I started off my second year at university knowing that by the end of it I should have a placement ready to start in my third year. I was fine with it. I was cool with it. I had loads of time I thought. How wrong was I? Before I knew it, we were breaking up for the Christmas holidays and I still didn't have a creative CV or any idea what type of placement I wanted. But I knew for certain I didn't want to design. I had become to realise during second year that I love design, I can appreciate fantastic design but can I design the items I admire? I am unsure.. So for this reason, I was intrigued in the buying and merchandising aspect of a business.
I remember watching a programme about Liberty's in London when I was younger, and they had an open day where people came and showcased their ideas and products in hope that they would be sold in the Liberty store. This process fascinated me and I was intrigued to know more. What a better way to get a taste of buying and merchandising than learning in my third year.
I applied to some businesses that were offering placement opportunities, however I felt I needed to send out my CV and portfolio to businesses that weren't advertising any particular internship. For this I needed to design a creative CV and so to Pinterest I headed, to gather inspiration. There were so many types of creative CV's that I found, so different but in a way they were all so similar. I needed something that would make me stand out!
I remember watching a programme about Liberty's in London when I was younger, and they had an open day where people came and showcased their ideas and products in hope that they would be sold in the Liberty store. This process fascinated me and I was intrigued to know more. What a better way to get a taste of buying and merchandising than learning in my third year.
I applied to some businesses that were offering placement opportunities, however I felt I needed to send out my CV and portfolio to businesses that weren't advertising any particular internship. For this I needed to design a creative CV and so to Pinterest I headed, to gather inspiration. There were so many types of creative CV's that I found, so different but in a way they were all so similar. I needed something that would make me stand out!
I created my CV and my portfolio, using the same colour scheme that I use for this website-making sure that everything linked together. My portfolio was A5 size and so small enough to fit in an A4 envelope resulting in ease of sending. Rather than binding the pages of my portfolio together in a traditional way, I decided to use small bulldog clips that would add an edge to my portfolio and allow the reader to take it apart and put it together..
I was well aware that businesses must receive handfuls of CV's a day and they must get boring to read, but I thought about sending in each of these envelopes a hamper of items, creative items that made my receiver stop and take a proper look at my work. The options I had thought of already consisted of teabags, chocolate, a notepad and pencil. The cost of money and time however for all of these items would have been extreme, and I felt I had already left it too late. A decision had to be made and that was that, I was going to send them a teabag or a pillowcase. (let me explain)
Teabag
I love tea! Nothing can beat a cup of tea and in any situation tea can soothe, relax and calm any mind. I wanted my reader to enjoy my CV, enjoy my portfolio, enjoy my website and enjoy the experience. I wanted them to relax and take some time out of their busy schedule. (I know in reality I didn't have this power and they weren't going to make a tea and take time out of their meetings to read a random girls plea for a placement) but at least they knew the thought was there. And so I wrote
"Nothing can go wrong when a cup of tea is in one's hand.
Here I've sent you a taste of Yorkshire to sip on whilst you read over my CV and divulge in my portfolio.
Teabag before milk?
Milk before your teabag?
Either way I'd love to work with you.
Enjoy!"
I was well aware that businesses must receive handfuls of CV's a day and they must get boring to read, but I thought about sending in each of these envelopes a hamper of items, creative items that made my receiver stop and take a proper look at my work. The options I had thought of already consisted of teabags, chocolate, a notepad and pencil. The cost of money and time however for all of these items would have been extreme, and I felt I had already left it too late. A decision had to be made and that was that, I was going to send them a teabag or a pillowcase. (let me explain)
Teabag
I love tea! Nothing can beat a cup of tea and in any situation tea can soothe, relax and calm any mind. I wanted my reader to enjoy my CV, enjoy my portfolio, enjoy my website and enjoy the experience. I wanted them to relax and take some time out of their busy schedule. (I know in reality I didn't have this power and they weren't going to make a tea and take time out of their meetings to read a random girls plea for a placement) but at least they knew the thought was there. And so I wrote
"Nothing can go wrong when a cup of tea is in one's hand.
Here I've sent you a taste of Yorkshire to sip on whilst you read over my CV and divulge in my portfolio.
Teabag before milk?
Milk before your teabag?
Either way I'd love to work with you.
Enjoy!"
Pillowcase
I remembered when I was around 12 my teacher telling me a way a friend had tried to secure a job with an inventive method and that was sending them a pillowcase with the words "I'll let you sleep on it" written across. This idea has stuck with me, and for my teachers friend, it had worked. I had never heard of anyone sending anything like it and so, thinking outside of the box, I started creating these pillowcases. (unfortunately I couldn't get any images of this, but hopefully you can imagine the idea.)
In each package I sent a cover letter, a CV, a portfolio and either a teabag booklet or a pillowcase (dependent on the type of company I felt it suited).
I sent to so many companies including Liberty's, Marks and Spencer's, Laura Ashley, Next, Habitat and Heals. It was such an exciting experience, very stressful, but to create a presentation of myself to send through the post was exciting and fun and I wanted everyone to hire me!
For those of you heading into second year next year and looking for a placement, feel free to use some of my ideas but be warned. As fabulous as you think you are and as employable you think you are (I'm going to crush your dreams) you may feel like you're not during the application process. It is very unlikely that businesses will reply to all your hardwork and effort (only Liberty's replied to me-which I was so excited about-but a disappointment from the others) Be prepared for disappointment along the way and be prepared for more hardwork.
ps I managed to get a placement!
ps I managed to get a placement!