The Trick To Landing Your Dream Internship

Hey Edsters!

This summer I will do my best to share advice from my internship at a fitness publication. As a graduate in journalism and electronic media from the good ole University of Tennessee, I will be navigating New York City for the first time on my own, and networking like crazy to try to land a job in the fall.

First off, let me tell you a little about myself. I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia and I absolutely love all things southern (read: this might be a difficult adjustment for me). I am obsessed with all animals, but mainly my German shepherd, Bernie. My greatest passion is traveling, and my favorite places I’ve visited are Egypt, Germany, Cyprus and Vietnam. My dream job would be an editor at a travel magazine.

I spent last summer as an editorial intern at Playboy magazine, which is based in Chicago. Although boobies played a large roll in the office, my position was surprisingly normal and I spent most of my time in a cubicle transcribing interviews, copy editing and researching. I had an amazing experience at Playboy and really wanted to land a job as part of the research team, but they simply aren’t hiring. So, after that blow to my dreams of bunnydom, I set out to find another “in” to the industry.

Since Playboy was in Chicago, I was at a disadvantage because there wasn’t as much opportunity for networking as there would have been in New York. However, a trip to New York through Tennessee’s journalism department allowed me to meet all kinds of journalists and magazine industry pros. After a visit to a fitness magazine, I emailed the assistant managing editor and sent a hand written “thank you” card. I didn’t hear back and felt really discouraged, but I finally followed-up about two weeks later. She later told me that my second email had made all the difference and showed that I was really serious about landing an internship.

So, here I am, a few days away from moving to New York for the summer. My internship is only three days a week, so I’m looking for part-time positions to help pay the rent. My main concern is landing a position (preferably as an EA) after my internship, so networking is going to play a huge role in my life this summer. I am excited for this adventure, but don’t know what to expect. Wish me luck!

See you next Saturday,
Fitness Intern