Annie H. is the Senior PR and Communications & Influencer Manager at Benefit Cosmetics based in the Lovely London HQ! Although her experience and skills place her among the Top PR Executives in the UK, her start in the Fashion & Beauty industry wasn’t so glamorous at first! Annie was very kind to share her story with The Agency De La Mode on her journey through university, internships & graduate jobs on her path to success!

Why did you decide to pursue a career in the Fashion & Beauty Industry?

When I was younger, fashion and style (and going out!) were the only things i was really interested in and passionate about. I once heard a saying ‘find a job that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.’ I knew Icould’t continue to stay in a sales role, as whilst it paid the bills, it killed my soul! And i always had that dreaded feeling on a Sunday night, knowing that i had work the following day. I had to change my life so the first step was enrolling at uni and getting onto a fashion course.

What was your professional background before you entered university?

I started in customer services for big High Street retailers (Boots, Tesco and then Vodafone), which I really enjoyed, because I liked interacting with people. Starting in customer services gave me a really good understanding and discipline of dealing with different types of people for all walks of life and was good training on a professional level to be able to work with all different levels of seniority, ages and backgrounds. I was then enticed into more of a sales role which incorporated many of my customer service skills, and paid more, but was driven by targets. Whilst I was relatively good at sales, I found that I just didn’t react well in such a pressured environment and especially for something that i had absolutely zero passion for. That was when i knew that i needed to make a change.

What were the main challenges you faced during your studies?

The main pressures I faced was managing a part time job on top of my studies and with a child under two years old. I also found uni itself quite isolating and the other girls in my class were not interested in making friends, and at times it was actually quite bitchy. It was pretty lonely and felt really ‘dog-eat-dog’ at times, so i mostly kept myself to myself, which was a bit rubbish but you only have yourself to rely on at the end of the day!

Why was it important for you to gain industry experience and do an internship during your studies?

Because being in the fashion / beauty industry, academic results are important, but experience opens so many more doors and helps you make real connections. So many people want to work in fashion or beauty but the only way you will get cut through is by meeting people and making connections, building a good reputation and demonstrating a great work ethic.

Describe your first professional industry internship and how did that shape your industry perspective.

My first internship was for Fabulous Magazine, which is a supplement to the Sun newspaper on a Sunday. I was there with 2 other interns and one of those girls had been in her placement for four months already with no payment. I quickly realised that if i wanted to get noticed and get a job, I would have to put some real time and effort into these placements. I would need to make real connections with people, ask questions, be a yes person at all times, and be the first in and the last out everyday. I was only at Fabulous magazine for two weeks so I really had to make it count. When you do a good job and you are helpful and efficient, people remember you and are likely to recommend you. This was true for me, and fortunately, the Beauty Director at Fabulous magazine recommended me to the M.A.C Cosmetics PR team, which helped me secure a 3-month placement with them, which then turned into six months, then into nine months and then finally, they created a full-time, permanent role for me.

How did you transition from an Internship into a First Post-Study Job?

I got 3 month internship at M.A.C whilst i was on my summer break from uni. I was only two years into the four year course at this point so when they offered me a 3 month placement, I had to make a decision to leave university and put everything i had into this opportunity, or turn it down and go back to uni. For me, the internship at M.A.C was a once-in-a-lifetime chance within a brand that i was obsessed with, so i decided it was sink or swim. My rationale was that i was studying at uni to create opportunities like this for myself and it might have never have come around again so i took the risk, and left my part time job and my uni course and went into the internship with M.A.C with the mindset that they would never want to let me go. And fortunately, the risk paid off!

What is your role at the moment and how long did it take you to achieve the success you have today?

I am now the Senior Communications and Influencer Manager for Benefit Cosmetics UK. I started in PR 10 years ago and have steadily grown to this level over the years. It took me about 6 years to get to management level and another 2 years to get to senior management level.

What tips would you give to your uni-self?

Apply for as many internships as you can and allow yourself plenty of time to secure a position somewhere. Internships get booked up months in advance. Stay positive, network as much as you can, become obsessed with the area you want to progress in, so when you land your dream internship you can demonstrate where you can already add value to the team by knowing your subject so well, no never means no, keep it simple, be AUTHENTIC! People can see right through you when you are putting on an act so dont try to ‘fit’ into the industry, be yourself and let the industry fit you. People will warm to you more if they can see you are genuinely passionate. I could go on forever but treat people with kindness, stay humble and work hard. Its pretty simple really :-)

What skills and qualities do you think are valuable for the professional fashion market?

Be a team player, we able to work quickly but efficiently, be willing to take direction but also be to challenge if you really think something could be done in a better way, be a problem solver, common sense is key, courtesy and gratitude get you everywhere, be reliable, hardworking, friendly and know your subject!

When you're recruiting for your team what skills and personal traits are you looking for in a candidate?

It really depends on the role and what skills i need to deliver the results i need to within that role. If Iam looking for someone in a PR role, their personality is really important. You need to be able to warm to them immediately their job is all able making connections and getting our brand name out there. Its also really important that they are a team player, hard working, and hungry to achieve targets. Its really important also to be disruptive, so somebody who can show real creativity and thinking outside of the box goes really far. If i am looking for someone in a more analytical role, its really important that the person is obsessed with numbers and data. Someone who can take this information and use it to inform a strategy. Someone who uses facts and figures to make decisions but is also really collaborative and can layer the creative ideas with their facts and figures to create a robust, informed PR plan.

An Interview with Annie H. - PR Director of a leading Premium Beauty Brand