Now you have probably heard a ton of “here’s how I landed my dream job” stories. I also actually have one written already! You can read that post (here) which tells you How to Score Your Dream Internship – In 8 Easy Steps! Today though I wanted to write one specifically about how my blog helped me score my dream job.
It was a long process getting my blog off the ground, but I ultimately knew it would pay off…and it did! Last semester I finished my last on campus class for my undergraduate degree in Fashion Merchandising/Apparel Design (with a minor in Marketing). To complete it, I had to find a full-time internship (and for me, it HAD to be paid).
I only applied for a few companies because I knew I wanted to only look at places in GA, FL, AL, TN, SC, and NC since they were within a (reasonable) driving distance. I had looked into summer fashion internships all over the country the previous summer, and actually scored one with Ascena Retail! However, living out of three suitcases for two and a half months was not ideal.
If you’re interested in learning more about my New York Summer Internship, click (here).
How Having a Blog Landed Me My Dream Position
Background Info On How I Started My Blog
I knew that once I started getting my blog off the ground, I wanted to figure out how to leverage a blog in an interview. This happened around August! I had gotten two campaigns, and officially took the leap and bought a business WordPress plan (that meant PLUGINS *insert heart eye emoji*.
This was a game changer for me because it allowed me to upload my own theme and utilize CSS and HTML to make the blog I wanted! I also created a second website with WIX that showcased all of the projects I had done throughout my college experience and married the color schemes together.
This allowed my “brand” to be more cohesive so companies could really get a taste of who I am! This is very important when trying to sell yourself as a candidate to a company. It can really show what your personality is like! The easiest way to do that is with a color scheme. I use the exact same pink on all my platforms!
I started my blog really last January and then worked on it throughout the year. I started interviewing in September for a spring internship (which I got with Disney) and knew I needed to get my ish together by then. This was semi-true, but I ended up buying a new theme like two days before one of my interviews (pro-tip: DON’T DO THIS).
If you’re interested in reading about my Disney Professional Internship Application & Interview Process, click (here).
How I Leveraged My Blog In Interviews
As I stated at the beginning of this post, I am a Fashion Merchandising/Apparel Design major with a minor in Marketing. Most people don’t consider Fashion Merchandising a “Business Degree,” but my Marketing classes were a BREEZE after I took my fashion classes because it’s literally a business degree.
That being said, I knew a lot of companies wouldn’t take a Fashion degree seriously unless 1) I had experience and 2) evidence to back up that I knew what I was talking about. I knew last year that having a blog would be the BEST way to showcase this because I could literally write anything I wanted!
This proved to be a great idea because it really and truly showed who I was and all of the thoughts I had about various topics. When applying for positions, I had a professor tell me to list it as experience! You might think, “how is a blog experience?” Well, there are MANY tasks that bloggers do on the daily that are excellent skills for the workplace.
I know HTML & CSS, I know how to utilize Photoshop and Lightroom (and use them on the daily), I am basically a part-time photographer for myself, and I’m a freelance writer. All of this PLUS I have negotiation skills from working with various brands (and know how contacts work so literally minor law terms).
These were all of the talking points I used in my interviews, and then I had a LITERAL website to back it all up. I also was able to blog instead of have a part-time job in the fall semester so it made what I did even more sustainable and impressive. One of the companies had an HR rep literally gush over my blog and I couldn’t believe it!
Of all of the positions I applied for, I got down to two. One of the companies I was applying for ended up considering me for both an Apparel Merchandise position AND an e-Commerce Merchandise position. This was partly because of my website! I was happy because e-Commerce was one aspect of the industry I was most excited to learn about.
I Got the Job!
I got the job! In June I will start a position with Carter’s as an e-Commerce Merchandise Coordinator and it is partly because of my blog. I couldn’t have imagined when I started that my blog would take me THIS far. I did know that I wanted to utilize it, but didn’t know how much I could.
No matter what field you’re in, having a blog is a great thing to have because, if nothing else, it shows that you use your spare time in a productive way! You’re writing and creating content and showing that you care about more than just the normal things people do in their spare time.
I also wanted to mention that I have a few different career building posts that can help you with interviewing as well! This is something I have done A LOT throughout college and wanted to create resources for others too. Check all of those posts out below:
I hope this post showed you how versatile blogs can be with their utilization! I started my blog to share my #memade fashion designs and DIY’s. You can see how much that has shifted since then, but it’s still something I love to do and keeps me up to date with internet trends and social media!
Having almost a living portfolio with many samples of work is such a great addition to any interview and can open up so many various doors . As a fashion major, my main motivation was to stand out and show I was more than just a girl from an obscure university in southern Georgia.
No matter what the motivation behind your blog/website is, it can help you to get started in the career you love! There are endless possibilities to what you can create, but this post was here to show you that it can help expand your knowledge and resume. I hope it has done so!
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