Whether you are an intern, or at a comfortable point in your career, one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to always go above and beyond your boss’ expectations. I’ve read it in career books, I’ve tested it out personally, and I can tell you that you will get to where you want to go if you shine in front of your boss.
We all know that the PR world and the fashion industry is competative, and that sometimes it is a race to place the perfect story. This type of atmosphere makes it even more imperative to impress your boss so that you get that promotion you’ve been dreaming of!
If you want to stand out to your supervisors always make sure to give more information than they requested. For example, if you’ve been asked to pull together statistics for which months received the most press coverage, see if you can figure out why those months garnered the most impressions! Come up with a theory and give suggestions as to how you can continue bringing in those results. Your boss will love that you are going the extra mile and thinking analytically.
Every PR woman know that we have to be quick thinking and always stay on our feet in order to be successful. That means that once you come up with one great idea, start thinking about your next one! There should be no limit to the amount of ways you can impress your boss, and who knows, you may even get that promotion a little bit sooner. Don’t be afraid to ask questions either. The more questions you ask, the more determined and motivated you will appear. If you have trouble prioritizing, ask what should get done first.
Another fabulous quality any PR or fashion girl should have is bravery. If you see that there is a better way that fashion samples should be getting out the door, suggest that a new system! If you see that your pitches should be written in a different tone, gently say that you should try this other great way. Even if your supervisors don’t implement your ideas, they will remember that you worked extremely hard to really impress them.
Making yourself stand out to your boss is especially important early in your career. We all know that the fashion industry as well as the PR world usually have very fast turnover rates which means that if you do your job well, and show your boss what a glamorous PR girl you can be, you may get a promotion sooner than you think. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want either. If you think that you should be the one to reach out to Vogue, ask your boss if you can handle that project. Chances are, even if you don’t get to be project manager, you will have an integral role in that task, and your boss will remember your effort next time.
There is always so much to learn in the PR and fashion world that your efforts never go unnoticed. In order for us to stand out, we all have to go through the not-so-glamorous responsibilities first to prove that we are the go-getter women that we know we are. Once we do our fair share of busy work, and shine like diamonds to our supervisors, there will be endless amounts of fabulous PR and fashion success opportunities that await us.
