Resume: Check. Perfect interview outfit: Check. Remembering to read the masthead before the interview? Whoops! In this competitive industry, it’s hard enough to land a meeting, let alone the job, and the last thing you want to do is look unprepared. Ed feels your pre- (and post) interview pain,so he put together this list of things to know before you go.
Last Wednesday, Rodale announced that its popular men’s magazine, Best Life, would close; its May issue (on newsstands next month) will be its last and, according to AdAge.com, the website will be going dark as well. The five-year-old title, a spinoff of Men’s Health, actually had a 6.6 percent increase in ad sales last year and an average circulation of about 520,000. But, after reporting a first quarter drop in ad sales of 36.3 percent, the decision was made to fold the magazine.
Adam Raymond, 23, is a recent casualty of what Gawker deemed the Great Magazine Die-Off. He was an associate editor at Radar, a magazine that unceremoniously folded, possibly for good this time, the week before Halloween.
Did you always know that you wanted to work at a magazine?
I went to Williams College fully intending to go to law school. But when it came time to apply, I realized that’s not what I wanted to do. So after I graduated, I moved to New York and got a job in finance because I figured I should learn about business…
Getting your first magazine job is easier when you’re a go-getter, but Ed knows that being a go-getter isn’t always easy. That’s why at the latest book club meeting, we read Debra Shigley’s The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide: Get What You Want in Work and Life (and Look Great While You’re at It) . The young author began her media career at CNN, and then worked full-time as an editor for Atlanta magazine. She’s also written for Allure, Fast Company, and Daily Candy. Shigley took the time to explain why only applying to posted jobs isn’t nearly enough and give Ed some of her other top tips for whippersnappers looking for their first job.
Love it or hate it, networking’s a big part of making it in this industry—the more people you know, the more word-of-mouth jobs you’ll find out about. So how do you expand your network? Gain amazing contacts and, more importantly, learn how to keep them, with these dos and don’ts:
As if you needed reminding, breaking into magazines is tough, but doing it as a minority applicant can be even tougher.
“People still believe that blacks don’t read magazines, as evidenced by who’s on magazine covers,” says Wendy Wilson, a staff writer at Essence. “Editors and hiring managers need to realize that there are more minorities who are highly educated and have the experience and the pedigree needed to get the job done.”
Ed’s taking time off from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3, but he didn’t want to leave you with nothing to read! (That would be so unEd.) So he asked his buddies what they’re hoping to get for the holidays. Here’s what’s on their wish lists:
“All I want for Christmas is health insurance!” —Kaitlin, a freelance assistant
“People aside from my grandparents to read my blog.” —Michelle, an aspiring food writer
“All I want for Christmas is the launch of five new magazines so my friends and I can land jobs and start paying off these piles of loans after graduation.” —Jessie, a college senior
Do you need to get a thank-you clue or are you an etiquette expert? Take this quiz to find out if you need to brush up on your thank-you note know-how.
1. When you’re done with an interview, you:
A—Wait and see if they hire you.
B—Send the editor a box of chocolates to show how much you want the job.
C—E-mail her and tell her how nice it was to meet her, and that you’re looking forward to working on the edit test.
D—Write a nice, handwritten thank-you card and drop it in the mail that day or the next morning.
What is your best piece of advice for recent graduates?
If you’re interviewing with a magazine editor, make sure you’ve read her magazine! Have some thoughts and questions about it, and be able to talk about where you think you’d best contribute and where you’d like to fit in down the road. Keep your mind open about job possibilities when you interview with people. …..
Ed was an intern once, and he knows how important it is to intern your a$$ off in order to gain experience in this industry! Ed also knows that in this economy, most internships aren’t going to pay you, but they will require that you receive school credit for your work. Ed talked to some enterprising whippersnappers who landed credit-only internships when they weren’t technically eligible to receive credit. Here are their secrets:
The scenario Your college doesn’t offer credit for internships, or the extra credit costs an arm and a leg.
Sure, they’re all happily employed now, but the members of Ed’s staff were once jobless college grads trying desperately to make it in the magazine world. Read on for some inspiration:
The story ideas that you pitch can make or break your test. Find out what stands out—and what gets you taken out of the running for a job.
