Internationally acclaimed stylist and designer — and soon to be talk show host — Rachel Zoe’s career has played out in front of millions thanks to her reality TV show “The Rachel Zoe Project.” Zoe is paid to give her expert advice to clients (including many celebrities) on the latest fashions and trends, but not much else. It seems the 43-year-old mother of two has a lot more to offer, however.

In a video for Glamour, Zoe discusses her varied career through the lens of her resume. Here’s some of the unique advice she had to offer for up-and-coming professionals:

  • Work at a restaurant. “I think restaurant experience is one of the greatest jobs. You’re getting your hands dirty, you’re working crazy hours. I think it’s like a boot camp.”
  • Go above and beyond for your dream job. Although Zoe didn’t major in fashion, she got a job as a fashion assistant at YM through a recommendation from her “parent’s friends’ daughter-in-law’s sister’s friend,” Zoe recalled. “I got paid pretty much nothing, working three days a week. But I wanted to go in five, so I would just go in on my off days because it was all I wanted to do.”
  • If you don’t trust the people you’re working with, leave. “I don’t think I’d ever been more excited about anything in my life,” Zoe said about her time working as a creative consultant to Halston. “But at the end of the day, when you realize that you can’t trust the people that you’re working with every day, you have to leave. Immediately, if not sooner. Run, don’t walk.”
  • Focus on your triumphs. “When I got inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America, it was a dream fulfilled,” Zoe said. “I look at it every day and it makes me happy, because that was a thing I never thought I could be a part of … ever.”

What career advice have you received that you found truly valuable? And what advice would you offer today to women just getting started in the retail industry? Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment below.