I’m an EA at a small, regional shelter magazine in DC. I’ve been here a little more than a year, and am getting rather bored. I’ve talked to the EIC about getting extra work, which has happened, but I think I’ve done as much as I can do here without stepping on the assistant editor’s toes. I’d like to move up, and out as well. I’d love something at House & Garden, Domino or the like, and I’m willing to move to NYC to get it.
My question is, when is a good time to move and start working on that? Is a year of EA work too little to qualify me for assistant editor/associate editor jobs? I’d be willing to do more EA work at one of these magazines, but I know they hire primarily from intern pools, so I’m assuming I wouldn’t be a good candidate for that. Am I wrong? Should I apply for EA or for higher level stuff? Or should I stick it out at my current job, try to do more freelancing, and reconsider in a year?
Thanks everyone!
Thanks for the great advice! I think I’ll try to come up for the happy hour on the 25th, and while I’m there schedule some informationals. If anyone wants to go to lunch and commiserate or share tips, let me know!
I would do
I would do informationals—and also throw yourself into freelancing. Pitch, pitch, pitch to the national mags—that way, you’re getting your name out there, showing you can write for a national pub, AND that opens the door to other opportunities and places you on a competitive level …
Try Informational Interviews
Contact HR at Hearst, Meredith, Time, etc. And see about scheduling informational interviews. It’d be worth the trip to New York. If you make a good impression and something opens up at one of their shelter titles, they’ll contact you.
A lot of times positions aren’t posted online. And the only way to find out is through an inside contact. This is a good way to have an inside contact.
I’m actually in the same
I’m actually in the same boat as you are. I too am an EA at a regional trying to break into a national as an AE. I’ve been at my job for about 1.5 years, & am ready to move on. I’ve been applying to a lot of jobs (even had a few interviews) but no offers, yet. I think a year & several months is a reasonable amount of time to be an EA. I know that there’s no opportunity for advancement where I work (when people leave, the jobs are dissolved, so even though I’m doing the work of about 3 people, I’m still bored with what I do.) Plus, EAs aren’t allowed to write where I work, so I’m pretty sick of doing invoices and mailing out comp copies thankyouverymuch.
Here there’s no
Here there’s no opportunity because our entire edit staff is three people: the EIC, the AE, and myself. And to my knowledge the AE has no intention to go anywhere. She’s been with the company for seven years and is pretty set in her ways. So I’m pretty sure I have to leave to get more responsibilities.
On the upshot, I get at least one or two bylines every issue, so that’s why I’m wondering if it’s better to stay here until my resume looks better even though my actual responsibilities are unlikely to increase. That way I won’t end up taking a pay cut to do more comp copies and pay my dues all over again.