Ask Ed

How much information about my internship can I reveal in my personal blog?

ArianaF — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:55:11 -0700

Dearest Ed,

As all of us wannabe New Yorkers nestle into our respective internships (and endearingly teeny, tiny apartments), can you give us the DL on blogging boundaries? A blog is a pretty mighty weapon in this industry, and I’d like to chronicle the ins and outs of my internship to my imaginary cyberspace audience without, well, upsetting my editor. What can we say? What can’t we say? Is it even okay to disclose the name of the publication?

Yours,
Cara*

Dear Cara,

What are the rules for following up when you don't have a direct contact?

ArianaF — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:42:10 -0700

Dear Ed,
If you apply to a job through the company website or a nondescript email like internship@gmail.com is there any way to follow up? Do I really just have to sit back and hope someone will call?
Despairingly yours,
Tina*

Dear Tina*,

How can I stop my bosses from taking advantage of me?

ArianaF — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:21:46 -0700

Dear Ed,

What should I do if I feel like my internship is abusing me? I’ve been working 15 hour days, have e-mails filling up my inbox on days I’m not even in the office, and garner more responsibility than any other intern I know. I’m a firm believer in hard work and paying one’s dues, but I need to be getting paid for this! It’s been 5 months and I’ve had the prospect of paid work offered, then retracted. I don’t want to burn any bridges but I’m on the verge of an epic breakdown! Is there a way to try to make this situation work out for me?

Thanks,
Emma*

*Name changed

Can I ask to work from home?

meredith — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:52:26 -0700

Dear Ed,

I commute about an hour-and-a-half to my magazine’s office every day, and my crappy per-day rate is barely enough to cover my expensive commuting costs. So much of my job (researching, writing and social networking stuff) can be done from home. Seriously, most days, I don’t even see my editor because we sit on opposite sides of the office! Can I ask her to let me work from home from now on?
Thanks,
Sick of the train, New Jersey
—

Dear Sick,

Do interns get to take summer Fridays?

meredith — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:33:53 -0700

Dear Ed,

I’m interning at a magazine where the editors get to choose three Fridays before Labor Day to take the day off. How do I know if I get the same vacation days?
-Edit Intern, New York City
——————————————————
Dear Edit Intern,

Will my non-editorial jobs hurt my chances?

meredith — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 11:10:17 -0700

I have been out of college since 2002 and I have yet to find an editorial job. I have done freelance writing/editing since 2001 but have not landed that full-time job that I desire. I have taken a lot of customer service jobs over the years until I found that editorial job that I desired. But will all of these positions hurt my chances at getting an editorial job now? Also, have I been out of school too long to get entry-level positions
at this point?

Thanks,

Kimberly, New York City
———————————————
Dear Kimberly,

How can I get my editor to pay me for my freelance article?

meredith — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:54:24 -0700

Hi Ed,

At my internship last year, I was assigned a freelance piece. I turned it in as the editor specified, but months later, I haven’t seen a dime of the over $1,000 that I’m owed. At this point I’d even take the kill fee! I know things are busy and they don’t have a ton of time to send my evergreen article into revise, but as I’m now living on an assistant salary, any money would go a long way. Do I keep bugging them? Beg? Get angry?

Thanks,
A, New York City
—————————————-
Dear A,

Can editors just rewrite my stories?

meredith — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:30:44 -0700

Dear Ed,

I discovered that an assistant editor rewrote a 300-word article
that I’d researched and written for the alumni magazine I intern for. Nothing is directly taken from my article besides factual information. She basically trimmed it down and rearranged the order. And, of course, she put her name at the end.

Does this happen to a lot to interns? I feel as though she could have asked me to rewrite it since we had plenty of time. I’m kind of peeved, since that assignment is one of the few I get to do, and I enjoyed working on it.

-Alum Intern
————————————————-

How do I write a cover letter when I don't know what job I'm applying for?

meredith — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:57:40 -0700

Dear Ed,
I’ve encountered the dreaded unspecified job listing! Some huge
corporations that own a bunch of magazines will keep the exact glossy they’re hiring for under wraps. How do I create a cover letter without knowing which magazine they’re hiring for?
Love,
Chrissy, Chicago
—————————————
Dear Chrissy,

Shouldn't I be paid minimum wage for my internship?

cheryl — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:32:15 -0700

Dear Ed,

I recently graduated from college and took an unpaid internship (well they pay a travel stipend of $50 every two weeks). A friend who works in human resources said that my company should be paying me minimum wage since I am no longer receiving college credit for the internship. Is this correct? I feel like I’m already getting taken advantage of by the industry and I want others to know what the deal is so they don’t get stuck in a situation like mine.

Thanks,
J in Missouri