations
• Grants received
• Professional association and committee leadership positions and activities
• Certificates and licensure
• Special training
• Academic awards, scholarships, and fellowships
• Foreign study and travel abroad
• Language competencies
• Technical and computer skills

Although curricula vitae are often similar to resumes, the preferred style, format, and content varies from discipline to discipline. Before writing a CV, you should become familiar with the requirements of your academic field by asking faculty members in your department and consulting professional associations for additional guidelines and examples. Career Services advisors can review your curriculum vitae and make suggestions.
See a Ph.D. candidate's sample curriculum vitae (MS Word document).
Career Services advisors can review your vitae and make suggestions through walk-in advising or an individual advising appointment.

from http://www.career.vt.edu/Jobsearc/Resumes/vitae.htm

 

[Deleted member 103203]

thanks so much!

 

[ohmyemily]

Okay a question. So I didn't get into my uni of choice so I have decided to take a gap year and take a different one next year, so I want to do some work experience in the meantime. The course is fashion communication and promotion, so I'm assuming, it includes journalism, pr, advertising, styling it is quite broad and I would like to do work experience in any of these areas. I am limited to Birmingham and Manchester in the UK so does anybody have any suggestion of where I could start looking.

Plus how would I go about it? email letter etc?

 

[Deleted member 49693]

^ How about model agencies and retail stores.