Our second meeting was informative and fun, as we talked about the basics of the magazine industry.
We hope you were able to get a copy of our Magazine Cheat Sheet, but if not, click here for the worksheet.
This sheet gives you an overview of positions in the editorial, fashion, beauty, web and art departments of a magazine. It also lists the names of major publishing houses, magazines within these houses, and the names of magazine editors. If you are interviewing for a job or internship at a magazine, it is crucial to know its publishing house and editor, so make sure to check this worksheet out!
Next, we had a discussion and Q&A session about the industry. Thanks to those of you who asked these great questions!
Q: How difficult is it to get photo internships, and if you can’t find one, should you try to intern in a different area of journalism (i.e. reporting) to boost your resume?
A: Photo internships are hard to find, but you can probably find some. If you can’t find any at a major publication, look in and around North Carolina. There are a lot of smaller publications (such as Our State, QSR Magazine, Garden & Gun, Belle Magazine, Pace Communications publications) near Chapel Hill, so try to call and/or email them. Say you are a student at UNC-CH and are looking for a photo internship. If you can work for free, make sure to stress this!
We suggest not going too far out of your field if you can’t find a photo internship because it can be hard justifying how a reporting internship (or something else) has helped your photo skills. An art internship may be the closest thing you can find to a photo internship, so stick to that if you can’t find a photo internship. And, of course, you can always go see Jay Eubank in the J-school for help finding an internship.
Q: What are the sizes of departments in a magazine?
A: This varies among magazines, so we unfortunately can’t give you a specific size. For more information, we suggest doing some research (search, email or call) or go see Jay Eubank in the J-school.
Q: [To Alyssa, who interned for Cosmopolitan this summer] How did you get your start?
A: Aside from working for high school publications, Alyssa got her start as an intern for Girls’ Life Magazine when she was in high school. Since then, she has interned for USA Weekend, The Washington Post Express, and, of course, Cosmo. She has also worked for various campus publications.
Q: I’ve interned at a newspaper, but now I want to work for a fashion magazine. How can I make my newspaper experience look good on a resume?
A: Usually no matter what type of editorial experience you have, it will look good on a resume. Many of the skills you use for editorial can translate to various types of publications, so there’s no need to worry that your newspaper experience won’t help you. On your resume, make sure to emphasize the skills that you learned that will also benefit you as a magazine writer (writing, editing, social media, etc.). Also, if you wrote a big piece for a newspaper, emphasize this! Any big accomplishments will stand out on a resume, even if it may not apply to the publication you are applying for. This is not to say that you should be looking for newspaper internships instead of magazine internships, but if you have a newspaper internship under your belt, it will only help you. Employers know internships are about trying different fields and seeing what is right for you, so it should not work against you.
Q: I’m doing remote work for a magazine, and sometimes I’m worried about emailing my editor too much when I’m not sure I’m doing something correctly. How often should I email him/her?
A: Of course, you don’t want to email your editor to tell him/her about the new dress you just bought or how your dog just learned a new trick. But when you have a question for your editor about the job, never be afraid to ask. From our experience, it’s always best to email and ask questions than to get something wrong that could’ve been avoided by emailing. Your editor will appreciate that you want to get it right, so don’t be afraid to email them. And, of course, always be polite when emailing your boss or anyone else you work with!
Q: What are edit tests, and what are they like?
A: Edit tests are tests that prospective employers give to job or internship applicants as a part of the application process. If someone has looked over your application and is interested in you, they may ask you to complete an edit test.
Many internships don’t require you to complete an edit test, even though Alyssa and Rachel have been asked to do them. Alyssa was emailed a Cosmo edit test and was given a few days to complete it. For it, she had to come up with article ideas, among other things.
One of Rachel’s edit tests was given to her after an interview. She was given an hour or so to look over an article and correct it for grammar and spelling, and she also had to suggest how to improve the article. She then had to fact check it as much as possible. Another edit test she took was a lot like Alyssa’s. She was sent an article to edit for grammar and spelling, and she had to include a note for how to make the article better. She also had to pitch three permanent changes to the publication and five article ideas. Rachel was given a few days to complete this edit test.
Alyssa and Rachel suggest going above and beyond what an edit test asks of you, though; for example, if you are asked to pitch three story ideas, pitch five. This will definitely make you stand out amongst the applicants.
Q: Can you mix majors in the J-school?
A: You unfortunately cannot do this, but you can major in one sequence and try to take classes in another (if you have room in your schedule). You can then mention these classes in your resume or cover letter if you want to emphasize the skills that you learned. Unfortunately, it can be really hard to get into a class that is not in your sequence because they are usually reserved for majors. If you want to try to get into a class that is not in your sequence, email the professor far ahead of time (during or even before registration), and sit in on the first day of class. While it is hard to get into these classes, it’s not impossible!
Q: Who do you contact when contacting a publication?
A: For a major publication, DO NOT contact the editor-in-chief. They are so busy that you will never get a response. Instead, try to contact an editorial assistant. Ed2010 has a neat cheat sheet for contacts at major publishing houses, so make sure to use it if need be!
For a smaller publication, you can try to contact the editor-in-chief. If this doesn’t work, then try to contact a writer or editorial assistant. You will probably be able to find an email for someone on the publication’s website.
Whatever you do, be polite and concise when contacting someone at a magazine.
Q: What should you do if you are interested in the business aspect of a magazine?
A: If you are interested in the business aspect of a magazine, then you will want to look into marketing internships. These focus more on advertising and PR than editorial. Marketing internships are out there, so don’t be discouraged! If you complete a marketing internship but later want to apply for editorial internships, it may be difficult to play this up on your resume. However, focus on any writing that you did for the marketing internship. For instance, Rachel said that interns for the national branch of Her Campus had to write giveaway promotions, so someone could emphasize this on a resume or in a cover letter.
Q: How can you contact alumni?
A: There are many ways to do this! CAFME will be creating an alumni database this semester, so you will soon be able to find alumni contact information there. You can also always go see Jay Eubank in the J-school for alumni contact info, or you can ask your professors if they know alumni who could help you. CAFME will also be hosting alumni speakers throughout the year, so you can contact them with any questions you have.
Other Advice:
• Informational interviewing is so important. Whether you are in Chapel Hill or are interning in a big city, try to meet with as many magazine contacts as you can. Not only will you learn from them, but you will also be networking and establishing great contacts.
• Before applying or interviewing for a job or internship, research the publication that you are applying to. Make sure you know the tone of the magazine, its publishing house and its editor.
• If you are a first-year or sophomore, try to work at a variety of campus publications to get a feel of what you do and don’t like. If you have had discouraging experiences at a few publications, don’t worry. Keep trying – you may eventually find one that is perfect for you. It took Rachel until her junior year, but she finally found and loved working for the UNC-CH branch of Her Campus!
Thanks to those of you who came out this week, and we’ll see you next Wednesday!
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