Miss the meeting? Need a refresher? Keep reading to see what she said!
About Lauren
- Lauren went to Duke University for her undergraduate degree but went to graduate school at UNC for journalism. Lauren says she doesn’t recommend grad school for anyone with a journalism degree, but it was useful to her because it gave her experience and led her to getting internships. She says internships really helped her, more so than any kind of degree.
- After she graduated from grad school, she attended the NYU Summer Publishing Institute. This program gave her important contacts in the industry. Because she grew up in a small town, she had never met anyone influential in the industry before that summer.
- Through this program, Lauren met an editor at Harper’s Bazaar. There was an opening for assistant to the managing editor at the magazine, so Lauren got her start in that position. She eventually moved up to managing editor.
- Lauren wanted to move to health writing, so she did some freelance work. She ultimately became the fitness editor at American Health for Women.
- After working at American Health for Women, Lauren became the senior health editor of Mademoiselle magazine. She stayed there for a little over a year before becoming the articles editor and deputy editor at Self.
- At Self, Lauren climbed her way up to the position of executive editor. She left in January to become the editor in chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray. Lauren says she has a “fabulous, fantastic career.”
Q: When you start working for a specific genre of magazine, will you pigeonhole yourself and be unable to go to a different genre?
A: Lauren says that switching is doable; for instance, she started in fashion at a women’s service magazine, but she has since written about health and fitness. She says you shouldn’t feel as though you have to know now what subject you’re interested in working in or that you can’t change your mind. You just want to get your foot in the door, and you can deal with the subject matter later. However, she says if you can identify the subjects that you’re interested in, it will be helpful to you.
Q: What do you look for in interns?
A: Lauren has interviewed and worked with a lot of different interns. She says she looks for people who all they want to do is become a magazine editor for that magazine. She also looks for people who will tolerate that the job is low-pay and fast-paced (but not too fast-paced).
Q: How do you get a mentor?
A: Lauren says she has mentored a lot of people and wish she had sought out mentors when she was starting in the industry. You don’t have to be explicit when asking someone to be your mentor. Instead, identify one, two or three people and approach them as though they’re already your mentor. When looking for a mentor, you have to admit your ignorance and go and solicit advice from them. If these people don’t want to answer your questions, Lauren says to move on. However, she also says that no editor is too busy to answer your questions.
Q: What is your typical day like?
A: Lauren says her days at Self and Every Day with Rachael Ray are very different. At Self, she had a staff of 50, and she flew under the radar. She read, copy edited, worked with the art department and more, and she liked managing people.
At Every Day with Rachael Ray, Lauren largely goes to events and has a lot of meetings (about 12 per day). She also oversees a smaller staff of 30 people.
Q: How is Every Day with Rachael Ray working with the tablet?
A: The magazine has not gotten anywhere with the iPad app yet, she says. A problem is that the app doesn’t make money, but it costs a lot to make. She’s excited about developing the app, though, because she says she thinks food translates to screens and tablets better than almost any other subject matter. The tablet is our future, she adds, and it will be here quicker than we think.
Q: What advice do you have for graduating seniors?
A: Lauren acknowledges that it’s a tough market to be looking for jobs, but it’s not impossible to get into magazines. Good magazines are constantly trying to promote up, so there are often vacancies. Lauren says it’s hard to get a job without living in New York City, but internships are helpful to getting ahead.
Lauren adds that getting a job is a lot about being in the right place at the right time. Just by majoring in journalism, you’re already showing a commitment to the industry. Creating a resume that highlights your intent on doing this gives you even more credibility.
Networking is also essential. Keep in touch with everyone with whom you’ve had contact and send thank you notes to those who’ve helped you. If you walk out of school without a job, don’t give up.
Thanks so much for the wonderful advice, Lauren, and thanks to all of you who came out this week!
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