Making Scents of Your Future

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Making Scents of Your Future

By Joshua Klinski

For many consumers, a spritz of perfume or cologne is simply the final accessory to put on before leaving the house each morning. However, for thousands of chemists, researchers, advertising and marketing executives, package designers, and retailers, these fragrances are a source of very rewarding careers. In New York City alone, a number of organizations exist soley to provide information and resources to the public about the importance of fragrances, and the perfume industry in particular. This past fall, The Fragrance Foundation, Sense of Smell Institute, and Annette Green Museum co-sponsored a pilot career fair, hosted by Teen Vogue, to introduce high school students to career opportunities that are available in the industry. The New York Citywide School to Work Alliance provided technical assistance to the organizers in the areas of student outreach and presentation format.

Nearly 100 students across New York City gathered at the high profile Conde Nast publishing headquarters on October 16 to participate in "Making Scents of Your Future," a career fair that put young people face to face with industry leaders. New York City is America's "fragrance capital," with over 75 fragrance industry corporate offices in the metropolitan area as well as the firms that service them (for instance, advertising firms). However, the majority of young people are not aware of the vast career opportunities. Unlike health, legal, and entertainment professions, the perfume industry is rarely represented in the media and in classrooms. Through exposure to the industry at the career fair, students were encouraged to think about courses of study that they may not have considered otherwise.

Through a series of panel discussions, representatives from the perfume industry gave students a glimpse into their careers. Panels were set up to inform students about four specific areas of operation: marketing, packaging, research and development, and related careers. Panelists explained the main responsibilities of their jobs, and what education and experience is needed to enter the industry. They also stressed that people with a number of different specialties must work together to create a perfume. In fact, it takes over 200 people to create the final product.

After attending four breakout sessions, students had a better understanding about what is involved in producing a perfume from concept to final product. Many had learned about jobs that they never knew existed. For instance, panelists demonstrated that one very important, yet widely unknown part of perfume creation is a "nose." More than just a body part on the center of your face, a "nose" is the title of a person who is involved in the beginning stages of developing a perfume, far before it is ready to be packaged into a pretty bottle. Noses are asked to create a fragrance that is agreed upon by a client, and must mix various scents to create the finished product. Another crucial part of the process involves chemists, who work with the noses to make sure they have created the perfume with the exact amount of each ingredient so large quantities can be made.

A number of students were surprised and excited to hear that science plays such a large role in fragrance formation. Other students expressed interest in designing bottles and packages that contain perfume. Still others wanted to market the fragrances or be editors for cosmetology magazines. But what are the next steps? The closing presentation featured graduate students and admissions representatives from the Fashion Institute of Technology and Pratt Institute who talked about the fragrance programs at their schools. Topics included courses that should be taken in high school, grades that are necessary for admission, and specific fields you can enter with a degree.

The pilot career fair ended successfully with students returning to their schools, full of new insights. In addition to the information and resources panelists shared with them, students received books and magazines about the perfume industry. The Fragrance Foundation, Sense of Smell Institute and Annette Green Museum, with the help of the School to Work Alliance, are currently working on organizing another career fair for fall 2004.

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Winter 2004 Issue

> Alliance Workshops Offer Wealth of Resources

> Behind the Scenes—Careers in the Moving Image Industry

> School to Work Alliance Launches School-Business Partnership Building Workbook

> Coalition of NYC Non-Profits Advances Career Readiness