SKILLSET

Source: LinkedIn

skill /skɪl/

(n) the ability to do something well; expertise.

career /kəˈrɪə/

(n) an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.

Those are the textbook definitions of 'skill' and 'career'.

If you ask me, I would explain career as "something you are devoting your life for". When I signed up for a course in Fashion Marketing, the career I had in mind was

This is, by any way, not in particular order.

LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING OF FASHION

Passion for fashion? Groundbreaking.

It is quite an overused term, but it is true that genuine interest is important. If not, why even considering a fashion career? It's like buying clothes. Sure you can buy just anything, but what about that special one, the one you absolutely...love? Totally different feeling, right? (Disclaimer: I am talking from personal experience)

Knowing fashion is also extremely important. The kinds of products, the important people, knowledge of textiles and trends, the whole concept-to-customer supply chain... The list will go on.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE

A large majority of job opportunities will have "Relevant tertiary education" or some similar statements at the top of the list. Of course, having a degree that supports your chosen career path is one way to get ahead.

However, I have read about so many people who found success in a field that is the polar opposite of their university majors. Experience in the industry is valuable, and some companies actually prefer more experience than higher education qualifications. Case in point: Eva Chen. She took pre-med classes, but an internship in Harper's Bazaar changed everything. I personally can relate with her story the most, since I was originally heading to a medicine degree.

SOFTWARE

The world is run by Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or at the very least their Google counterparts. For a job in the creative industry, it is crucial to be familiar with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. With the rising popularity of video streaming services, people who can use video editing programs such as Final Cut or Adobe Premiere will have an extra desirability factor.

CREATIVITY

Creativity is quite an ambiguous term. Rather than just being artsy, it's more of a "think out of the general perception and come up with brilliant ideas. Creative can range from the talent to generate aesthetically-appealing fashion shoots, creating a good magazine layout, or presenting ideas that can help the company move forward. People would gladly pay for creative services or expertise. Although creative talent does play a huge role, at the end of the day hard work and consistent effort are the career-deciding factors.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Communication is key in fashion. Whether it is verbal, written, presentation or even negotitation skills - all are essential for success in the industry. For a fashion editor job, one must have excellent writing skills, complemented with a good lexicon. The job also requires one to be friendly, confident, and engaging. In a nutshell, good self-marketing (P.S. excellent communication skills applies for every job available on planet earth)

This also includes language skills. Fashion is a global industry, after all. The more languages you have on your belt, the better. English is a requirement. Ideally, the best ones to have are Chinese (industrial centre/major fashion market), Korean (growing fashion industry), French, and Italian (the latter two being the capitals of luxury and leather goods).

OBSERVATION, AWARENESS, ANALYSING

I've been thinking how to put this one together, so I came out with these three main points that works together like a music band. To explain my point, I will give out a fashion editor/writer scenario where the skills come to play.

Observation: You're at a fashion week and you need to write about a collection. You will need to observe the show well to be able to write about it (and tell the world about it).

Awareness: You know what trends are in and out, or when a change is needed to maintain/increase your readers.

Analysing: You get a brief to create an article on your thoughts on the current state of the fashion industry. You can put down what your have observed, add it up with some critical thought, and come up with a concluding point.

ORGANISATION & MANAGEMENT

This one is quite straightforward. Whether it is managing time or budgets, organisational skills are highly desired by employers. It shows that you can adhere to deadlines, or be able to plan your tasks so that you are able to get everything done efficiently.

CHARACTER / PERSONALITY

This is it. The one criteria that could make or break your career.

In my own personal experience, 'persistence' is the one character trait that my family enforced me to have. I remember whenever I cried because of some hardship, my grandpa always tells me to "push forward" and be persistent - never to give up. They want the best for me, and that's what I intend to give back.

Before I get teary, these are some of the positive or desired personality traits I saw on job offers:

• Optimistic

• Ability to work under pressure

• Motivated/driven

• Friendly

• Proactive

• Working under pressure

I'll be checking out to make a list of my bad personality traits and how to fix them. Will probably stop by some inspirational song lyrics. Ciao!

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Referenced from job offers found at:

Fashion Journal. (2016). Careers. Retrieved from http://fashionjournal.com.au/careers

Business of Fashion. (2016). BoF Careers. Retrieved from https://www.businessoffashion.com/careers/jobs/search?order=latest

The Loop. (2016). Creative jobs. Retrieved from https://www.theloop.com.au/jobs

Supported by these articles:

Le, V. (2014). Channeling Chen: How Condé Nast's youngest editor Is making normalcy and failure cool. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2014/05/21/channeling-chen-how-conde-nasts-youngest-editor-is-making-normalcy-and-failure-cool/#f8fe2bc5ec96

Vogue Australia. (2012). How Vogue editors started their fashion careers: part 2. Retrieved from http://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/news/how+vogue+editors+started+their+fashion+careers+part+2,20671

#Skills #CareerReady