Tuesday, June 26, 2012

To Pitch Or Not To Pitch During Your First Week?

It's so strange that I've only been at the magazine for one week. By the end of my first day, I was so deep into several different editorial projects that I felt like I had been working there for months.

I was immediately at ease, mostly because I had to be. I think that was the best way to adjust, though. I don't know about y'all, but I have a tendency to overanalyze everything when I'm in a new environment. Email signatures, for example. Will it dramatically alter the course of my career if I say "sincerely" instead of "best?" Probably not, but don't try to tell me that when I first start a new job. This time around, there was no time for that insanity with so much reporting and writing on my plate.


The thing is, I think there might be a danger in feeling so comfortable.
On the first day, I overheard one of the interns pitching a story idea to a couple of editors. I don't think she would have felt comfortable enough to do that if we hadn't been thrown into the mix so quickly. Now don't get me wrong, I really, really like the other interns. I think we'll stay friends long after the internship is over. I'm just not sure how I feel about pitching on the first day.

I understand the need to show off your understanding of the audience and the brilliant ideas you can bring to the magazine. And some editors are probably really impressed by that kind of attitude. But which ones? In my experience, most say not to pitch during the first week. So I didn't.

And in the other intern's case, that particular pitch didn't go over so well. But I also don't think it did any lasting damage, and she seemed to have better luck later in the week. It still feels off to me, though. A little bit like trying to run before you walk. But then again, you could pitch something awesome and it could change the course of your internship.

What do you think, Edsters? Should you pitch right away, or give it some time? If you were an editor, what would impress you the most?

See ya next week,
Edit intern

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