Teaching Creatives How to Present Themselves Professionally

Sacsha Flowers, NYSID’s new Career Services and Internship Coordinator, has worked in many different career services roles in both the corporate and academic worlds. Yet, she believes what best prepared her for her job at NYSID was her training as a creative, and her own career change from fashion designer to career coach.

Flowers got her BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design at The New School, and went on to practice fashion design for more than a decade, working for Calvin Klein and other large retailers. At a certain point, she realized what she loved most was coaching and advising, especially creatives. She didn’t want to go the traditional route of entering the business side of the fashion industry, so she “did the due diligence” and took stock of what energized her. She came to the conclusion that she wanted to help people make strategic moves in their careers. She pitched herself for a part time role at The New School as an Alumni Career Advisor, and got the job. She was later promoted to the full-time role at Parsons as a Student Success Advisor where she oversaw Fashion Design and Marketing cohorts. In 2018, Alexander Wang Inc. recruited her for a job as a Creative Talent Manager, which required her to recruit and retain creative talent. She says, “I speak the language of both creatives and corporate hiring departments.” We sat down with Ms. Flowers, who started working with NYSID in December 2020 to discuss her vision for the Office of Career Services at NYSID.

NYSID: What do you love most about what you do?

SF: I love seeing people have their own “AH-HA” moments. When you approach your career, you have to take stock of what you ultimately want. It starts with self evaluation. Once you go through this reflection period, I can help you connect the dots between your passion and what it takes to get there. This starts with making your story digestible and easy to understand and with the sharpening of your resume, cover letter, and portfolio.

NYSID: What innovations do you want to bring to Career Services at NYSID?

SF: I want to create a more robust career development plan for students and alumni. This will give them the training and resources they need to get to their first professional opportunity. The first step would be creating a virtual course that would live on Canvas (NYSID’s Learning Management Software). That way, students who are not coming to campus because of the pandemic or any other reason can get step-by-step advice on creating a resume, cover-letter and portfolio, as well as interviewing tips, from a distance. This would be a free resource to students, not something for credit. I also want to update the career services section of NYSID’s website to build a more informational user experience for potential employers, students, and alumni.

NYSID: What’s your best piece of advice for students seeking internships?

SF: I have several pieces of advice!

• When you’re in school, it’s the best time to try things. You might have an idea where you’d like to end up but it’s best to be as open as possible. Do two or three internships that really contrast each other so you have diverse experiences. Try to get exposure to the creative and business sides of interior design. Work in a huge firm and a boutique firm. Try to get some real work experience in different sectors: residential, hospitality, workplace, and healthcare design. This will all help to inform what you are most interested in.

• Make sure the firm you’re interning for is reputable. Your first step should be the NYSID job board because we vet internships and only accept paid positions. Be hesitant to accept any internship that’s not paid because you may find yourself doing more than what the position should require. If you find an interesting internship outside of the NYSID job board, gather information on the firm from professors, peers, and from career services. It’s critical to do your research. 

• Don’t say yes to any offer because it’s the first offer. It’s ok to turn down an internship offer that you know is not going to be mutually beneficial. Trust yourself.     

NYSID: So why did you say “yes” to this job NYSID?

SF: I felt I could come here and make a difference with what I have to offer as a career changer and creative thinker. I love the sense of community amongst students, alumni, faculty and staff. I noticed that people typically work at NYSID for many years and that says something about how the College invests in its employees.