Retail Careers SmartBrief

If you haven't seen this resource, it could be great for those trying to learn more about the retail industry:

Thousands of people have signed up to receive the Retail Careers SmartBrief. Have you? Last week, the most popular stories in the Retail Careers SmartBrief were:  How-to-get-hired tips from Nordstrom's recruiter Networking tip for introverts Retailers, LearnUp offer online classes for job seekers 3,000 of your peers read these stories because they signed up ( to receive our free, biweekly newsletter packed with career advice and insights. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get your career on track toward success. Take advantage of this valuable resource and sign up today to receive your Retail Careers SmartBrief each Monday and Wednesday.

Think about your reference

Building relationships are critical to business success; sometimes even more so in the apparel industry. A referral means more to most hiring managers than your degree and sometimes even your experience. Likewise, the referee carries more weight if it is someone the hiring manager knows, trusts and respects. Before picking your references, think through all the details. Talk with a recruiter you worked with to find out what type of referrals may carry more weight. Scour LinkedIn before your interview to see if there are any connections to anyone you are meeting with. If there are, reach out to your connection before the interview to see how they know the person you are meeting. Ask how their relationship with the interviewer is (I know you will be shocked to hear that not everyone in the fashion industry likes each other.) A liked common connection could put you on top of a large pile of resumes.

What are some other ways you could use this common connection to secure the job? If you were the hiring manager, how much would that connection mean to you?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Cost of Living

“In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular”  Kathleen Norris

Cost of living is a factor that can have a great impact on relocating for a new career opportunity.  New York City and a few cities in California are some of the most expensive places to live in the United States.  These cities are home to many employers in our industry.

There are also great fashion industry employers in smaller cities in Wisconsin and Texas.  There are big employers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Columbus, Ohio is home to some major brands/retailers as is Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Baltimore, Maryland and Freeport, Maine.

It is a positive financial factor if you are leaving one of the expensive cities and moving to another region where housing and cost of living are less.  The employers in smaller regions pay very competitive salaries and you get to add the lower cost of living factor for a much greater discretionary income.

The challenge is if you want to head to New York City, San Francisco or Hermosa Beach, CA from a less expensive city.  Employers in the largest cities have similar salary bands and in some cases lower than the more remote regions because the talent in their local market is in abundance.  They are not able to make up the 105% increase in cost of living from Columbus, Ohio to New York City in their compensation packages. 

If your desire is to move to one of these hub cities it is best to do research and understand what it will cost you to live there.  Know ahead of time if you are coming from a remote region initially you will likely experience a reduced discretionary income.  It is up to you to weigh the options and decide what is most important. 

As a boutique search agency we hear candidates weigh in on this from opposite perspectives.  Candidates that make $110K in NYC say they would never leave the city.    They are completely satisfied and love their lives.  When someone from an area with a lower cost of living making a similar salary looks at moving to NYC for $110 they tell me they can’t imagine how they will survive.

Here are some resources to evaluate cost of living comparisons:

http://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/

http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/

http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.aspx

What are some factors that would motivate you consider taking a lower immediate discretionary income to move to a larger city?  Or...would you consider leaving the big city if it meant you could gain significant ground financially? 

Contact me at kari@apparel-resource.com to see what cities we have career opportunities in.

Job Opportunities - Where to post them and where to find them.

When you are a hiring manager with an open position how do you get the word out?  When you are a candidate where do you look?  Times have changed since placing an ad in the classifieds and waiting for resumes to be mailed in.    Here is a list but certainly not all inclusive of options.

1)      Your professional colleague network – don’t ever underestimate word of mouth

2)      Your company’s corporate website

3)      Your personal LinkedIn profile

4)      Your company’s corporate Facebook Page

5)      Your company’s corporate LinkedIn Page

6)      Yes…the newspaper in the local area the job is located

7)       Style Careers www.stylecareers.com – specific to our industry

8)      www.styleportfolios.com – Design talent

9)      www.mayorofthemall.com – Field Retail talent

10)   Womens Wear Daily career page www.wwd.com career tab

11)   NRF SmartBrief = nrf@smartbrief.com

12)   Shop.org SmartBrief = shop@smartbrief.com

13)   There is the option of a radio ad during commute hours

14)   Monster – www.monster.com all industries

15)   Careerbuilder – www.careerbuilder.com all industries

16)   Coroflot – www.corflot.com predominately Design talent

17)   Alumni pages of Universities known for strong programs in our industry

18) Recruiting Agencies will always share the jobs they are working on with candidates who are looking for a new role.  If you have the budget for a fee as a hiring manager, they will also publish your opening to their network and make contacts specifically for your role.

The key is finding the channel that your target audience will be paying attention to.  What places have you been successful reaching talent or finding job openings?

You can see the job openings we are working on at www.apparel-resource.com .

Don't be a wimp

I used to be a wimp. As a young person, giving feedback on performance or interpersonal issues made me uncomfortable. If someone did something I didn't like, I would let it slide unless it was a big issue. As I matured, I became a little braver. The real turning point for me was a leadership development class I took. My boss at the time strongly believed in leadership development and sent all of her direct reports to this course. I wasn't so excited about a class like this. What could they teach me in a week that would change the way I think, work or lead?

I went to a week-long Leadership Development Program (LDP) at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro North Carolina. There were several modules to the program including giving and receiving feedback, coaching, gaining perspective, and more. The ones I mentioned are the ones that remain top of mind years later. For me, the most transformative session was the one regarding feedback. I learned how to give and receive feedback objectively and without emotion. This skill changed my career and the careers of those around me for the positive. Objective, constructive, honest feedback can transform a team or organization. Obviously people like positive feedback. What has surprised me is that people appreciate negative feedback as well. After seeing the effects for all of these years, I would not classify myself as a feedback-a-holic.

For more information on CCL’s programs, go to:http://www.ccl.org/Leadership/

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at: http://www.katekibler.com. 

Coach or consultant?

Many people do not know the difference between a career coach and a career consultant. While both can help with your career, they hold very different functions. A coach helps you figure out you while a consultant tells you what you need to know. Both can be tremendously valuable to your career, but think about what you need before hiring one. Here’s some more detail on each of the functions.

Career Coach- Coaching is a process that begins by understanding your vision. What do you want in your career, in your life? About 50% of the people I talk to do not know their vision. Once a vision is clear, the coach will probe you, finding actions to bring you closer to your goal. The coach can free your thinking and empower you to solve your own problems. Be aware that many who call themselves coaches are not trained as coaches and act more as consultants. The industry is not regulated, so it is legal for someone to call themselves a coach without training or using coaching techniques.

Career Consultant- A consultant will answer your questions. If you already know what you want and where you want to go, the consultant should be able to give you guidance and the information you need to make progress. The consultant shares his/ her expertise with you so that you can gain from the knowledge s/he has collected over the years. If I was to hire a consultant, I would want to make sure they have technical expertise in the area of my interest. I would also look for someone who has been where I want to go or had done something I want to do. As with coaching, there is no training or credentialing required to call yourself a consultant.

Both coaching and consulting can be a valuable tool depending on what type of support you are seeking. Before hiring either be clear on why you chose to hire someone and make sure that person will get you where you want to go.

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com.