In a last minute rush to find a good beach book after I somehow
misplaced the latest Bridget Jones’ Diary novel, I came across a very
interesting auto-biography ‘The Vogue Factor’ at the airport, written by the former Vogue Australia
editor Kirstie Clements. As successful business women go, Clements is
the perfect example of how determination and motivation can really help
you climb the career ladder. In 1985 Cements took on the role of
receptionist at Vogue with very limited previous experience. By 1999..
just fourteen years later, Clements was crowned editor, proving that
with a little (or rather, lot) of enthusiasm and passion, you really can
become top of your game. In this article I’ll take a huge chunk of
inspiration from Kristie and her winning formula for success so that
those of you that haven’t got round to reading the book (which you
absolutely must!) can get a bite.
1. Just go for it!
Even though she had no previous employment in the fashion industry or
even as a receptionist, Clements went for the job. ‘Imagine’ she
exclaims in the book ‘Imagine the world that would open up!’ In a report
by Hewlett Packard (as in HP Computers and Printers) it was found that
men were most likely to apply for jobs even when they were completely
under-qualified for them (only met 60% of the given criteria) Whilst
women on the other hand only seemed to apply if they met 100% of the
criteria listed! So in short, think like a man, or in other words, don’t
think twice! Apply for the jobs that you would love to have,
qualifications and experience are only 50% of the job, enthusiasm and
personality count more than you would think in an interview….
2. Appearance counts
When interviewed for the position by glamorous Vogue employee Norma
Mary Marshall, she was told by Norma that ‘I’ve seen twenty girls, and
you’re the last, but you’re the prettiest’ in a humorous manner. I’m
sure this was meant as a sort of hidden-truth joke, but the truth is,
appearance really does count! I one worked for a company that hired
their staff based entirely on appearance (they were very unpolitical
correct like that). Of course after realizing that you couldn’t just
throw someone with zero previous experience into a job with very little
training and expect them to be brilliant, based entirely on their
physical appearance, I was shortly let go (whoops!) Of course most
workplaces wont have such a Nazi-style view on who they hire, but
dressing fashionably and appropriately, wearing understated but
beautifully applied makeup and smelling nice really does go a long way
when it comes to job interviews! You could have all the qualifications
in the world but turn up in a two-piece Adidas shell suit and the odds
may not be entirely in your favor!
3. Put yourself forward for everything!
Norma Mary Marshall had told Kirstie in the interview that she had
already picked the girl she wanted to hire and was to give her a trial
shift for a week and then her on for a week afterwards and she would
then proceed to choose who would be better for the job. In response to
this, Clements, nervously and impulsively replied ‘Why do’t you put me
on first? If I work out then I can just stay and save you the trouble!’
And that is how the job was hers! Even though Clements started purely on
the reception desk, using the switchboard (that she had never used
before) and greeting visitors, she would often volunteer for other jobs.
For example, she notised that the fashion stock room needed tidying (as
she points out to future interns; ‘fashion stock rooms always need
tidying!’) after that she would ask if other employees needed any help
packing suitcases or organising the beauty cupboard. This got her
noticed. Note: people will always notice hard workers!
4. Just ask..
Clement’s first promotion happened not even six months after she
joined. She claimed the position of an assistant in the Vogue promotions
department. How did she get this promotion? She just asked! She put the
idea forward to Nancy Pilcher, the then exceutive editior of Vogue
Australia, who Clements admitted that she had gained quite the girl
crush on, that if any assistant positions were to come up, that she
would be considered. Asking can go a long way in the workplace, as they
saying goes; ‘don’t ask, don’t get!’
5. Passion, Passion, Passion
One thing that Clements had, that shines through her personality in
the book, is the absolute genuine passion and love that she has for both
the company and fashion itself. The glamour, the finesse, the fabulous,
she was engulfed. She states more than once in the book, that working
at Vogue wasn’t like any other job, or like a job at all ‘I would do it
for free’ she exclaims enthusiastically when talking about her job.
6. Knowing your worth
When working in the promotions department, Clements was given the
chore of ironing ‘what seemed like four-hundred’ white linen pants, in
protest, Clements exclaimed again rather impulsively to Nancy ‘I’m too
smart to iron for a living. My mother didn’t raise me to do this.’
Although such a strong approach may not work on every employer, there is
something to knowing your worth. If you feel like your skills and
talents are going unnoticed, or even entirely unused, let someone know!
No one goes up in the world by just sitting around doing what they’re
told even if they’re unhappy about and know that they are worth more!
7. Knowing when something’s not good enough, and fixing it!
Without giving too much away, throughout the her life Clements
switches careers/publishing houses etc, but her heart was always with
Australian Vogue. During her time away from the job, an English
journalist, who had not worked exclusively in the fashion and beauty
industry before takes over the role of Editor in Chief. She
unfortunately made the mistake of not listening to the readers and the
press, making far too many stereotypes about Australia (Once publishing
an issue featuring pretty much only Australian faces (Kylie Minogue,
Rolf Harris to name a few) and harshly criticizing local Australian
designers, which I think it’s fair to say,the public did not take too
well to. Over her reign, the popularity of the magazine plummeted
immensely, advertisers pulled their contracts and Vogue seemed to be in
quite a pickle! Soon after, Clements was (at this point many years had
gone by and she was a lot more experienced) employed as editor. Vogue
was home to her, and it was all wrong. So, she fixed it! She claims that
someone had said to her that needed not only to ‘turn the boat around’
but to ‘raise a sinking ship’. Taking matters into her own hands,
Clements re-hired some of the original Vogue employees that had lost
their jobs or fled on a lifeboat away from the disaster waiting to
happen, and not only raised the ship and turned it round, but took it
apart, rebuilt it and created the most fabulous new-edition
millionaire’s yacht complete with 24-carat-gold handles and a
chandelier! She re-launched the magazine complete with fabulous launch
party and regained it’s former glory!
So there we have it, a sort-of-review in the form of a rather
spectacular (and quite long – sorry!) listagram. I for one hope to take
on many of the things that I have learnt from this book in my own career
and hope that you will too! If you haven’t read The Vogue Effect I
thoroughly suggest you do! The book is filled with juicy tit-bits and
stories from the darker side of one of the most opulent and extravagant
industries in the world!
Abi x
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