GET TO KNOW THE MAGAZINE
Head to your library and dig through the past six issues. “That will help you conceptualize and package ideas for the sections that you’re pitching and get you on the same wavelength as the magazine’s editors,” says Wendy Naugle, Deputy Health Editor at Glamour.
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
“It’s a tough climate. The amount of jobs is shrinking. The best thing you can do is get your foot in the door as an intern. That’s how you meet all the possible people who can bring you back as an employee. And if you want to write, our editors are always up for suggestions, ideas, and reading your stuff. We’re always looking for talent. Take advantage of where you are [as an intern] and try to make those contacts.”
- Jann Wenner, Founder and Editor of Rolling Stone
For the subway-riding, cocktail-drinking among us, it can be tough to remember that magazine journalism exists—and thrives—outside of New York City. But it does and, as it turns out, there are lots of advantages to magazine life outside of the Big Apple. Ed’s recent survey reveals how the other half lives.
With happy hours around the corner in both New York and Chicago, Ed wanted to give you some pointers so you get as much out of them as possible.
1. If you’re shy, come with somebody.
Whether it’s a co-worker or a friend at another magazine, having a buddy will make it easier for you to approach other happy hour-goers. Don’t know anyone? Find a new pal on the message boards, meet a few minutes before the happy hour, then tackle the get-together.
2. Go with the right goal in mind.
Five years ago, magazine editors cringed when online media came up. They weren’t techy. They didn’t get it. They couldn’t understand the point.
But the days where editors can ignore the web are gone. Today, hiring editors will think you’re either lazy or out of the loop if you don’t have basic online skills or can’t use the lingo. In this climate, one of your best chances to land a job is at a website. But how do you do it when you only have print experience? Take your cue from these print-to-web editors.
“I’m giving my notice. I’ve decided to move to New York.” At the time, those were the scariest couple of sentences I’d ever said. After working as the Associate Editor for Boston Common for almost three years, I knew if I didn’t give New York a shot, it could become my biggest regret.
What is your best piece of advice for recent graduates?
Don’t worry about finding the perfect job. If there’s one thing you really like about a company, you’ll get something out of working there. Maybe it’s exposure to the workings of a mega-circulation national magazine—even if you do nothing but make photocopies all day. Or you could be a vital part of a small staff at a title no one’s ever heard of. Maybe you’re really into chess; take that receptionist job at Chess Weekly. Or you might know someone on staff at an obscure medical journal who will look out for and mentor you. Chances are, your first few jobs won’t be all you ever dreamed of, but you can still meet great people and learn a lot.
Want to win some moola to live on while you take an unpaid internship? Chris Rackliffe did, and he’s Ed’s latest trust fund winner. The Baltimore, Maryland, native and Details intern sat down with Ed to tell us about who he is and how he won so you can be next.
What were your past internship experiences like?
Ed has seen it for himself—at every advice panel, there’s always a whippersnapper in the back of the room who asks, “But what do I do if I don’t have any writing experience yet?” Or better yet, “What can I do if I don’t have any online writing experience?” How have both magazine and web editors been answering lately? Start your own blog.
Yes, there are many editors who went the typical intern-editorial assistant-assistant editor-associate editor route. But there are plenty of others who made it a different way. Whether you’re a late bloomer or a career changer, get inspired by these editors’ atypical career paths.
L. Nicole Williams, a 2007 graduate of Florida State University, felt behind the curve when she finished her English degree. A one-time Olympic hopeful, the softball player bounced between sports PR and marketing gigs before sprinting after her lifestyle editorial dreams.
Ed was an intern once, and he said some silly things to his editors that he regrets. But now that he’s an editor, he can laugh about those days…and cringe about the ridiculous things that come out of his friends’ interns’ mouths. If you’re hoping your editor will be a reference for you some day, never ever say the below (all uttered by real interns, by the way!).
“Your edit made my story worse.”
Ed knows that not all of you want to work at a women’s magazine, so we got in touch with Jim Meigs, EIC of Popular Mechanics, the Hearst men’s magazine about science, technology, cars, and electronics. Meigs, who has spent his last five years in this post, told us about how he worked his way up the magazine ladder, the merits of working at trade magazines, and how a lack of typing skills almost got in the way of his success.
Did you always know you wanted to work in magazines?
