How to get a job at topshop

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When you're trying to forge a career in a competitive industry, it's so easy for people to tell you to "get experience", "make your CV standout" or "do some networking", but what does it actually take to nail the interview and get your first job? In this Cosmo on Campus series, various women talk us through exactly how they managed to get their first step on the career ladder.

Ellie Sibley is 23-years-old, and works as a Buyers Assistant for Topshop at their Head Office based off Oxford Street in London. It's her first proper job out of uni, and involves choosing what accessories and clothes to stock Topshop stores with nationwide, as well as globally. Pretty cool, huh?

Here's how she landed the first role.

Q: What actually is your job title, and what does your job involve?

A: My current job title is Buyers Admin Assistant at Topshop, which means I move around the different departments a lot and am able to get a feel for the different areas of Buying. I’m currently working on the international team, where we choose product for the stores all round the world.

Daily tasks include looking at upcoming trends and selecting the right product to go to the stores around the world, and I love it because I'm surrounded by rails of amazing clothes all day everyday.

Q: Did you go to university?

A: Yes! I did a four year course at De Montfort University Leicester, where I studied Fashion Buying with Design, and did a year in industry between second and third year.

Q: What did you want your first job to be?

A: I always knew I wanted to work in fashion because I love sewing my own clothes, but wasn’t sure what department I wanted to go into, especially because there are so many roles you may not be aware of when you're at uni. I love design but also the whole business aspect within a retailer, so buying is a perfect inbetween role as I get to do both.

Q: What work experience did you get before landing the position?

A:My first ever job before was in a Save The Children charity shop aged 14, where I would help my grandma in school holidays because I got to help dress the windows! When I was at school and during my gap year before university I worked on the shop floor at Next. At uni in my first year, I then did a two-month design internship for a footwear supplier in Shoreditch (it was owned by a family friend) who create shoes for lots of high street brands including Topshop.

Between second and third year at uni, I moved to Amsterdam to do a work placement for the ski and surf company O'Neill. I worked in the Outerwear and Accessories department, and my job was to look at designs for the outerwear department and source them from factories. It was an amazing place to work with a very chilled atmosphere; people would skateboard to the printers and the whole office was surf themed! I also loved the opportunity to live in Amsterdam.

It was a paid placement but the salary was very little - luckily I was able to get a Eurasmus loan as I was doing an industry placement abroad, which helped me support myself.

Q: Do you think your qualifications were paramount to landing your first job?

A: I do think my qualifications did help me get where I am today, yes, because I worked very hard in my final year of uni and graduated with a first-class degree. It's such a competitive industry that I think even with lots of work experience, this really helped.

Q: What was the interview process like?

A: I first started applying for jobs in my final year at uni, starting around Christmas. My first assessment centre was for a grad scheme at M&S, which was a really long process which included online applications, a video interview and a face-to-face interview, as well as multiple tasks.

I also had a interview with Primark, which also consisted of online applications and a face-to-face interview, where I had to create and present a mood board!

When I graduated, I then applied for a job at Topshop/Topman, and as well as a face-to-face interview, I had to create trend boards for both brands. I was lucky enough to receive a couple of job offers as a result of the multiple interviews, but chose Topshop in the end.

Q: What advice do you have for anyone wanting to do the same thing?

A: Gain as much work experience as possible. The industry is always hiring interns - it may not be paid, but in the long run it will help you get to where you want to be!

The interview process when you're trying to land a job is long, and can be intense, so I wish I'd prepared a little more for some of them and put myself in the best position possible. My uni was really helpful with sending us any job openings in buying and design for graduates, so make sure you exploit any opportunities or advice they might give you.

Dusty Baxter-Wright Cosmopolitan’s Acting Entertainment Editor Dusty Baxter-Wright (she/her) is Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan UK across print, digital and video.