Boutique or Store Manager

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $65,000-$75,000
Where to Apply: In-store, company websites, umenco.com
How to Make It: A four-year degree will help but it is not needed. Your best ticket to this job will be previous experience in sales and retail jobs. It also helps if you can hit budgets, make sales, and can style customers and lead a team.

If you’re really good at being a Store Manager, you could move up the ranks as an area, district or regional manager, or move into buying or visual merchandising.

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $70,000+
Where to Apply: LinkedIn, Umenco.com
How to Make It: Sales is all about selling and communicating – knowing when to speak and how to speak to certain people is key to this role. Often they will work in a wholesale agency or in house for a brand. Having a genuine interest in the brand you represent and also in fashion news will serve you well when communicating to many different people. Keep up with news and style magazines.

Sales representatives get the initial preview of new samples at showrooms and meet with buyers from the best global companies to get the clothes in the right stores.

They also work on the marketing side of the business and meet with editors and influencers to preview new collections before they get to shops. Sales professionals are responsible for pitching collections and products to boutiques and press, tracking samples, and following up on orders from clients. It’s very customer service-oriented role and suits people who love being around other people

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $60,000+
Where to Apply: LinkedIn, Umenco.com, Style Careers
How to Make It: A visual merchandiser will have a good eye for spatial and visual design. They will have a creative mindset with a background in design, some mixed media art experience, and an understanding of colour theory.

A visual merchandiser executes the ideas put forth by their creative team, who decide on a seasonal visual direction, and the VM team translate it to how the store’s product is arranged. Merchandising happens when the store is closed, so you need to be willing to work late nights and early mornings.

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $55,000+
Where to Apply: Seek, LinkedIn, Umenco.com
How to Make It: A PR account executive will typically write press releases, news stories, articles, case studies and product pieces, and pitch press releases and feature ideas by phone or email to national, regional and trade journalists, across print, broadcast and online, to interest them in covering their clients’ stories.

They will monitor media coverage and report results to the wider team and clients; attend client events and industry conferences; handle clients’ social media accounts such as their Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn page; deliver analytics reports on social media, reporting on traffic, engagement and follower figures and constantly brainstorm fresh ideas for PR campaigns.

PR Account Executives will have excellent copywriting skills, polished presentation skills, with the ability to present stories to journalists in an interesting way to capture their attention.

They will also have strong interpersonal skills, whether it’s over the phone, by email or in person, you need to be approachable, friendly and empathetic, and be able to relate to people on different levels within the agency, with clients and with the media.

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $60,000+
Where to Apply: umenco.com, LinkedIn, Fashion Journal
How to Make It: A PA or EA need to be dedicated to serving the needs of their manager and their company. They will be committed to ensuring everything they managed is smooth, efficient, and seamless manner.

This job is to be highly organised and detail-oriented, field calls, meetings, and be extremely punctual. A Personal Assistant will be reliable and available at any time they are needed.

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $55,000+
Where to Apply: Fashion Journal, Umenco.com, 
How to Make It: Promoting a brand is as important as the product it makes.

With the rise of social media, people with a passion for twitter and Instagram have been brought into brands to represent them on these platforms and get their exposure to new audiences growing.

Brands usually look for people who live and breathe social media and who are passionate, curious and always ahead of the latest digital trends.

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $60,000+
Where to Apply: umenco.com, Fashion Journal, LinkedIn
How to Make It: This is the first step from graduating that most designers take to enter the industry. As a design assistant, you will help make sure that the collection comes together. You will get a firsthand look at fabrics, travel a lot to trade shows, factories, and fashion week. But, you will have to commit long hours of work to fitting models, tracking samples, and making sure the show or presentation goes on as smoothly as possible.

You will work hard, but it is rewarding if you have a passion for design. It is a great feeling to see pieces that you helped to create come into the world after helping put a collection together.

Estimated Salary (in AUD): $60,000+
Where to Apply: umenco.com, Fashion Journal, Seek, LinkedIn
How to Make It: Buyers must be able to predict trends and have a great mind for sales and commercial to ensure that product sells out.

Buyers use their sense of style and knowledge of trends as well as being analytical and data driven to see what has performed and sold.

For larger stores, assistant buyers have their own budgets to spend, but with this responsibility comes more pressure to sell their product. Successful buyers have a good sell-through rate, and can increase revenue for their business.