Hi Dana,
It's smart that you're looking for spring internships—they,
along with fall internships, are less competitive so you're more likely
to land a good one than if you were looking for one in the summer. In
fact, oftentimes editors complain that their "off season"
internships go unfilled! They can't find enough good people to fill
them! Can you believe it? I'm talking huge magazines—like Cosmo
or Self! So it's the best time to look for an internship—especially
your first one.
And while it's great that you're thinking about this now, in September,
you're a bit ahead of the game. Editors usually don't look to hire their
interns for spring semester (which usually runs from mid-January to
early May) until December. So there's not much you can do right now
anyway. And, most of the internships that are available in the spring,
as opposed to summer, aren't part of any official internship program
(like Time Inc's or Condé Nast's or ASME). They are usually the
kind where one editor at a magazine is looking for an intern for her
specificially rather than HR or some internship coordinator hiring a
team of interns for the whole staff/company.
On Ed2010 we get TONS of internships posted for fall and spring—go
to the Ed on Campus Internship page—at the end of the year. Apply for all that look appealing to you. Write tailored cover letters (don't even think about sending a form letter where you plug in the name of the magazine!) and make sure that you send your stuff to the right person (see other Ask Ed questions here for tips). It's really that easy. You
can also call up (google them or call 411) your favorite magazines and
ask them if they hire interns for the spring and ask for their procedures
for applying (make sure you get an actual person's name to send your
stuff to); but still, I'd wait till December to do this. Earliest, after
Thanksgiving. If you really want one, you'll get one.
The hard part is that most internships, in fact, almost all of them,
are unpaid. You may have to work part-time a Starbucks or somewhere
else to make ends meet. And crash on the couch of a friend who lives
here (or wherver your internship is). But it's the best investment you
can make for your career. Nothing beats internship experience. You can
have all Ds on your transcript but 3 great internships on your resume
and get hired no problem. Get all As in college with no internships?
Chances are no employer would even consider you.
Love,
Ed
