Continuing my coverage (and flourishing admiration) of Garmental.com, I decided to interview their intern, Taryn about her experiences working for the dot-com.
NIF: Hi Taryn, which Chicago school do you attend?
Taryn: DePaul University
NIF: Tell me about your program of study and 2 of your favorite courses.
Taryn: I am a double major In PR/AD and Communication Studies. Two of my favorite classes were Intro to Advertising and Dating and Communication. I really enjoyed the final 
project for Intro to Advertising; we had to develop an ad campaign for a non-profit organization in Chicago – it was a great learning experience. I liked the Dating and Communication class because it was very interesting to learn all the different aspects of how people interact with one another in a relationship.
NIF: Does your school offer assistance in finding internships?
Taryn: Yes, DePaul has a great career center that is very helpful to students and alumni; they offer networking events, workshops, and also post internships on a website called Experience. I would recommend that students post their resume on the site, because it allows employers to their view profile and reach out to them. They also have career advisors available to meet with students for every college.
NIF: How did you come across this opportunity?
Taryn: I work at Shop857, a boutique that is featured on Garmental.com. I reached out to Suzanne to see if Garmental was looking for intern because I love the website and I thought it would be a really good experience to learn hands-on what it takes to run a successful fashion website.
NIF: Tell me a little bit about the application/interview process…
Taryn: Suzanne and I met for coffee; the interview process was a bit informal, which I enjoyed, since it was more relaxed. We spoke about my interest in fashion and various fashion sites/ blogs I look at, school and different outlets students use as to get fashion news. We also spoke upcoming Garmental/GarmentalU projects.
NIF: What are your responsibilities as an intern? Which classes would help a student prepare for your internship?
Taryn: As of right now, my main responsibilities are to curate local/national fashion articles for the websites. I believe writing for PR would help prepare students for my internship. I learned how to write various types of print in the class – these skills can be applied to my internship now, and also my work in the future.
NIF: What has your favorite experience been so far with Garmental?
Taryn: I can’t say I have one favorite experience… I think that being involved in the styling process for one of Garmental’s recent news segments was such a cool experience. I was also able to be a part of an interview we did with Teresa from the Real Housewives during Fashion’s Night Out – this showed me firsthand what the interview process is like with a celebrity.
NIF: Which post/page on the Garmental is your favorite and why?
Taryn: One of my favorite outfits featured on Garmental was the Miss Business post, which was also posted on the GarmentalU Facebook page. I loved it because I am going to be entering the working world at the end of the school year and I find it to be such a challenge to look fashionable in business attire. I think that this is great for those students looking for a perfect interview outfit. I also love the pink clutch – it adds a pop of color to the outfit.
NIF: What do you think the campus style reps will get out of their experience contributing to Garmental?
Taryn: I think the GarmentalU style reps will be able to express their fashion advice and style to a wide audience. It’s such a great way to get involved in the online fashion scene. You never know who is looking at your posts; GarmentalU definitely opens many doors to students trying to get ahead in the fashion industry. Apply to be a GarmentalU Style Rep here!
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About Garmental
Garmental.com is an online community of local shopping & style. Garmental puts you, the shopper, in touch with the very best local brands and boutiques. They provide fashion-obsessed, savvy shoppers with style inspiration, boutique search and mapping, giveaways, sale and local fashion news updates.
