I’m currently on my seventh intern/assistant, so I just wanted to shed some light on the topic. I formatted this post into a Q&A with the most common questions I receive.

How do you find your interns?
I prefer to find my interns through recommendations, but it’s not always that easy since my interns are generally students and I’m many years out of college. My current intern, Alex Levy (who is amazing btw), was referred to me by a friend who knows her cousin. That’s the best case scenario since I open my home and world up to my interns, so obviously welcome the extra vetting.

Another way I find interns is through LinkedIn. I search for people whose profiles say, “Looking for fashion internship,” and then reach out about the opportunity to work for me. This has been a very successful method for me, and I’ve been extremely lucky with the talent I’ve found.

Do you interview them first?
YES! And I’m sure you’ll see why in about 2 seconds. I get a bunch of emails from excited college students interested in working for me. While it’s tempting to just accept the free help, it’s vital to see if it’s a good match. One girl who emailed me about an internship seemed extremely passionate via email, but when she came in for her interview, she could not name a single other blogger, had no experience using social media, and even asked me if she would need to borrow a computer for this internship. It was clearly not a good fit and when I emailed her later that I loved her passion, but was looking for someone with more social media experience, she sent me a very rude response telling me I wasted her valuable time. I don’t care how many projects she could have helped me with, hiring someone with an attitude problem is never a good idea.

Do you pay your interns?
At this point, I have not paid any of my interns in dollar form. What I do is provide them with swag, invites to exclusive events and NYFW, and the opportunity to earn commision. I also make sure only to assign work on their pre-arranged intern day, with a focus on whatever aspect of the blog interests them most. If they enjoy writing, I have them them write blog posts. If they like photography, we shoot together. If they’re social media junkies, I let them own various channels. My assistants are always given the credit they deserve and know they can reach out even after they move on. (And believe me, they always do!)

What kind of work do you give them?
The workload is always different based on current projects and each intern’s interests, but there are some tasks all my interns take on. Responsibilities generally include maintaining various social platforms, building relationships with brands and other bloggers, curating and creating original content for both social media and the blog, working on the backend, and submitting photos for features. I tell this to every intern before they start, “You get what you put in.”

Do you guys work out of an office?
If I had an office, we totally would! Since I don’t, we just work out of my home or a nearby coffee shop. Some of my interns have even worked remotely.

Is it worth the hassle of training them?
Sometimes. If they’re passionate and dedicated, it’s always worth it. Even if they only stay two months, if they care about doing a good job and take direction well, they will be beneficial to your business. If they’re just looking to score some free swag and have something to put on their resume, probably not. These types of people will most likely do subpar work that you constantly need to double check and then leave you after a few months. Managing someone is a job in itself, so make sure the quality of work you’ll be receiving is worth the amount of time you’ll spend training.

Have any other questions? Feel free to email me or comment below.

OUTFIT BREAKDOWN
Grey Tassel Sweatshirt: West Kei (c/o)
Black Mini Skirt: H&M
Waldorf Chain Party Bag: Henri Bendel (c/o)
Black Tights: Hue
Black Marina Booties: M4D3 Shoes (c/o)

Photography: Fausto Nuñez

xx Esther