Top Tips for a Stellar Fashion Resume

On average, Recruiters and HR Managers spend only seconds reviewing a candidate’s resume before they decide whether or not to move forward with the hiring process. In the highly competitive fashion industry, first impressions are everything.

Here are a few tips to help land your resume into the “yes” pile:

1. Highlight relevant technical skills and programs.

If you’re applying for a more creative or specialized position, clearly list your level of proficiency with any applicable programs or systems. If you’re a Patternmaker, include your expertise in Tukatech or Gerber. If you’re a Designer, mention your extensive knowledge of Adobe CS. If you’re an Allocator, showcase your refined Excel skills. If you would like to brush up on your technical skillset, Lynda offers many different courses and webinars that cover programs such as Excel, InDesign, Illustrator, and more.

2. Tailor your objective.

If you’re going to include an objective, make sure it’s specific to the job and/or company to which you’re applying. A generic resume objective or summary could show that you didn’t take the time to thoroughly review the job description, or that you didn’t put much effort into the application itself. Objectives are helpful for hiring managers to assess your goals and interests but, in most cases, this section should be secondary to your work experience

3. Leave out the fluff.

Listing irrelevant skills and experience to increase the size of your resume just adds unnecessary clutter and buries important information. It’s best to present your skills and experience clearly and concisely, so stick to one page if at all possible. However, two-page resumes are generally acceptable for more seasoned professionals.

4. Don’t underestimate the value of internships. 

Not only are internships useful for building your resume, but they’re also invaluable outlets for honing your knowledge and abilities in a professional environment. Interns are often compensated with course credit through their college or university, but even unpaid positions allow you to gain industry exposure and sharpen your marketable skills. Get the most out of the experience by working hard, making connections, and learning as much as possible while on the job.

5. Always include your website.

Even if you have an outstanding physical portfolio, many hiring managers look for professional websites to review an applicant’s repertoire. There are a variety of easy-to-use website builders to choose from, including Squarespace, Format, Weebly, and Wix. Your website can be a great medium for showing snippets of your unique personality while also highlighting your best work.

6. Use keywords from the job description.

If you’re applying to work for a larger or more established company, your resume will probably go through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before it reaches human eyes. If you’re unsure, you can look at the job portal’s URL to see if an ATS is being used; common programs include Taleo, iCIMS, and Jobvite. Incorporate applicable key words from the original job description into your resume to keep it from being unrecognized by the software.

Building an engaging and comprehensive resume that appropriately features your skills, work history, projects, and coursework can greatly increase your chances of landing that pivotal first interview. Utilize these guidelines to fine-tune your resume; and don’t forget to rid your documents of any typos, inconsistencies, or hard-to-read fonts. Good luck!