Fashion careers: How to become a recruiter in fashion and retail

If you are a people person and love to help others achieve their goals as well as work in a fashion-oriented environment, why not consider working as a recruiter in fashion and retail? Many influential fashion companies employ in-house recruiters that are responsible for hiring the right candidates who will fit with the company culture and brand values. Jennifer Lee, the Recruiter at BECCA Cosmetics tells FashionUnited, “I love that I get to help connect people with their dream job or a new opportunity that can have a life-changing impact (as somebody once did for me). I get to help fulfill someone’s goal!” With numerous recruiter jobs listed on FashionUnited, let’s take a look at what it’s like to be a recruiter in fashion and retail today.

A typical workday for a recruiter in the fashion business

As a recruiter in fashion and retail, the day may start off with going through resumes from a high number of job applicants. The recruiter will then choose the most suitable candidates and set up interview calls with them. If the calls go well with the selected applicants, the recruiter will ask them to come in for an in-person interview. In retail, the regional recruiter is responsible for staffing employees across each brick and mortar store location in the allocated area.

The recruiter is usually the first point of contact for job applicants and this role is also important in supporting the HR team. Other daily tasks could include drafting employment agreements, creating official documents and maintaining the HR database and employee files. A thorough knowledge about your region’s employment practices and skills in handling employee relations issues are also necessary to have. The recruiter will also be expected to provide assistance, advice and guidance to members of management on all HR related topics. Another interesting part of a recruiter’s job is staying up-to-date on innovative human resources programs that will enhance a company's overall effectiveness.

Networking and building relationships may be a part of your tasks as strategically attending the right career fairs and networking events can also help an organization attract top talent. Depending on the scope of the company, a recruiter in fashion and retail will also be expected to maintain relationships with key leaders across the company’s international subsidiaries.

How to become a recruiter in fashion and retail

To become a regional recruiter in fashion and retail, a university degree in business management and human resources are the ideal areas of focus for your studies. Being familiar with ATS systems, sourcing tools and HR systems such as Workday and Greenhouse can also be beneficial.

Before working in the recruitment field, Talent Acquisition Partner of Monsoon Accessorize, Hollie Lennon told FashionUnited, “my past roles have included being a Sales Assistant, Visual Merchandiser, BAA Intern and also working in fabric sales.” Experience working on the shop floor can be an important part of becoming a recruiter in fashion and retail. This way the recruiter not only becomes familiar with the company culture and brand values but also gains hands-on experience in getting to know who the customers are and what they are looking for. You can start at an international retail brand as a shop floor assistant and work your way up to be a store manager, then a regional recruiter. Helping to open new store locations is an opportune way to show upper management not only leadership skills but also your ability to train and bring people to work together successfully.

Career growth and mobility

At leading fashion companies, being able to hire top talent and retaining employees is appearing to become more and more important. Besides the stability and growth in responsibility in being a recruiter, job mobility is also an attractive aspect as you could eventually progress into the role of a Senior HR Executive or a Talent Acquisition Partner.

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