Should You Apologize For A Mistake That Wasn’t Your Fault?

Earlier this summer, I wrote about the mini-crisis I had when I found out an assignment I was researching was due that week and no one had told me. That one, I’ll admit, was largely my fault, since I didn’t ask what my deadline was.

But I learned from my mistake. After that snafu, I made a point of always asking when my assignments were due.

That’s why this recent incident is particularly frustrating. I had been assigned a small piece for a web-only supplement to an article, and told I had two weeks to do it.

But last week, I got an email from the assigning editor asking if the piece was done yet. I was a little surprised, since it was a full week and a half before the deadline I had been given, but I told the editor I would try to get it to him the next day.

I frantically sent a third follow-up email to the source I needed for the story and tried to call him multiple times, but with the time difference and other factors, he didn’t get back to me. I waited, and called, and emailed, and called other people from the organization, and crossed my fingers and prayed to the journalism gods, but by 4 p.m. the next day, I still didn’t have the interview I needed and couldn't write the piece.

Last Week? 4 Things You Must Do!

Hey there, fellow Edsters!

The moment’s finally here for me: I only have five days left until I pack my bags and head home. It doesn’t seem real. Was it really two months ago I started my first day? Struggled to find my cubicle? Now the office feels like a second home. It’s dizzying to think how much time has passed. My internship has been one of the best experiences in my life, and I’m crushed to think it’s almost over.

But right now I can’t be sentimental. This last week is bound to be my busiest ever. At the mag, we’re closing an issue and launching a new product — which means tons of assignments to do to help my editors keep their cool. I don’t have time to stress about goodbyes when there’s so much in front of me. There’s too much to get done.

And I’m not the only one feeling the pressure. Because we’re all now seasoned interns, a lot of my friends are getting bigger assignments too. The last week on an internship isn’t the time to coast. It’s the time to step up and put in your very best to tackle those last challenges.

But will you be ready for the end of the week? It may be easy to get bogged down, but there are four things that regardless of how busy things get on the job, every intern should strive to do:

End Of Internship Etiquette

Hey Edsters!

As your internship draws to an end, there are a few little things that need to be done before you walk out of the office for the last time. Keep these things in mind during your last month.

Two week’s notice: If you’re like me and are one of many interns, your editor may not remember which intern ends on what date. I’d suggest following the two week’s rule and sending an e-mail stating your last day, and a brief paragraph thanking your boss for the opportunity and experience. Be genuine with this – don’t just say you learned a lot, but give an example. Just don’t write a novel, you don’t want to be annoying!

3 Tips My Editors Shared To Get Your Dream Job

Good news, Edsters! I'm feeling much more positive since last week, mainly because I was able to get coffee with The Fitness Mag's EA, as well as Miss Editor. The EA kept rescheduling, so I was really relieved when she finally had an hour free to go get coffee and chat about her path to breaking in to the mag industry.

As you know from my earlier posts, I've been thinking a lot about the career path I want to take, and wondering whether I have what it takes to make it in this industry. Meeting with my EA really helped me identify my concerns and what I need to start doing to step up my job hunting game.

When I chatted with my EA, she told me about her daily tasks and how she landed her job. Basically it all came down to perfect timing and luck, and she didn't even have to take an edit test. She had interned with The Fitness Mag the summer before her senior year, and was hired on the spot when she came to visit the office after graduation. In fact, there wasn't even an open position. They created one for her because she had made herself that invaluable to the staff. This was her advice...

Going Digital: How To Write A Magazine Quiz For The Ipad

Happy Friday, Edsters!

I type this the day before what will probably be the scariest day of my interning life. My manager is out of the office tomorrow, so I have the pleasure (is it, though?) of sitting at her desk and, as far as I can tell, basically being her for the day. Yes, that's right – I am a 9:30 to whenever-they-need-me-there-until Editorial Assistant tomorrow. Not only that, but tomorrow is the day before a HUGE event the Mag is throwing for a swoon-worthy guest list, so it's going to be absolutely crazy there. I already have two bio packets due by noon!

So I'd like to promise you more on that next Friday, but it's unclear if I'll make it out alive, so... More on that later, potentially.

How about something a little lighter than the weight of the magazine world resting more heavily than usual on my shoulders? I went digital this week! By that, I mean I got to write a quiz for the iPad version of our Mag, which was a ton of fun. I only wish I had an iPad so I could see it with my own two eyes!

