It is a thankless job with little to no pay, long hours and more experience than you could ever hope to gain in a classroom or retail job.  Every semester fashion hopefuls scrounge to get some of the most highly coveted internships in the industry.  We all do this with the hopes that adding those few lines to our résumés will mean an entry level position post graduation.  An internship at a reputable company is an integral part of securing a real industry job, or so we’ve been told.  

So we go in to these companies three days a week putting our best foot forward.  You observe the women in the office.  How they dress, how they carry themselves, how they speak, their work ethic, and you take notes, lots and lots of mental notes.  You try to remember every little nugget of information that your superiors give you, because you just know that it will come in handy.  “The fashion world is incredibly small, so don’t make any enemies.”  “You can take all the marketing classes in the world, but attention to detail and efficiency are what help you to survive here.”  “Ask questions.  Better to ask questions than to screw up and have to explain later.”  And you hang on to these words, because you’re ever hopeful that you will get the opportunity to put them to use sooner than later.

Never mind that you get overlooked when the account managers are introducing the team.  Don’t worry about the fact that you don’t get to eat what everyone else gets to eat of the catered meals.  Ignore that your feet hurt from wearing heels to run errands all day.  Don’t focus on the fact that you may or may not get credit for your contribution to the overall goal.  Stay positive.  Be teachable.  Always be willing and available to help.  Don’t take anything personally.  Make a positive and lasting impression.  Be a self starter.  Take some initiative.  Whatever you do dress well.