Miss the meeting? Need a recap? Keep reading to see what she said!
Meet Berna
- Berna graduated as a PR major from USC in May 2011 and has worked at Seventeen since June 1, 2011.
- She says she wanted to work in magazines for her whole life, especially teen magazines and Seventeen.
- She started working with Seventeen as a freshman in college, when she was chosen to be a part of the Freshman 15 program. She blogged and video blogged for this program, acting as a college ambassador of sorts.
- Come sophomore year when the program was over, Berna was relentless about asking Seventeen to give her more work to do. The magazine eventually agreed to send her to events in LA that she then wrote about. During this time, Berna kept sending Seventeen other work, especially schoolwork, that centered on the magazine, such as mock newsletters and websites. This helped her to stay connected to the publication and showed it that she was still interested.
- The summer after her junior year, Berna got an internship at Glamour through the ASME program. Through the ASME internship, she says she fell in love with the industry and New York City.
- During the spring break of her senior year, Berna visited NYC and set up appointments with various magazines to try to find a job. Seventeen was interested in her, and the assistant there was leaving, so she interviewed for the position and got the job two weeks before graduation.
- As the executive assistant to the editor in chief, Ann Shoket, Berna keeps track of her schedule. Berna also hires interns, edits the Tramarauma page and developed Seventeen’s 24-Hour Video Challenge. She says she hopes the take on smaller pages and integrate more videos into her work in the future.
Q: What are some good skills to have that you feel you can’t learn in the classroom?
A: Berna says that one great skill to have is the ability to take projects on your own and ask all the right questions when you have the editor’s attention. She says it’s really valuable when you can ask the right questions and make sure you understand everything (especially the deadline) and can go off and do it. Just don’t be afraid to ask questions, she says. Berna adds that the ability to take a task or project up to another level when asked to do it is also a great skill to have.
Q: When you’re looking at potential interns or people looking for jobs, how important is it for someone to have a blog?
A: Berna thinks blogs are awesome and say a lot about the candidate, but she doesn’t think they’re necessary. What’s really important is that you’re somehow involved in social media and know all of the latest entertainment news and fashion trends. If you show that you’re somehow participating in social media, that’s good. Berna also likes to see that candidates have a passion/obsession for something – it shows focus.
Q: How did you prepare for moving to the city?
A: Berna spent her whole life on the West Coast, but she loves NYC. She has one piece of advice for anyone thinking of moving to NYC: Do it as quickly as possible. She knows it’s hard to go without a job, but she says that many jobs want to know you’re available soon – and if you don’t live in NYC, it’s hard to be available quickly. She also says that the more you think about moving to NYC, the easier it is to psych yourself out about it and not go.
Q: What tips do you have for writing a good cover letter?
A: Berna says she sees the same templates for cover letters all of the time, including, “I’m applying to be an intern at Seventeen…” and “I’ve read Seventeen since I was a kid…” Instead, she likes it when candidates use grabby sentences at the beginning of the letter and tell specific stories about their connection to Seventeen. She also likes it when candidates get creative and use supplemental things; for example, one candidate sent a video about how much she wanted to work at Seventeen along with her application. Anything to make you stick out is great, Berna says. She also appreciates it when candidates follow up on their applications, but she warns not to be a nuisance. She also says to avoid using slang, hashtags and curse words in your cover letters.
Q: What do your interns do during the summer and how can they stand out?
A: Berna’s favorite interns are the ones who say yes to everything. She also likes when interns show enthusiasm for their work and go above and beyond with tasks. She also appreciates the interns who pull her or other editors aside for coffee or lunch – it shows that these interns are making an effort to educate themselves. Berna says networking is so important, especially because the industry is so small, so it’s crucial to get your brand across to as many people as possible. Lastly, she likes when interns send her things unsolicited, such as pitch ideas for the upcoming months.
Thanks to everyone who came out to our last meeting of the year, and thanks so much to Berna for being such a great speaker!
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