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.”
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