A little update... A week into my job search and I landed my first choice job, a sales associate for House of CB's concession in Topshop's global flagship store, Oxford Street.
When I wrote a list of the brands I wanted to work for, House of CB was the first, followed by Victoria Secret, Sweaty Betty, Ted Baker etc... I knew that I was punching above my weight by applying to brands considered as 'affordable luxury' bearing in mind that I had next to no experience in the retail industry, let alone living in London where it is 10 x's more competitive with over 100 people applying for every role. I thought I would be forced to work at the lower end of fast-fashion in an un-inspiring, repetitive job such as Primark.
Nevertheless, I already knew my career goal was to be a marketing executive in the luxury fashion market in 20 years, so there was no harm in applying and trying to get my foot in the door. And I am so glad I did!! House of CB's brand couldn't represent me more... it is glamorous, feminine, creative and daring, so it is safe to say I will fit straight in. My passion and personality came across in my interview, I had done my research (even though I already knew a lot about the brand just from following them on social media) and I clicked with the interviewer (now my manager!) straight away because we had the same interests and genuine love for the brand.
Since sending out all my job applications, I have had interview offers from pretty much all of of the brands who I sent them to. I definitely underestimated myself! As hard as it was to reject them, obviously I'd love to work for all of them if I had the time, I had already just got my first choice and was extremely chuffed with myself. People have always said it is hard to get a job if you have no experience, however I now disagree. If you are truly the right person for the brand and your passion is genuine, brands are willing to give you the experience because you'll be hungry to learn the skills, fast.
I have also learnt that House of CB is an excellent case study for business expansion and digital innovation, an area I am extremely interested in and where I hope to pursue my career, therefore the brand will probably be mentioned a lot in my blog posts!
My two role models currently are Angela Ahrends (former CEO of Burberry) and Conna Walker (Founder, CEO and creative director of House of CB). Both strong, independent women who I feel I can relate to because we all have the same innovative, creative personalities. They inspire me to build a name for myself in the marketing world, to become a pioneer in digital communication, and maybe one day be a role model myself.
--- It is now about a month since my first shift with House of CB, and I had good intentions of writing weekly blog posts but I just haven't found the time. It has taken me this long to find my feet and get into a routine, having no days off being in uni 4 days a week and working the other 3 has not been easy, I admitted got a bit behind on uni work, but I am now catching up.
I have always said I'd rather be busy than bored. A few people have started to say to me 'you work too hard'!, including my friends when I say 'sorry I've got too much to do, I can't come out tonight!'. I just look at it as planning for the rest of my life. It was imperative that I got a job in retail and started gaining experience, and I am actually enjoying the responsibilities of adult life, learning about the retail environment, customers and other knowledge that will eventually be valuable in enhancing my career and working ability. Not forgetting the money I can now spend on even more clothes... believe it or not all the shopping I am now doing doubles up as market research... I am so much more aware of what marketing communications fashion brands are using at the minute!!
