Fashion & Lifestyle Recruitment – Candidate FAQ

If you're considering a new role in fashion or lifestyle, this page answers practical questions about working with Encore Recruitment, from applying or sending us your CV to interviews, offers and starting a new role.

Key Takeaways

• We recruit permanent, fixed-term and freelance roles across fashion and lifestyle businesses throughout the UK.
• There is no charge to candidates, and we only represent you for an opportunity with your agreement.
• We stay involved with you and the client throughout the recruitment process, right up until the start date.

Fashion & Lifestyle Recruitment

What sectors does Encore Recruitment recruit for?

We recruit across fashion, accessories, footwear, homeware and beauty.

Our clients include brands, retailers, suppliers and importers looking for people to join their businesses on a permanent or fixed-term basis.

Explore our Fashion & Lifestyle recruitment sectors.

What types of roles do you recruit for?

We recruit across buying, merchandising, design, technical, product, production, sales, marketing, HR, operations and support roles.

That includes junior positions through to senior appointments across different parts of a fashion or lifestyle business.

Where do you recruit?

Across the UK.

Encore Recruitment is based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and works with fashion and lifestyle businesses recruiting throughout the UK.

Do you recruit permanent, fixed-term, freelance or temporary roles?

We recruit permanent, fixed-term and freelance employees.

We don't supply temporary.

Do I have to pay Encore Recruitment?

No. There is no charge to you for applying, sending us your CV, being represented or being recommended for a role.

The business recruiting pays Encore Recruitment a fee when they hire someone through us.

Applications, CVs & Opportunities

What happens when I apply for a role?

We'll review your application against the role you've applied for, and everyone who applies receives a response.

If there is something to explore together, we'll get in touch to talk about it. If there isn't, we'll let you know that you haven't been successful at this stage.

What happens when I send you my CV?

We'll let you know we've received it.

If we have a role we think could be relevant, we'll contact you to talk about it.

We'll work through our recruitment process with you, and only send your CV to a client for a role with your agreement.

Do I need to be actively looking for a new role to speak to you?

No. You may be actively looking, thinking about what you want to do next, or we may contact you about an opportunity we think could be worth discussing.

A conversation gives us both the chance to learn more and decide whether there is something worth exploring.

Confidentiality & Representation

Will you send my CV or details to a client without asking me?

No. We only send your CV or identify you to a client when you know the opportunity and have agreed that you want us to represent you for it.

Read the guidelines behind our Recommendation Standard.

Can you approach a business on my behalf if they don't have a role advertised?

Yes, where we agree together that there is a reason to make an approach.

If there isn't an identified vacancy, we can agree to approach a business without initially identifying you.

If the business is interested in finding out more, we'll come back to you before your identity or details go any further.

Interviews & Decisions

How will you help me prepare for an interview?

We'll prepare with you for the interview you've been asked to attend.

That means looking at the role, the business, who you're meeting and what the client has asked of you. If you've been asked to prepare something specific, such as a presentation, that becomes part of the preparation too.

We'll help you think about what you want to communicate so you can express your experience and thinking clearly as yourself.

Preparation isn't only about whether you're right for the role. The interview is also your opportunity to understand more about the role, the business and the people you could be working with, and decide whether you want to continue.

What happens after an interview?

We'll speak with you about how the interview went and what you learned from it, and we'll speak with the client about their feedback and next steps.

An interview can give both sides information they didn't have before. You may both want to continue, one side may decide not to, or there may be more to discuss before either side decides.

We'll make sure you know where things stand as the process develops.

What happens if I decide I don't want to continue?

You can decide not to continue at any stage.

We'll talk through your decision with you, make sure the client knows where things stand and discuss what happens next.

Applying, agreeing to be represented or attending an interview doesn't take the career decision away from you.

What happens if the client decides not to continue?

We'll let you know and, where possible, help you understand the feedback behind the decision.

We'll talk through the feedback with you and what it means for what comes next. That might be another opportunity, or simply staying in touch.

Offers & Starting

What happens if I'm offered the role?

We'll talk you through the offer so you know what the client is proposing.

You can ask questions, consider the information you've gathered throughout the process and decide whether you want to accept.

An offer is the client's decision to ask you to join them. Whether you accept it remains your decision.

What happens between accepting an offer and starting?

We stay in contact with you and the client right up until your start date.

That includes the period around resignation, your notice period and preparation for joining the new business.

Questions can still come up after an offer has been accepted. Staying in touch gives you somewhere to raise them and means we remain involved until you're ready to start.

Explore our five-stage Recruitment Process to understand how we work from the first conversation through to starting a new role.

Ready to Explore Your Next Role?

Start a conversation about where you’d like to go. You can either View Jobs→ or Contact Us→ or Send CV→