NEW YORK — With fashion week winding down last Friday, more than 800 people seeking jobs in the industry got down to business at WWD Fashion Career Expo, just blocks from the Bryant Park tents.
Human resources representatives from 70 brands, including L’Oréal, Coach, Gap, H&M, Loro Piana, Phillips-Van Heusen and Movado, took booths at the event in Gotham Hall for the fifth edition of the job fair, the first sponsored by WWD. Job seekers with two years of industry experience and a college degree were invited to meet with companies and distribute résumés.
Firms were primarily looking for part-time and full-time retail sales associates and retail management positions.
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“This is an opportunity to take six months of interviews and compress them into one day,” said Bradford Rand, president and chief executive officer of Fashion Career Expo. “It’s great exposure for fashion industry recruitment.”
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Tourneau representative Scott Alijan said the one-day show was a success.
“We met with 50 people and we have 10 prospects for various positions,” he said.
Laura Bonilla, human resources assistant manager for Zara, was looking to fill retail sales associate positions and management roles.
“We’ve had 100 people come by and there are about 20 to 30 possibilities,” Bonilla said.
Abercrombie & Fitch was not trying to fill any specific positions, but wanted to have a presence at the fair, said Joe Medved, senior director of recruitment for the firm.
Tiffany & Co. touted its new Web site, tiffanycareers.com, and was searching for candidates to fill full-time and seasonal sales jobs at its Manhattan flagship.
Nancy Spruiell, a former production manager seeking employment, said the fair was encouraging.
“I would never have had the chance to approach cosmetic companies like Bare Escentuals, because I don’t have a background in it … but they told me that going into the cosmetics industry wasn’t so far-fetched,” she said.