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Management

Anna Wintour just gave the best career advice ever

By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
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By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
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March 2, 2015, 2:27 PM ET
Salvatore Ferragamo - Arrivals - MFW FW2015
MILAN, ITALY - MARCH 01: Anna Wintour attends the Salvatore Ferragamo show during the Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2015 on March 1, 2015 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)Photograph by Jacopo Raule — Getty Images

Vogue editor Anna Wintour has some advice for young fashion industry employees: Get fired.

“Everyone should be sacked at least once in their career because perfection doesn’t exist,” Wintour, 65, told author Alastair Campbell for his new book, Winners: And How They Succeed. “It’s important to have setbacks, because that is the reality of life.”

Wintour has reportedly been fired before. She got booted from a position at Harper’s Bazaar in 1975 after being there for just nine months, according to Us Magazine.

The famed editor doled out some additional advice: “People work better when they have responsibility,” she said. Wintour also suggested it’s important to exude confidence on the job. “Even if you aren’t sure of yourself, pretend that you are, because it makes it clearer to everyone else.”

About the Author
By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
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Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

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