Ah, summer, the season where flocks of interns hit the city and start (or continue) their magazine editorial careers. But there are some things you should know before you start so you keep your editors happy. (Warning: Ed’s going to give it to you straight. He still loves you and all, but this isn’t for the faint of heart.)
Always complete an assigned task
Unless you tell your editor otherwise, she’ll assume that you’ve finished any assignment she’s given you on deadline. Ed recently asked one of his interns to get a quote from a particular expert. When that expert couldn’t be reached, the intern gave up. The hole in the story still existed, so what should that intern have done? Tell the editor the situation (“Mrs. Expert is in Tahiti with no phone or email access until next year”) and suggest a new expert to call to get a quote from (“Mrs. Expert’s friend, Mr. Expert, did similar research and is in the states. Would it be okay if I called him for some info instead?”. But what did that intern do? Nothing. And what did Ed do for that intern when an EA job opened up? Also nothing.
Keep your editor updated
Unfortunately, there’s a fine line between letting your editor know what you’re working on and wasting her time. A good rule of thumb: If you’ve hit a point on an assignment and you can’t go any further on it without your editor’s help, ask her for it! Or if you’ve finished something and you’re looking for something else to do, tell your editor. But telling your editor you’ve done 3/4 of the work and you’re going to finish the last quarter when she told you to complete it by is not necessary info to share.
Don’t disappear
Of course interns are entitled to lunch hours, but mid-day cigarette breaks? Not so much. Ed was pretty peeved when he needed urgent help at 3 p.m., and his intern was nowhere in the office. She was smoking and chatting on her cell phone out in front. Who caught her? Ed’s boss…who was even more annoyed.
Be proactive
It’s true: Sometimes your editors won’t have anything for you to work on. And even more often, it might be easier for them to do the tasks themselves than explain it to you. But sometimes editors could really use your help. If they don’t hear from you, they assume you’re working on something for another editor, not sitting there watching You Tube. Speak up when you’re looking for work. And if your editor doesn’t have anything for you, ask if it’d be cool with her if you offered your services to another department. She’ll likely say yes, and the more editors you know, the bigger your network is.
Do something!
If there’s really, really nothing anyone on staff needs your help with, make work for yourself. See a section of the magazine that isn’t as spunky as it used to be? Come up with ideas on improving it. See spelling errors on the website? Fix ‘em! If nothing else, read back issues and keep a running list of story ideas you can pitch when an opportunity arises.
Be grateful
Ed knows first-hand how much interning can suck sometimes (he once got bitched out by an EIC for not stirring her coffee enough before handing it over), but, even if it’s unpaid, you can be sure there were other candidates who wanted your internship and didn’t get it. So appreciate that you were chosen and get to spend your summer in a magazine office. Make time for all tasks, big and small, smile, and say thank you when appropriate.
