Since the pandemicâs upending of employment trends, from mass redundancies and hiring freezes before a huge re-hiring movement and the so-called âGreat Resignationâ, the current job market has stayed âin constant flux,â according to Korn Ferry, one of the worldâs largest hiring and recruiting firms. Indeed, with weakened global economies affecting businesses, and mass elections contributing to further market uncertainty, companies remain cautious in their hiring.
After all, itâs expensive to hire talent â benchmarking data in 2022 from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found the average cost per hire was nearly $4,700, although many employers estimate the total cost to hire a new employee can be three to four times the positionâs salary.
Consequently, many HR teams and hiring managers are reframing recruitment strategies to ensure they find the right talent from the offset. For instance, there is an increasing emphasis on skills-based hiring, looking at what candidates know over past experiences and names on a CV â allowing for a more inclusive recruitment practice while also more thoroughly testing candidates capabilities and potential during the interview process. Recent LinkedIn data revealed recruiters on the platform search for candidates by their skills five times more often than by their degrees.
To discuss how recruiters and HR teams are approaching hiring in fashion today, BoF Careers sat down with JW Andersonâs HR director, Angela Okoro â who has previously worked at Versace, Bally and Ralph Lauren â at Graduate Fashion Week this June. Discover key insights from the interview on how to impress a fashion recruiter as emerging talent today, from demonstrating your eagerness to learn to showing an alignment with business needs.
Focus on the skills you have and want to acquire
AO: You need hard skills, even if youâre creative. So, for design, you need to know Photoshop, because a lot of the concept generation for us, in order to be more environmentally friendly, is done on tech on computers. […] So, itâs important to update those skills. For other roles, it could be flexible, but Excel is vital if you want to go down the merchandising route, or if youâre working in a commercial team, around sales and everything like that.
Being able to navigate your way around tools [is important,] things like your emails â nobodyâs got time to show you those things, so I think itâs about being open [to learning,] doing some research and getting some practice before you enter into the job market.
Itâs a long game and itâs a strategic game. So, be patient, be flexible, have a bit of a plan. Careers arenât so linear anymore.
Go on LinkedIn, find someone whoâs doing the job that you want; look at their resume and see what you have that they have, as well as what they have that youâre missing. Maybe, while youâre waiting [to land a new job,] update your skills in that area. Because being able to research [is a skill] â and sometimes you get a role with the head of a department who just wants you to do research for them. Youâve got to be able to get lots of bits of information, put it together in a succinct way and present it to somebody.
Demonstrate your ability to learn
AO: I [often] say, âa job is a thing that pays you to learn from us.â Over time, somebody is giving you all the skills they have learned. So, I think people should maybe change what theyâre looking for â they should look for structures that are in proximity to learning.
[…] If youâre an integral part of a team of four, these four people are going to transfer their knowledge to you and then youâve got to make that knowledge your own. Thatâs what weâre looking for in the interview process.
Youâre usually talking to very stressed out managers who need someone to come and help them. […] Thatâs why skills are important first because if youâre great and youâre nice and you understand fashion, but you canât do Excel, [for example], itâs just not going to work.
Consider a non-linear approach to kickstart your career
AO: I think thereâs many ways to get to where you want in the end â but what I find with a lot of candidates that we interview is that they havenât actually thought through and strategically planned where they want to go, even as a starting point. Iâm not saying you have to understand your end point, but whatâs the start?
For people who are creative, we need knitwear designers. You need to be able to knit and crochet, the elements that people arenât [often] so fond of â but we do need it. Itâs the same for accessories â you have to build your craft. Donât be averse to doing an internship at an atelier, donât be opposed to production â in that sort of work, you learn how to be in a business environment, you learn how to build a network.
Our head of design [at JW Anderson] started in retail â he went into a brand that he loved and he started to understand what the consumer wanted from that end of the chain. Itâs a long game and itâs a strategic game. So, be patient, be flexible, have a bit of a plan. Careers arenât so linear anymore.
Be open to â and ask for â constructive feedback
AO: When you come into a [work] space, even before you finish your course, ask for feedback about the work, but also [reflect on] your personality â are you okay with people telling you that [something] was bad, that it was not the standard that they wanted?
You have got to remember that you are building into someone elseâs vision. The time will come when people will work towards yours, but thatâs not [often] what youâre doing in an entry space.
Whatâs really important, which a lot of junior talent underrate, is how important it is to be nice to work with and to understand that we donât have time for divas.
So, I find that sometimes people struggle with being given negative feedback and itâs hard because itâs not personal and it delays everything. Then, we have to coach that emotional space that could be quite entitled, if Iâm honest. And itâs difficult when we have businesses to run.
Show intentionality and alignment with a business
AO: Another thing is being attentive [to] who you want to learn from and why. Why do you want to be at JW Anderson? Why do you want to learn from Jonathan Anderson? Is there a trait, a skill, a talent, an aesthetic that resonates with you? Because if you prefer Chloé styles, for example, youâre learning maybe from the wrong place, which means that youâre not aligned with the vision of the creative director. […] I think itâs an intentionality of actually understanding what you want.
Impress with preparation, a positive attitude and emotional intelligence
AO: When you do get the interview, do your research, be prepared, share your skills, share your personality and show that company that youâve invested some time in understanding them, that youâre a good match for the role and you have the passion to do well in the role.
Where skills come into view and whatâs really important, which a lot of junior talent underrate, is how important it is to be nice to work with and to understand that we donât have time for divas. Be kind, be good, be proactive and be disciplined. People are desperate to get an interview, but how are you going to keep the role? Weâre not going to keep you for a year if you donât meet the companyâs expectations. Itâs important that everybody is working together, thinking about emotional intelligence and awareness of the bigger picture.
Weâre invested in what you want, but weâre not hiring you for that. Weâre hiring you for what we need. And along the way, weâll go down the same path together and when you get to the end of the line with us, weâll be very excited for you and weâll help you along to the next step.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.