Articles, I brainstorm all the time, but quizzes? I've been skipping over those in magazines since I was about 12, when I realized that I was deliberately picking the safe "b" option, the one that made me just the right amount of daring/caring/glam/assertive and, oh yeah, people occasionally fall into more than three categories. This wasn't one of those superficial bad boys, though. As it turns out, a lot of work goes into writing a quiz – so at least give them a glimpse!

Here's how I landed the gig and pulled it off.

Fake It ‘Til You Make It: An Ode To Multitasking

Hey Edsters,

So I’m weeks and weeks deep into my internship, silently loathing the approaching time when I have to move home, and soaking up as much information as I possibly can on how to succeed.

If I’m picking up one thing more than anything else, it’s the importance of being able to multitask. We’re in a tough major, Edsters. I think we can all agree on that. We’re in a time when huge magazines would rather outsource freelancers than hire staffers, when one week of bad reviews can get you fired and sent back to school for a new career. It’s hitting hard for me, as I just saw someone fired yesterday. The person came into the office, went out to coffee with the boss, and then never came back. In that switch of a moment, his life was drastically different. He woke up with a life plan and went home with a box.

I started to think about my future in magazines. After having a real talk with my boss, I was much more than reassured.

Here’s what I learned:

3 Tips For Writing Your First Mag Story

Happy hump day, Edsters!

Some big news this week – I have a byline in the magazine!

Last week I blogged about a story I was doing research for. I’m going to get a small research credit for that, but this week something even better developed. My own story and a real byline. I can’t even fully believe it.

Admittedly, this story is not the most exciting thing ever. It’s a small, front-of-the-book item, barely more than 40 words. But still, it means my name and my writing is going to be read by people all over the country, and I couldn’t be more excited.

It was an interesting experience, too. I’m used to writing longer pieces – for me, 500 words is pretty short, never mind 50. I had to figure out a way to shrink three 30-minute interviews into three sentences, which was more of a challenge than I thought it would be. Here are a few things I’ve learned about writing short-form for mags:

Internship Ending? 5 Things to Do Now!

Hey there, fellow Edsters!

Time is flying far too fast. Weeks just shoot by, and the finish line for my internship is coming into sight. I’ve got a little bit of time left, but I still can’t believe how much closer the end gets every day — my friends and I talk about it in shock. I’ve fallen in love with my internship and this city, and I’ve learned so much. I know I’ll be back next summer (fingers crossed!), but every time I leave the office, I can’t help but look back and dread the day that single-digit countdown will begin.

It’s not unusual though. It’s the way it’s been with all my internships. I don’t regret a day of the journey at them, but the end always makes me sentimental. There’s still some time left to learn more, but the biggest mountains have been climbed. Now it’s time to head back down and end with grace.

What I’ve learned about this period — the falling action, you’d call it in literature — is that it’s important to be as conscious making that great good-bye as you were with that impressive hello. And great good-byes don’t happen in a week.

Fashion Secrets From The Closet

Aloha Edsters!

We’re a week into August, meaning that my internship (and summer vacation!) is nearing its end.

As an intern, I’ve learned that no matter what market you’re in (fashion, editorial, sports, feature, etc.) you’re going to have to work your way up from the bottom.

Cue the clichés.

That’s how it’s been, that’s how it is, and most likely how it will continue to be. I see nothing wrong with putting in long hours to get to where you want to be. There are no shortcuts to success. Heard it all before? Me too. But I’m starting to think that my parents, professors, bosses and everyone who’s every offered unsolicited advice to me may be on to something.

Trying to Stay Motivated When Your Job Hunt Hits A Wall

Howdy there, Edsters! Today's post is pretty deep. I know I've offered advice, stories and useless information about my NYC escapades. But now it's time for some wisdom and truth. So get ready.

When I first moved in to my closet-sized NY apartment, my roommates had this anonymous quote on our refrigerator and it's really had me thinking these last few days:

"The creatively strong survive. It takes a lot of courage and determination to make it out here. There will be many paths to choose and some may not alway be the best. Try not to get caught up in the scene. It can destroy people. Be careful who you trust . New York and Los Angeles are both cities of dreams, and your dreams and motivations have to be strong or they will be lost in the confusion of these cities."

