Miss the meeting? Looking for the key points? Keep reading to see what she said!
About Kelly
Q&A
Q: Did you have to take an edit test for Cosmo, and what was it like?
A: Kelly did have to take an edit test, and it involved a variety of questions. She had to write three fake Cosmo Confessions, a headline, a deck, subheads and a tip for a fake article. She also had to write two front-of-book items for Cosmo's Hot Sheet and 101 Things About Men. She then had to pitch ideas for relationship, sex and self-help stories and find experts that she could cite for a certain story.
Kelly says it's important to nail the voice of the publication for which you're completing an edit test. The best way to do this is to just study the publication as much as possible. Kelly also says to always do more than they ask for an edit test: for example, if they ask you to pitch three article ideas, pitch five. When you're writing an edit test, make it as straightforward and easy for the editor to read as possible, Kelly advises.
Kelly had a week to turn in her edit test, but she turned it in after four days. She says that when you get an edit test, it's best to not turn it in too soon (so it doesn't look as though you didn't put enough effort into it) or too late (so it doesn't look as though you didn't care about doing it). Instead, she suggests you return an edit test halfway plus a day into the time you have to do it.
Q: How important is networking?
A: Kelly says that everyone she knows who has a job in magazines knows someone in the industry. Although you can work and fight for a job, it really helps to keep in touch with people. Make all of the contacts you can and keep in touch with them.
When you're keeping in touch with people, just be honest and genuine. Don't email with nothing to say. Instead, say that you loved an article he or she wrote recently and that you hope things are going well for that person.
Q: What was your Cosmo interview like, and how should you arrange informational interviews?
A: Kelly said her boss, who interviewed her, was very receptive and casual, which can be atypical. Kelly's boss later told her that during the interview, her main objective was just to get a feel for Kelly's personality. An editorial assistant's job is to assist editors, so the editors want to make sure you will work well with them. Kelly says to just be friendly because an interview is usually more about you than your answers. But Kelly does advise that you study the publication before your interview, so you can get a feel for the publication and its voice.
To get an informational interview, Kelly says the key is to get in touch with the editors when they aren't busy. Kelly suggests telling them that you loved certain stories they wrote. Butter them up and try everywhere, Kelly says, because someone will eventually bite.
Q: What can you tell us about applying to publications?
A: When applying to places, it's better to send your cover letter and resume to the appropriate editor instead of through the publication's human resources department, Kelly says. Even though you can send your cover letter and resume through HR, since so many people are applying for the same position, it's usually better to send them right to the suitable editor.
Kelly says there's no formula for a qualified potential employee. Your track and your GPA don't matter; instead, employers like to see that you have a college degree from a good school. Although it's good to see at least one or two internships on your resume, that's also not as important as your skills, which you will show through an edit test.
Try everything, Kelly says. You may find you love something that you thought you would hate, and vice versa. Most importantly, fight for the job and be happy with the job.
Q: What was your time as Cosmo like?
A: At Cosmo, Kelly says her boss always made sure she had something to do. When she was there, she wrote pieces on a variety of topics, such as rape and stopping a man-stealer, and she also wrote a Cosmo quiz, the fashion pages, Cosmo at a Glance and the table of contents.
At Cosmo, the editorial assistants pitched ideas for everything. These pitches would go to the middle editors, who would choose the ones they like and send them to the top editors. The top editors would then choose their favorite pitches and send them to Kate White, the editor-in-chief. Kelly says the editorial assistants had a lot of interaction with the EOC, which was really nice.
About Kelly
- Kelly graduated from UNC in 2010. Around this time, her friend and fellow UNC alum Robin Hilmantel, who was working as an editorial assistant at Cosmo,, got a promotion to associate editor. Robin contacted Kelly and asked her if she'd be interested in applying for the open editorial assistant position. Kelly did, and after she took an edit test and flew up to NYC for an interview, she got the job.
- After about a year and a half at Cosmo, Kelly received a call from an editor at Pace, where Kelly had interned as an undergraduate. The editor told her about a job opening for a custom publication called Hotline The Americas, which covers the hospitality industry. Kelly loved the job description, especially because the job involved traveling, so she interviewed for the position and got the job. Kelly has worked at Pace for about six months and says she loves it.
Q&A
Q: Did you have to take an edit test for Cosmo, and what was it like?
A: Kelly did have to take an edit test, and it involved a variety of questions. She had to write three fake Cosmo Confessions, a headline, a deck, subheads and a tip for a fake article. She also had to write two front-of-book items for Cosmo's Hot Sheet and 101 Things About Men. She then had to pitch ideas for relationship, sex and self-help stories and find experts that she could cite for a certain story.
