When coming to university a placement was always something I knew I wanted to do during my Fashion Promotion, BA (Hons), the reason being a lot of my friends had gone to uni and not had the opportunity, wishing that they did. I also knew I wanted to get as much experience before leaving university as possible.
I chose a social media role as I knew I wanted to work closely with influencers and create content. I also wanted a job role that was very forward thinking and put me under a bit of pressure, which social media definitely does as it is a 24/7 industry. I got to plan and did some amazing shoots for Boohoo. By doing this it has given me more experience, past the job role of a social media intern.
When I started at the company it took me a while to find my feet, I felt lost and overwhelmed for about 4 months. I spoke to tutors and they said it will pass and it honestly did, you must keep going. The reason I found it so hard is because at university you have much more creative freedom and expression. But when you work for a brand you have to take it back so much, and it takes a while to adjust.
"Doing a placement drives you closer to the job role you desire in the future. "
— Jessica Stone, Fashion Promotion, BA (Hons)
When I went into Boohoo I thought I wanted to work in social media, but I now want to work in creative production. It’s better to learn what job role you like on placement than in a job role after university.
I feel that the placement as a whole has given me a lot more confidence in myself and in my work. I used to be quite soft and a bit of a push over when voicing my opinion, however going on placement and seeing how the industry works, it has helped me come out of my shell.
My advice to you would be to apply for lots of job roles and brands. Don’t just go for brands you love personally and don’t be afraid of applying for the smaller brands either, as you may get a richer experience. Apply for agencies too, as they have lots of contacts who they work with. If you don’t get the placement you wanted, don’t be disheartened as there are so many students applying for that same position.
Make the most of your placement, ask questions to your employers, remember this is YOUR placement for 12 months - so get as much as you can out of it!
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Double top for fashion promotion student
Sophie Ashley, 22, a talented fashion promotion student from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) recently won a prestigious national competition.
