For all of you stressing about finding an internship, I feel you. Really, I do. It's an awful anxiety. Especially in the media industry, you're up against Columbia and Northwestern-trained journalists with glossy clips. You're up against kids whose parents have serious money and serious connections. You are just a resume in a pile, right?
Exaggerated exhale.
For all of you not-so-worried, laid-back types who plan on settling for something easy -- you should know that an internship can really be a deciding factor in getting your dream job. We all need to start building a resume, because most likely that's what's going to get you an interview. Working for the school paper is good. A 4.0 is overrated. Stellar clips are crucial. But above anything, the media world is built on connections. CONNECTIONS. Having a recommendation from an editor looks fantastic, and above all, you need the real-world experience. Of course it's possible to get a job without one, but I'm guessing that you're going to have to work much harder. I know that there is no way I could handle an editorial assistant position at a national magazine without having interned at one. No. Way. I don't mean to be discouraging, this is just what I'm experiencing. It's harder to get into the door of a magazine without the proper experience and connections.
There are some of you wanting to go to a daily paper, a broadcast station or the radio. Frankly, I know nothing about that. What I can do is explain how I went about getting my internship and hopefully it will help.
1. Don't be intimidated. Yes, I've watched The Devil Wears Prada (the inspiration is located in my building) and I'm slightly addicted to The Hills. I read all of the advice out there that says the competition is fierce and only the top contenders actually get an interview. On Ed2010, Eds advise "whippersnappers" that there is a "don't speak unless spoken to" rule for interns, making me think that the staff walks around with their nose so far in the air that you're invisible. Wow, not the case. These are just people working very hard, eager to get some free help. Just apply. It's nothing you can't handle.
2. The first thing that I did was go to Ed2010.com. I was looking for a spring internship in the fall (naturally) and I wanted to make the leap from regional mag to national. The fact is, when it comes to big-name magazines the place to be is Manhattan. Unfortunately, internships in the City are posted last-minute. Postings for the fall were going up in October and November. So I took all of the contact information for editors looking for fall interns and Emailed them. All it took was a quick Email saying that I'm a journalism student interested in a spring internship. Could they give me a deadline for when they'll be looking? I'd say I got very friendly responses from 90 percent of the editors. Tip: Always Email the lowest person in the masthead for the department you're interested in. For instance, for beauty I would Email the beauty department's editorial assistant. The department director, and especially the editor-in-chief, are the absolute wrong people to contact.
2. After I got the responses back, I put all of the deadlines on a calendar. With school work, outside jobs and such, it takes a long time to construct the cover letters and resume. This is an extremely important aspect of the process -- work hard on these. The fact of the matter is, you are just a resume in a pile and you have to get their attention. I've learned that first of all, always enlist help from professors. Have other people read it before you send it out. The cover letters that I sent out (tailored to each magazine) had a balance of my experience and what I liked about the magazine that I was applying for. This is a creative industry -- a boring, stuffy business format isn't appropriate. Neither is something off-the-wall and obnoxious. I'd look to the advice Ed2010 gives on how to write one. I think that editors want to know that you can write, that you have experience and that you "get" their magazine.
3. After I sent out my resumes, I got a very random Email from an editor at a major magazine that I, ironically, didn't apply to. She was switching over to the magazine I'm currently interning at and she got my name from the previous editorial assistant that I Emailed. This is a position that wasn't posted anywhere, so if I didn't send out those Emails then I wouldn't have been given the opportunity. It was a freelance project that was actually paid and it started mid-November. I responded with my resume and cover letter, and stated that I wasn't available until December because of school. Even thought this was a winter position (therefore I wouldn't get credit for spring) it would get me in the door. Take any opportunity.
4. After a couple days of not hearing back, I started to panic. Not available until December? One of your favorite magazines in the world came to you with this paying position. Skip school. Go for it. I Emailed the editor back and said that I could work Mon., Wed., Fri. in November and then full-time in December. I only had one class on those days that I would skip for the last two weeks and I would quit my regional magazine internship early. This was worth it.
5. Five days later. No response. I looked at the Email that this editor sent me and it had her cell phone number on it. Oh, yes. I went there. I called her and, thankfully, she didn't answer, so I left a voicemail message. I basically told her who I was, that I was extremely interested in the position and that I would work my schedule around them. I said I hoped to meet with her for an interview soon. I was straight-forward, confident and brief.
6. Three days later. No response. I was still working on other cover letters for the spring, but I couldn't get this out of my head. I started to lose confidence because I've read advice that bluntly said, "if they want to hire you, they'll contact you." Well, I didn't settle for that. I called her cellphone AGAIN, leaving her ANOTHER message explaining why I would be a vital part of their team.
7. Three weeks later, I had pretty much given up on that internship. I half-heartedly sent out other resumes, seriously doubting my chances. Then, out of no where, I got a phone call from that editor! She asked me to come down for an interview the next day (for which I skipped all of my classes). Apparently they had pushed back the project because they were so busy. At noon the next day I was in the building of my dreams, meeting with the editor I had been stalking. Surreal? You bet. Rewarding? Absolutely. I ended up interviewing for about 10 minutes, and then an hour later she called my cell phone and said I got the job. I was very friendly, dressed cute and always remained confident. Most of the editors are really young and really cool.
8. After proving that I was a hard worker, they then offered me the unpaid Spring internship position.
Moral of the story? Enthusiasm, confidence and persistence are key. You have to be pro-active. Absolutely have to. I brought a portfolio of my clips, none of which were that impressive. I didn't have any other national experience, and I found out that being at a regional magazine isn't as much preparation as you'd think. But I have to say, just by sending out those Emails in the beginning, then following up with creative and tailored cover letters and resumes, I was contacted for interviews by many editors, including those at Seventeen and Marie Claire. It can happen if you make it happen.
