Wednesday, November 29, 2017

What I’ve learned from GBC – A Story of Success: Shaelyn Meier

As graduation gets closer to many of us, the idea of getting the Dream Job seems further away. However, with hard work and will power all the good seeds that were planted during college years will be ready to harvest next Spring.
That is exactly what happened with Shaelyn Meier, 22, a Fashion Management student who graduated at George Brown College in the Spring of 2017. After almost one year of Internship at Markio Designs’ Head-Office, one of the biggest Shoe Retailer in Canada, owner of Davids, Duet & Capezio stores, Shaelyn was offered a job as Associate Buyer. THE DREAM JOB for many management students.
To me, Shaelyn gave some precious tips on how to get what you want in the Fashion Industry and the required skills to work as Buyer.
Shaelyn passion for Fashion started when she was only a little girl. By that time, she used to dance competitively and encountered a lot of beautiful costumes. “I was always fascinated by how much detail and work went in to the creation of one single costume”, she said.
When she was accepted at George Brown College, she went to college with the mindset to become a Buyer, even having no idea of what the position entailed. As the year went by, she started learning about Buying in class, including the less glamourized details about the position but this was not enough to keep her mind off track. “This was something I could see myself doing long term", she said.
Parallel to school, Shaelyn used to work in store level at Capezio Shoes, and when it was time to begin the Internship, she saw an opportunity at their Head-Office on Bloor Street. “I began interning at Head-Office once a week. Once I completed all hours needed for my internship, I was offered the Assistant Buyer position at Head Office. After a few months of hard work, the Associate Buyer position became available as the current buyer was leaving, and after a few discussions with the owners, I was then offered to move up to this position”, Meier remembered.
What might seem a fast jump for some, was actually a result of a lot of hard work on college and on the Internship, which Shaelyn believes was decisive on getting the job position.
When I asked her about responsibilities on the job, she was emphatic: “Excel.” She explained that a lot of her responsibilities include creating budgets, reports, and keeping track of projection files which she does in the Office Tool. The fun part, according to her, is, alongside the owners, to be able to go to buying appointments, and trips to decide what shoes are going to be bought for all stores and locations, and dealing with Vendor Representatives directly.
All the skills required for her job, Shaelyn was taught during her college years. “I do think that what I learned at GBC was important. I believe that you really have to keep an open mind with every course, even if you think you are not interested in a certain field, it is important to keep an open mind because you never know when things could change", Shaelyn explained.
Shaelyn is conscious that she has a lot to learn in this position and in time responsibilities are going to grow. That fact does not scare her, and she is actually looking forward to new possibilities in Buying at Markio Designs. “Just a few weeks ago our Davids store announced they have officially partnered with Harry Rosen in a joint venture. This could mean that some of us at our Head-Office will be relocated to now be working for just Davids, and some of us will stay for Capezio and Duet. Wherever I end up, I hope to continue learning as much as I possibly can so I can one day end up in New York”, she said.
At the end of our conversation I asked her to give some piece of advice for those who are about to graduate and are new to the Industry. Shaelyn told me the most valuable thing in this field is experience. “Do everything and anything you can to get yourself out there and known in the industry. Get as many experience as possible and do not be afraid of taking chances.”


No comments: