How you can professionally improve yourself while in Quarantine
Hey everyone,
I've been meaning to do this post for a little while now but have still been super busy with uni work and trying to update all my social media and get consistent with this. I hope everyone is okay and keeping busy and happy during lockdown, I know it is a troubling period but it is the perfect opportunity to work on your professional-self as well as your physical-self. I am going to do a post today about how to work on and improve your professional-self in lockdown (because I'm not gonna lie, I haven't tried Yoga or gone for daily runs like most people).
Over the past few weeks I have improved my LinkedIn and CV by completing online courses (I will go into detail about courses in due course) and have tried to create an aesthetically pleasing and consistent social media base across all platforms. I have been taught that you need to treat yourself as if you are a brand and your social media platforms and CV are your marketing tools.
So here are a few things you can do to improve your CV's and portfolios and to get yourself ready for when lockdown is over!
Although these platforms are great for social networking and communicating with friends and family, they also bring a sense of professionalism and creativity with them. Instagram is one of the most popular platforms at the moment, and although restrictive there are ways to be creative. I have been working on my Instagram Aesthetic quite a lot since lockdown, and it is quite challenging being stuck indoors it is working out okay, I am happy with it but would like to go out and take some photos for it soon! Lockdown is the perfect time to work on your aesthetic though, and create a consistent feed and theme to get higher engagement on your account.
TikTok is also a popular platform in lockdown, mainly for impressions and dance videos however it is amazing to showcase new wardrobes for fashion, which is what I am starting to do. Smaller social platforms like 21 Buttons are also great as the engagement is only fashion (if that is what you are interested in) and therefore creates a niche following itself. I love 21 Buttons I find it a really cool niche social media platform and I 100% recommend it to fashion lovers.
Ideally, for you to succeed in todays world, as a person or as a brand, you must be on all social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Youtube and 21 Buttons. It may be hard to consistently post on all of these platforms, but each one is different, you can post daily on Instagram but may only want to post once every few days on facebook to get a certain engagement. You need to do your research on each platform, look at your personal analytics and then work with that data to produce your next lot of content. Using sites like Canva or software like Photoshop can really make your social media more interesting and engage your target audience. Being in lockdown is the perfect time to create content and even plan I out for a few weeks ahead!
I really hope this post was helpful and please comment if you have any questions, or message me on socials I'd love to help!
If you want a break from working on yourself, I recommend these top shows!
I've been meaning to do this post for a little while now but have still been super busy with uni work and trying to update all my social media and get consistent with this. I hope everyone is okay and keeping busy and happy during lockdown, I know it is a troubling period but it is the perfect opportunity to work on your professional-self as well as your physical-self. I am going to do a post today about how to work on and improve your professional-self in lockdown (because I'm not gonna lie, I haven't tried Yoga or gone for daily runs like most people).
Over the past few weeks I have improved my LinkedIn and CV by completing online courses (I will go into detail about courses in due course) and have tried to create an aesthetically pleasing and consistent social media base across all platforms. I have been taught that you need to treat yourself as if you are a brand and your social media platforms and CV are your marketing tools.
So here are a few things you can do to improve your CV's and portfolios and to get yourself ready for when lockdown is over!
Online Courses and E-Learning
If you have me on Instagram, you will probably notice that I have done a large amount of online courses in this spare time, mainly because I know I won't have access to certain platforms when I leave FRA, or I just know I won't have the time as I will be job hunting like mad when I finish uni (or travelling, I haven't decided yet). Online courses and E-Leaning look amazing on a CV, especially if it is in the field in which you are applying for. I have learnt a lot throughout my studies therefore I was aware of some of the things I learnt throughout these courses, but I also learnt a lot about different brands and sectors within the fashion industry, such as Buying and Merchandising and how to create a start-up business. The following courses are ones I have completed and am completing currently.Business of Fashion Courses
There are 6 Courses on Business of Fashion;
Digital Marketing
The Art and Science of Buying and Merchandising
Styling and Image Making
How to Build a Direct-To-Consumer Brand
Fashion History
Build Your Dream Career
You can either purchase the subscription to BOF or there is a 30 day FREE trial, I managed to get all of these done within the 30 days so I didn't have to pay for the Professional Subscription.
Google Academy
The Google Academy do online courses for people who want to follow the career path of being a Data Scientist. There are many courses on Google Academy, it was a requirement for a previous module for me to complete the Google Analytics Beginners and Google Analytics Advanced Courses. These are in depth courses and give you an insight to Data Analytics, I do recommend it if you are into marketing as Data Scientist is a sought after role at the moment. These courses are FREE.
Fashion Monitor
Not everyone has access to Fashion Monitor but if your work does or if your uni does, I totally recommend the Digital Marketing course on there which is really up to date and FREE with your subscription, and also gives you CPD points which is really good. I am still working through this one as it is quite lengthy, but can't wait to finish it and add to my CV!
Institut FranƧais De La Mode - Future Learn
When we was put into lockdown, I read on Dazed Media that Institut FranƧais de La Mode was doing a course on 'Understanding Fashion; From Business to Culture' and I had looked at this academy for perhaps doing a Masters degree abroad. As soon as I found out I wanted to complete the course. I have learnt so much from this course and have one more week left to go, which I hopefully will finish today.
As I studied Level 4 Fashion Retail Marketing & Business and now am studying Marketing and Communications, I haven't really learnt about the cultural impact of fashion and what that really means. Obviously, I have touched on it in certain modules as you need a foundation of knowledge to complete a degree for fashion, but culture is something which isn't really spoken about much in my course, so doing this course has really taught me a lot. It also linked to when I completed English Lang at A Level which was my favourite subject. I 100% recommend this course, it is FREE but you have to pay £42 if you'd like a certificate of completion which I think I am going to do as it is a credible international fashion school, which will look good on my CV.
Mitchell Preston Fashion
A mens blog about all aspects of fashion, lifestyle and travel. It includes trends, styling, visual merchandising updates, exhibitions and more.
Create a LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is a professional social media. It is where you can connect with people from work, family, friends and anyone you have 'networked' with also. I use this to post work I have done, promote my blog, share articles (it's a brilliant course of reading and also really good for assignment research), apply for jobs (most jobs on LinkedIn won't be posted on Indeed, and it just feels like an easier way of applying for jobs than Indeed), and to network with people in the same industry as me. Here is a link to my profile, it has all my qualifications, work experience, skills etc on my page and therefore is a brilliant tool for applying for jobs.
Mitchell Preston Tilley - Visual Merchandiser - Primark | LinkedIn
View Mitchell Preston Tilley's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Mitchell Preston has 6 jobs listed on their profile. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Mitchell Preston's connections and jobs at similar companies.
If you have LinkedIn or are going to make an account after this, feel free to connect with me!
Start a Blog!
I love writing on my blog. It something that is mine and over the past 5 years it has become really personal and it has really grown into something I do everyday. Now my confidence has grown, I am going to start a Youtube Channel, which will link with all of my social media and my blog!
If you are passionate about anything, it is so worth starting a blog, cooking, baking, beauty, fashion, interior design. Literally anything you can think of you can start writing a blog! You can start doing it once a week and then building it up. I am going to try and post daily as much as I can. There are so many platforms where you can create your blog too. I use Blogger just because I am so used to it, but another great site is Wix.
Update your CV accordingly
CV's need to be regularly updated. Now is the perfect time to update your CV, make sure you see if you can test your CV on certain tests like CV 360 which checks for errors and mistakes as well as what you can improve to make sure your CV passes through certain systems (as usually CV's go through a computer system and are then cut down before going to an actual person). If you complete these courses, add them to your CV's under 'Achievements' and they go under LinkedIn in 'Licences'.
If you create a LinkedIn account, add that to your CV as well, it means that employers can see what you have worked on and what your professional social media it like. It is also good to have other social handles on your CV, like Instagram - if it is relevant of course. If you have a blog or website it is also good to put this on your CV, it means that employers can see even more of your amazing work if they wish to.
Do your research
Now is the time to do your research for companies which you know you wish to work for in the future and what jobs you may wish to apply for in the future, for example I love Wonderland and Dazed Magazines, it is my dream to do work for both of them. I have been reading them for a few years now and follow them on social media, but this doesn't mean I know everything about both of the companies, so prior to applying to either of them for any roles at all I would do research and probably some mood boards to go with this to help me learn and visualise their brand aesthetics. Now is the perfect time to do it, especially if you're bored. I love creating mood boards and am going to be posting more of what I make on my blog now. Some good sites for researching brands are Drapers, Vogue Business, Retail Week & Business of Fashion.Be concise throughout social platforms to enhance creativity
Finally, I'd like to discuss social media. Social Media has been becoming a thing of our daily lives for the past few years. I know my generation are the ones who have grown up with it and therefore our phones are like an extra limb. However social media is now the only way we can interact with our friends, so for everyone who complains about social media, you have no choice now!Although these platforms are great for social networking and communicating with friends and family, they also bring a sense of professionalism and creativity with them. Instagram is one of the most popular platforms at the moment, and although restrictive there are ways to be creative. I have been working on my Instagram Aesthetic quite a lot since lockdown, and it is quite challenging being stuck indoors it is working out okay, I am happy with it but would like to go out and take some photos for it soon! Lockdown is the perfect time to work on your aesthetic though, and create a consistent feed and theme to get higher engagement on your account.
TikTok is also a popular platform in lockdown, mainly for impressions and dance videos however it is amazing to showcase new wardrobes for fashion, which is what I am starting to do. Smaller social platforms like 21 Buttons are also great as the engagement is only fashion (if that is what you are interested in) and therefore creates a niche following itself. I love 21 Buttons I find it a really cool niche social media platform and I 100% recommend it to fashion lovers.
Ideally, for you to succeed in todays world, as a person or as a brand, you must be on all social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Youtube and 21 Buttons. It may be hard to consistently post on all of these platforms, but each one is different, you can post daily on Instagram but may only want to post once every few days on facebook to get a certain engagement. You need to do your research on each platform, look at your personal analytics and then work with that data to produce your next lot of content. Using sites like Canva or software like Photoshop can really make your social media more interesting and engage your target audience. Being in lockdown is the perfect time to create content and even plan I out for a few weeks ahead!
I really hope this post was helpful and please comment if you have any questions, or message me on socials I'd love to help!
If you want a break from working on yourself, I recommend these top shows!
10 Binge-worthy Programmes by Mitch
A mens blog about all aspects of fashion, lifestyle and travel. It includes trends, styling, visual merchandising updates, exhibitions and more.
Speak soon! Mitch x
Keep on self busy with catching up on things that one has not yet completed!
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