Dear Ed,
I’ve seen a couple of job postings that I feel like I’d be perfect for, but I’m only a college junior and I’m looking for a summer internship and not a real job. Can I apply for those jobs and try to convince them that it would be perfect for an intern instead, or would that just be a waste of my time?
-Jessica, Evanston, Illinois
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Dear Jessica,
Ed’s going to be blunt: It would be a waste of your time. Even if the responsibilities sound like something you could do as an intern, since you’d be going back to school, you wouldn’t be able to stay long-term, which is what editors need when they’re looking for editorial assistants and other full-time positions. Plus, the position may require experience that only someone who’s qualified for an editorial assistant job (that is, someone who’s held internships at national magazines before) has. And remember: If the job could be an internship, it would be. Publishing houses would much rather pay an intern a low hourly wage (or nothing at all!) with no benefits than a $30,000 per year salary to a full-time employee.
That being said, these magazines probably hire interns, too, and if they give those kinds of responsibilities to their editorial assistants, they may trust their interns with similar duties. So call up an editorial assistant there, ask who the internship coordinator is, and shoot her an e-mail with your cover letter and resume.
Love,
Ed