We had our fall intern panel last night, featuring Alyssa Bailey (Cosmopolitan intern), Dasha Menafee (Interview intern) and Brittany Bass (O: The Oprah Magazine intern). See below to find out what they had to say on summer internships, New York City and more!
How they got the internship:
Alyssa: Alyssa applied for the Cosmo internship in January after she saw a posting for it at Ed2010.com. She applied for more than 20 internships and didn't hear from any of them. She met with someone at SELF magazine for an informational interview in March, and she told Alyssa to not give up. Alyssa followed-up by sending an email to Cosmo, and she was asked to take an edit test. After she sent back the test, she was offered the intern position.
Dasha: Dasha applied to more than 30 internships, and she also didn't hear from any of them. After she went to CAFME's spring intern panel, she learned that some magazines will offer you an interview if you will be in NYC. She went to NYC for a day and sent emails to certain publications telling them that she would be there. She was offered three interviews, one being at Interview. After her interview, she was asked to come back for a trial day to see how she fit in at Interview. She flew back to NYC for the trial day, and the night of the trial day, she found out she got the internship.
Brittany: Brittany said she lived on Ed2010.com, constantly checking for new internship listings. She turned in over 35 applications, not limiting herself to just one department (editorial, photo, etc.). She heard back from three publications and interviewed at O. She says to keep emailing people (but not obnoxiously) because it's the people who "annoy" the internship coordinators who are remembered. She also says to make sure you put in the correct names of people and magazines when you are emailing people.
What they did as an intern:
Alyssa: Alyssa worked with the books and did certain editorial duties as an intern, which included pitching ideas, researching stories and fact checking. She also made copies and did anything else her bosses needed her to do. She says that you have to be willing to go above and beyond for your job; for example, Alyssa came in to work on her day off each week.
Dasha: Dasha worked for the fashion closet at Interview, where she managed clothes and accessories, picked up clothes from fashion houses and returned clothes to fashion houses. She says that she worked a lot (the days are unpredictable -- you could work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.), so you have to immerse yourself in what you're doing.
Brittany: Brittany worked in the closet at O. One of her responsibilities was to sort clothing samples and pick out clothes to show editors. She also got to go to a photo shoot of Jennifer Lopez! Brittany says you have to stand out at your internship; one way you can do this is by showing up early to your job. She also recommends doing any task that the editor needs you to do. "Make the most of it," Brittany says.
Housing in New York City
Alyssa: Alyssa didn't find out she got the internship at Cosmo until late in the semester. She was worried about housing, but she started looking at universities that offered housing, and she eventually found housing at Columbia University.
Dasha: Dasha found out about her internship in April, and by that time, a lot of the housing in New York City was full. She searched for housing online and eventually found a place to stay.
Brittany: Brittany lived at New York University with three other girls from UNC-Chapel Hill. She says to apply early before housing fills up. She also suggests looking into Educational Housing Services, which offers housing strictly for NYC interns.
Q&A
Q: (To Dasha) Did you go up to NYC for two separate days to get your internship?
A:
Dasha: Yes, Dasha did go up to NYC for two separate days. For one day, she went and interviewed at Interview. She went up for a second day to go through a trial day at Interview. She says it was pricey but worth it.
Brittany: Brittany also went up to NYC during her internship search, but she went as a part of the UNC-CH JAFA spring trip. In NYC, Brittany connected and networked with alumni in her field. Before she went to NYC, she also looked up every UNC-CH alumnus living in NYC through the J-school's alumni database. She emailed many alumni and set up informational interviews with as many of them as she could.
Q: Was there a dress code at your internship?
A:
Brittany: Brittany says there was no strict dress code at O, but interns were expected to look nice and presentable. She could wear jeans, as long as they looked nice and interns wore nice shoes with them. Brittany advises to wear cute but comfortable shoes if you do an internship that requires you to stand for long periods of time or run errands.
Alyssa: Alyssa says to dress up while dressing in your style. She also says that everyone dresses up, but you shouldn't dress up too much. As an editorial intern, you do not have to run many errands, so Alyssa says you can wear heels.
Q: Where did your employers leave things with you at the end of the summer?
A:
Brittany: At the end of her internship, Brittany says that none of the interns were offered jobs. The most important thing an intern can do is network, not try to land a job, Brittany says. Getting a magazine job is also a lot about being in the right place at the right time; Brittany says that a lot of magazines won't know they need someone until they do.
Dasha: At the end of an internship, always write a hand-written note, Dasha says. Whatever you do, make sure to leave on a good note.
Alyssa: Alyssa agrees, saying it is very important to leave your internship on a high note. Thank you notes and gift cards are great to give your editors. She says to keep in touch with your bosses by sending them emails and visiting when you can. Your last day doesn't have to be your last, Alyssa says.
Q: How can you get your editor to write a reference letter?
A:
Alyssa: Alyssa says that your performance as an intern will make your editors want to write recommendation letters. You can also always ask them to write one because they're willing to help you.
Dasha: Dasha says you need to work hard at your internship and treat it like a job, so your editors will notice and want to write you recommendation letters. She asked her editors to write her recommendations, and they gave them to her.
Q: What was the atmosphere like?
A:
Dasha: Dasha said the environment was very competitive and sometimes intense.
Brittany: Brittany agrees, saying that they would sometimes have to go out on little "missions" in the city to get certain clothes or accessories.
Alyssa: Alyssa says the editorial department was more relaxed and not as competitive. While she still had to stand out, it was not as high-paced of an environment as fashion can be.
Thanks to everyone who came out last night! Unfortunately, Kelsey Isenberg (an intern at W) was unable to make it Wednesday night, but you can feel free to email her at Kisenber@live.unc.edu if you have any questions or need advice.
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