Meeting Recap for Sept. 5: Eva Chen, beauty editor at Teen Vogue

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.