Dear Ed,
I recently applied for an editorial assistant position. I was called in for an interview, but was told I don’t have enough
experience for the EA job, but they wanted to consider me for an unpaid internship. I’m a recent graduate with a degree in Journalism, I’ve already done an internship, and I have clips. Is that not enough anymore?
Ana, New York City
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Dear Ana,
One internship can be enough. But if you’ve applied and applied and haven’t gotten any interviews, it may be worth doing a post-grad internship. The competition for EA jobs is fierce, so you may be up against grads with three or more internships. Why not make yourself more qualified?
If taking an unpaid internship isn’t an option for you, though, pitch stories like crazy to small pubs and Web sites, then bigger mags: You’ll not only get paid for anything that gets published, but you’ll also add experience to your resume and make contacts who can help you get a job.
It’s true that all you used to need was one internship—or even just experience on your college newspaper—to land an EA job. But there are fewer magazines around and more qualified people who want the entry-level spots. So beef up that resume with freelance, temp, or internship work, and try, try again.
