Carla Isabel Carstens runs freefashioninternships.com, a site offering–you guessed it, fashion internship listings. Good ones!

We asked Carla a bit about how she got started, what makes a good intern, and the one thing you want to make sure you never do when applying for a fashion internship:

Why did you decide to start Freefashioninternships.com?

It was honestly never intentional. While I was in college I would always research internship opportunities online, and one day out of sheer boredom I began posting them on a blog. Looking at these internships almost served as motivation because most of them were in New York, and I was attending school in San Diego at the time.

A few months after I initially began posting the opportunities, I had a friend of mine refer me to my own site! I knew I was on to something so I added contact information and a counter. I discovered that I was getting great traffic, and within a few days companies were contacting me to post their internships.

The site grew very quickly! Why do you think that happened?

I think a lot of people were/are in the same boat I was in. I didn’t know where to begin looking, I didn’t attend a school that had an emphasis in fashion, and I never came across any resources that were consistently updated with quality internships. Craigslist can only get you so far!

You went from in-demand intern to fashion PR maven–tell a bit of that story and how you did it.

I came across an internship on Craigslist for a San Diego-based that had actually been up for over a month. It was the first fashion internship in San Diego that I had ever come across, so I took my chances and contacted her anyway. I can honestly say that my first internship had the biggest impact on me out of any other I ever did. I was a jack-of-all-trades, handling everything from PR to Sales to Photography. I definitely learned how to be resourceful!

I then decided to take the plunge and move to New York to intern for a summer. I only intended to be there for 6 weeks, but I got another internship and ended up staying for 5 months! When I moved home, I began research companies online and saw that most action sports companies were based in San Diego and Orange County. I didn’t have the time to commute to LA as I was still in school, so this was a better option for me. Through my 4 years of college, I basically would intern in San Diego and Orange County during the school year, and move to New York to intern there during the summer.

You interned for a lot of great companies! What did you do to stand out among the applicants?

A good resume and cover letter! You would be shocked to see how many cover letters and resumes I get that are just awful – misspelled, incoherent or just plain unprofessional. Use the resources you have, like your Career Center at school. Although my Career Center couldn’t help me find a specific internship, they helped me with everything resume and cover letter-related.

What are the do’s and don’ts of the interview process?

• Bring multiple copies of your resume.
• Cancel your internship interview if you don’t plan on showing up! About 30% of the people I schedule interviews with do not show up, which is extremely disrespectful of my time.
• If you are going to be late, make sure to call ahead of time to inform your interviewer.
• Research the company you are interviewing with, and come up with a list of questions for your interviewer. This is how we gauge your seriousness about the position.
• After your interview takes place, make sure to send an e-mail thanking your interviewer for their time.

Most internships posted are for major cities like New York. What’s the best way to get an internship if you’re not in a major metro area?

Research local companies in your area, you’d be surprised what you’ll find. There are up-and-coming designers in every city who I’m sure could use an extra pair of hands. Also contact major retailers like Saks or Neiman Marcus in your area – most have in-house event and PR teams.

Any tips for ensuring a positive internship experience?

Be accountable, hard-working and positive.

If you’re in the market for a fashion internship, be sure to subscribe to freefashioninternships.com.

This is a guest post by Michelle Chai of Daisybutter. If you’d like to write a guest post for Style Sample, check out the guidelines and submit your idea.

“Oh, don’t be silly. Everyone wants this. Everyone wants to be ‘us’.”

With the lines between fashion and journalism becoming increasingly blurred in one of the fastest growing industries today, fashion internships have become the ‘job a million girls would kill for’. An internship is one of the only ways to get noticed at the moment–crucial to getting your foot in the door of the fashion world. Finding an internship can be a scary and daunting experience, and so many people are simply terrified of being in a Devil Wears Prada-esque situation.

My first interning experience was with more! magazine, a fast-growing, young women’s fashion weekly, and it was just as rewarding, hectic and exhausting as I had expected, if not more. There aren’t words to describe the whole experience as it really is something you have to try first-hand, but I learnt quickly about being independent, fast-thinking, organised and innovative in the industry.

Embrace every task with enthusiasm, even post collections and return duty; some interns that I worked with would outspokenly refuse to do these! Not cool. Although nothing is as glamorous as they make it look in movies, no two days are the same, and it is definitely not a typical 9-to-5 job. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Finding an Internship

Perfect your resume/CV.

Sending your CV online can be tricky. Convert it to PDF format so it can be easily read–many editors won’t bother struggling to open a CV when others are readily available. Put a sharp profile statement at the top under your personal details to catch the employer’s attention.

Prepare for initial disappointment.

Not every magazine or company you apply to will take you on. Many companies are booked up about six months in advance.

Be determined.

Think of ways that you stand out from all the hundreds of other people looking for the same thing as you. Write specific cover letters to each publication, perhaps congratulating them on features in recent issues.

Think outside the box.

So what if your dream career is to be Anna Wintour’s assistant? Think outside the box and apply to smaller publications, or even your local newspaper! Newspapers are an excellent way to gain experience, and you are much more likely to be taken out on a ‘job’ – perfect for your CV!

Address it to the right person.

Nothing puts off a potential employer like having emails addressed or spelled incorrectly. Take the time to check the magazine’s masthead (the page with all the names on!) and look for the appropriate recipient; if none is readily available, address your communication to the Managing Editor.

If you’re in the market for a fashion magazine internship, make sure you check out the following resources:

• Ed2010
• Free Fashion Internships.com
• Daily Fashion Jobs.com
• The Fashion Intern.com
• US Fashion Internships on Facebook
• Fashionista.com internships
• Global Experiences International Fashion Internships

Have you ever interned at a fashion magazine? Share your experience!