Are you ready for a boost of motivation, confidence and positive energy?

This new episode of The Glam Observer Podcast is fantastic and a must-listen for anyone who dreams to get a job in fashion but didn’t study anything related to it. So, you want to know how you can make it and how to be confident applying for jobs and not letting the fact that you lack a fashion education stop you.

I’m excited to share with you this conversation with Lateefah Akindiran, Buying Assistant at ASOS who tells us how she got into the fashion industry and landed a job as a Customer Specialist at ASOS with a degree in mental and social health.

We talked a lot about how a ‘no’ is just a ‘not yet’ or a ‘not here’, and she shared many tips and tricks for those who didn’t study fashion.

“If I’m applying for a job that says you need to have 3 years of experience working in the fashion industry, I structure a little message on LinkedIn and I ask if I’ll still be eligible to apply for the job. That’s a way to introduce yourself to the hiring manager.”

She entered at ASOS in the Customer Care department but she wanted a more creative job so she was not afraid to open up about where she saw herself in the future with her boss, and when an opportunity in the buying department opened up, she applied. Her first application didn’t go well but she didn’t give up and 3 months later she applied again for a new buying position at ASOS.

“The internship specifically said they needed someone to be studying something within fashion. I applied anyway and I got the job.”

We also chatted also about how to show your interest in fashion during job interviews when you don’t have work experience yet, how to do your own research and show them you are the right person.

If you are interested in becoming a buyer, you won’t only learn that you can make it without a fashion degree, but that the role of the buyer is different based on what department and team you work in. You can in fact listen to how her tasks are different from the ones of Calypso who work as Buying Assistant as well at ASOS but her jobs are different.

I really hope you’ll catch all her positive energy and confidence and learn how you can make it into this industry even if you didn’t study fashion.

Listen to the conversation here

Written by: Giada Graziano

Photo credit: Photographer Dana Cole