I try to look at this quotation every morning and remind myself that I have to stay motivated to achieve my goals, but lately I feel like I haven't been giving my all to my internship at The Fitness Mag. I look at my fellow interns, high on the success of landing their first big gig, and I wish I could get that enthusiasm back. I'm not getting paid, and I feel like I'm back to square one, when I had my first magazine internship.

3 Ways To Make Yourself Useful On A Slow Day

Happy Friday, Edsters!

One great thing about Fridays is that no matter how hectic the week is (and the past few have been very, very hectic. Stopping and smelling the roses does not seem to play a major role in the lives of magazine editors), Fridays are a little more relaxed. A special brand of quietness sweeps across the office; sunlight seems to stream more meaningfully through the windows.

And no one wants to do a damn thing, people leave early, and the interns get bored.

This Friday, I wasn’t exactly complaining. I like contributing as much as the next person, but after three weeks in a row that I could swear were all closing weeks, it wasn’t exactly killing me to scrunch down in my cubicle with a few old issues of the Mag and a coffee expensed to the Mag’s account.

It was killing one of our other interns, though. She must have swung by my desk fifteen times trying to brainstorm projects for herself. Though I would have been one thousand percent content to just breathe for the first time all week and read my magazine, after I’d finished my cup of coffee and felt less cranky, I gained a little respect for her initiative.

But how do you make yourself useful when there’s really, really nothing to do?

How To Impress The Hell Out Of Your Bosses—And Become One

So I got a lovely little surprise this week, Edsters, and let me tell you, it feels WONDERFUL to be recognized at the mag. I've been working hard and trying to remember all the little details I overhear in the office--like which editors prefer e-mails and which want in-person conversations, which are too busy to be bothered this week and which have time to play with hand puppets. While I feel like I've just been keeping my head down and doing the best work I can with assigned tasks, I must be doing something else right.

I'm standing in for my boss tomorrow.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it, either, but this is how it happened:

Avoiding Disaster 101: The Importance of Getting Deadlines

So for the past six weeks or so, my internship has consisted largely of preliminary research – basically looking into stories and writing memos about what I find so editors can decide if the stories are worth pursuing for future issues. Sometimes I write lists of things to be made into graphics. But the point is, for the most part, I’m researching unscheduled, tentative stories, so everything is just sort of ongoing.

Imagine my surprise, then, when during a meeting I just happened to decide to attend I heard the editors discuss one of my stories, which, apparently, is scheduled for the December issue. And, apparently, the deadline for the December issue is next week. Whoa.

5 Ways to Step Up at Your Internship

Hey there, fellow Edsters!

Another week, another set of memories that have made my time in New York unlike any other. I’ve been given a lot at work to juggle, but I love the challenge. I know the work I’m doing — especially now and however small the task — is really helping my editors. The work of an intern may not appear in print, but it’s felt around the office. A better office environment means a smoother operation and stronger publication. Never doubt your impact.

But with the weeks flying by until my (and your) internship’s end unfortunately, now more than ever it’s important to step up. My editors know me now and what I’m capable of. They’ve come to trust my ability to do assignments. Now it’s time for me — and you — to use that relationship to your advantage!

The people I’ve talked to in the industry have told me the most memorable interns are the ones who do more than just what they’re told. They’re the interns that go the extra mile constantly. And they’re the interns to strive to be. So what’s their common traits? What did they do? The five ways to stand out like them:

7 Things Every Intern Should (And Shouldn't!) Carry In Their Bag

Happy Monday Edsters!

I’ve come a long way since my first (rainy) day at the Fashion Mag, and have learned tons about the fashion industry and New York City. Since this is my first internship, I came in not knowing what to expect at all. Now ten weeks have passed, and I’ve put together a list of essential items for the on-the-go intern. Many of you are on the search for your fall internship – refer back to this list once it starts!

My first week on the job, I carried enough items in my purse to fill a carry-on suitcase. Seriously, I would lug around my entire make-up case, jewelry, an umbrella, poncho (what was I thinking??), flats, a book, magazines, IPod, cell phone and charger, wallet, allergy and headache medication, contact lens solution, my glasses, band-aids, and tons of snacks, among other odds and ends.

Carrying all that around got old very quickly. Here’s all you need in your purse or messenger bag to survive a 12-hour day of interning: