At our Sept. 5 meeting,
we hosted Teen Vogue’s beauty editor Eva Chen on Google Hangout. She was so
charming and answered question after question with thoughtful advice.
Eva got her
start in the magazine industry in a non-traditional way, she said. She was a
pre-med student for three years at Johns Hopkins University, but she grew tired
of that – “burned out,” she said – and wanted to try something different. So,
after applying to around 10 different places (she applied to everything she had
a mild interest in), Eva landed an internship at Harper’s BAZAAR during the
summer between her junior and senior year. She worked in the beauty and
features departments.
“I’m the kind
of person growing up I could have literally spent six hours looking at Maybelline
and Cover Girl,” Eva said.
When her editor
at Harper’s BAZAAR asked her to “get rid” of the hundreds of beauty supplies in
the closet that were out of season, Eva said she found out her job could be
fun.
“I always
thought work had to be work,” she said. “It was a realization that I love my
job and want to go to work every day.”
Eva said she
created a contact list at her internship at Harper’s BAZAAR that she still uses
today.
When Eva
graduated from Johns Hopkins, she couldn’t find a job at a magazine because
many had started folding. She started working at a law firm, which she said
confirmed the advice to not do what you don’t enjoy.
But that’s not
to say her experience at the law firm was a waste, as she learned a lot of
organizational skills.
She stayed in
touch with the editors at Harper’s BAZAAR, which she said was crucial to
getting her first job at Lucky Magazine in the fashion department. Eva stressed
that networking is a must in the magazine industry.
“It’s just a
fancy word for staying in touch with people and being a good pen pal,” she
said.
In another
instance of networking, Eva was hired as an assistant at Elle, where she worked
for three years until Amy Astley, the editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue, called her
up. She was hired in four days – a speed she said is not uncommon in the
magazine industry.
Eva has been at
Teen Vogue for seven years, covering beauty and health.
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Our
question-answer session with Eva allowed CAFME members to ask the editor
questions. Below is a summary of the exchanges.
How are you able to keep up with your
multiple social network platforms?
It’s definitely
an endeavor. Don’t do them if you don’t want to (only do the ones you love – be
authentic). Eva has two phones. She integrates postings throughout her day. It’s
a matter of figuring out your content calendar – set numbers of posts per
social network per day. She uses Hootsuite for twitter, scheduling her tweets
and responses.
I’m graduating in December and kind of
freaking out – do you have any more advice other than networking for me?
Don’t freak
out. Freaking out is not productive. Graduating in December is kind of awesome
because around May there’s a huge tidal wave of people looking for jobs then –
but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t graduate in May, either.
Contact every
single alumni that works in publishing. Do as many informational interviews as
you can. If you can’t get up to New York, you can do five to 10 minutes over
the phone or via email.
In the email,
you should talk about things you love about the magazine in particular – show you
aren’t generic and that you have studied the magazine. Keep it concise, and
attach a resume.
Use the time
that you are in school to intern, as well.
What are five essentials for fashion
week that you keep in your bag?
- - plenty
of blotting papers, always, because it gets really hot backstage
- - a Hello
Kitty compact with a comb and mirror
- - blush
– coral
- - Sugar
lipstick – she likes it for the texture that has a soufflé aspect
- - an eye
lash curler
How important do you think it is to go
to grad school?
Eva shakes her
head no. She did go to Columbia School of Journalism to get her masters while
she worked at Elle part time.
“It’s not necessary at all,” she said. “Actual
experience will trump it every time”
It can be good if
you want to work at New York Times, the Atlantic or Harper’s, but 99 percent of
the time you would start in the same position anyway – it won’t help you get a
better job.
What do you expect of
interns/interviewees? How much knowledge do you expect them to have?
There’s a
popular misconception that working at a magazine means that you need to know
everything about the fashion industry, beauty, etc. You should have a general
interest in it, but you don’t need to know every brand, every designer.
Eva tends to
hire an intern with experience, but sometimes a curiosity and a hunger will
trump a lot of experience or past internships. She looks for someone who really
wants to be there. It drives her crazy when 6 p.m. rolls around and an intern
wants to leave instead of finishing a task. She looks for someone with an eagerness
to learn and a good attitude.
Is there something in a cover letter
that jumps off the page?
The jury’s out
on cover letters. Half say they love them and some say they never read them.
Eva says she considers the email that comes with the resume attached is
sufficient as a cover letter. She says to keep the email short and definitely
don’t include a headshot. Include an introduction and show that you are in tune
to the magazine. Make sure to personalize it, explaining how your experiences
would help at Teen Vogue, but don’t include detailed explanations of every job
you’ve ever done – your resume should speak for itself. Don’t do references and
no typos.
What looks good on resume?
It looks good
to have worked at the school newspaper. Show that you love magazines and care
about Teen Vogue. Show consistently that you want to write and that you are
articulate.
Can you tell me about the Teen Vogue
Fashion University?
It happens
every October. College students from around the world fly in to New York to
listen to lectures. This year’s keynote speaker is Grace Coddington, the
creative director of Teen Vogue. Many designers come and give lectures. It’s a
great networking opportunity, so bring your resume and business cards. You
should do this any time you have the opportunity – don’t be shy. Unless you
ask, no one is going to help you.
How do we get our applications seen?
A lot of people
think it’s like applying to work at your local J. Crew, but there’s no system
when it comes to applying to magazines. Apply through big companies like Hearst
and Conde Nast, and a lot of times it doesn’t hurt to apply to the editor and
to the department that you’re interested in working for. Send your application
to the assistant in the department where you want to work. Then follow up with
an email a month later. Make sure to apply early because it shows you’re
organized.
How should I keep in contact with
editors I’ve worked for?
Email them once
a season, like around the Holidays. Say thank you for the internship. Eva says
she even sent brownies one time, but she lives in New York. Keep in touch as a
professional friend. Don’t be too familiar, Eva says – like don’t use hearts
and “dude” in an email. Always remember that you’re talking to a person who has
the ability to hire you. That applies on social media, as well. Remember you’re
leaving a digital footprint.
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Eva invited us
to participate in a couple other Google Hangouts that she has planned with some
fashion industry figures including Rebecca Minkoff. If you’re interested in
participating, send your questions and your Google Plus name to
editor@lyst.com.
CAFME's full of some pretty amazing people, and we want you to get to know them. This week? Meet Mary Stevens, CAFME's 2012-2013 secretary!