Kelly says it's important to nail the voice of the publication for which you're completing an edit test. The best way to do this is to just study the publication as much as possible. Kelly also says to always do more than they ask for an edit test: for example, if they ask you to pitch three article ideas, pitch five. When you're writing an edit test, make it as straightforward and easy for the editor to read as possible, Kelly advises.
Kelly had a week to turn in her edit test, but she turned it in after four days. She says that when you get an edit test, it's best to not turn it in too soon (so it doesn't look as though you didn't put enough effort into it) or too late (so it doesn't look as though you didn't care about doing it). Instead, she suggests you return an edit test halfway plus a day into the time you have to do it.
Q: How important is networking?
A: Kelly says that everyone she knows who has a job in magazines knows someone in the industry. Although you can work and fight for a job, it really helps to keep in touch with people. Make all of the contacts you can and keep in touch with them.
When you're keeping in touch with people, just be honest and genuine. Don't email with nothing to say. Instead, say that you loved an article he or she wrote recently and that you hope things are going well for that person.
Q: What was your Cosmo interview like, and how should you arrange informational interviews?
A: Kelly said her boss, who interviewed her, was very receptive and casual, which can be atypical. Kelly's boss later told her that during the interview, her main objective was just to get a feel for Kelly's personality. An editorial assistant's job is to assist editors, so the editors want to make sure you will work well with them. Kelly says to just be friendly because an interview is usually more about you than your answers. But Kelly does advise that you study the publication before your interview, so you can get a feel for the publication and its voice.
To get an informational interview, Kelly says the key is to get in touch with the editors when they aren't busy. Kelly suggests telling them that you loved certain stories they wrote. Butter them up and try everywhere, Kelly says, because someone will eventually bite.
Q: What can you tell us about applying to publications?
A: When applying to places, it's better to send your cover letter and resume to the appropriate editor instead of through the publication's human resources department, Kelly says. Even though you can send your cover letter and resume through HR, since so many people are applying for the same position, it's usually better to send them right to the suitable editor.
Kelly says there's no formula for a qualified potential employee. Your track and your GPA don't matter; instead, employers like to see that you have a college degree from a good school. Although it's good to see at least one or two internships on your resume, that's also not as important as your skills, which you will show through an edit test.
Try everything, Kelly says. You may find you love something that you thought you would hate, and vice versa. Most importantly, fight for the job and be happy with the job.
Q: What was your time as Cosmo like?
A: At Cosmo, Kelly says her boss always made sure she had something to do. When she was there, she wrote pieces on a variety of topics, such as rape and stopping a man-stealer, and she also wrote a Cosmo quiz, the fashion pages, Cosmo at a Glance and the table of contents.
At Cosmo, the editorial assistants pitched ideas for everything. These pitches would go to the middle editors, who would choose the ones they like and send them to the top editors. The top editors would then choose their favorite pitches and send them to Kate White, the editor-in-chief. Kelly says the editorial assistants had a lot of interaction with the EOC, which was really nice.
Once the articles are written, they go through the middle editors, top editors and EOC for edits. After edits are made, the articles go to the art department, where they are designed. The last step, after the page is finished, is when the editors check the finished products and sign off on them.
Q: How is Pace different than Cosmo?
A: Pace is so much different than Cosmo, Kelly says. Whereas Cosmo is a newsstand publication, in which the reader is the boss, Pace creates custom publications, meaning the client is the boss. At Pace, Kelly often works closely with her bosses, designers and editors. She has a lot more responsibility at Pace.
Q: What are your freelancing tips?
A: Since Kelly left Cosmo, she's been freelancing for the Cosmo blog. Her advice to students or graduates who are interested in freelancing is to first have an informational interview with someone from the publication you want to write for. Once you meet and make contact with someone, do your homework and create some pitches. Make sure your pitches are in the voice of the publication. Once you do this, pitch all of your ideas to your contact or to whomever your contact referred you. Make sure the publication you want to write for uses freelancers, though, before you try to set up an informational interview.
A big thanks to all those who came out and to Kelly for sharing her wisdom with us!
Q: How is Pace different than Cosmo?
A: Pace is so much different than Cosmo, Kelly says. Whereas Cosmo is a newsstand publication, in which the reader is the boss, Pace creates custom publications, meaning the client is the boss. At Pace, Kelly often works closely with her bosses, designers and editors. She has a lot more responsibility at Pace.
Q: What are your freelancing tips?
A: Since Kelly left Cosmo, she's been freelancing for the Cosmo blog. Her advice to students or graduates who are interested in freelancing is to first have an informational interview with someone from the publication you want to write for. Once you meet and make contact with someone, do your homework and create some pitches. Make sure your pitches are in the voice of the publication. Once you do this, pitch all of your ideas to your contact or to whomever your contact referred you. Make sure the publication you want to write for uses freelancers, though, before you try to set up an informational interview.
A big thanks to all those who came out and to Kelly for sharing her wisdom with us!
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