Fashion Intern Firsts: My Messenger Run All Over New York City

Hi all,

So after thirteen hours and a few blisters later, I successfully completed my first week at my summer internship! After starting off the morning being literally nervous to the bone, I quickly found myself jumping right in since the big task for the day was to rapidly help pull and pack for an upcoming photo-shoot. While we were making our to-do lists (and checking it twice!), I managed to introduce myself to my fellow summer interns, and I must admit, I was surprised by how friendly everyone was! In an industry so cut-throat as this one is sketched out to be, I never would've guessed I'd make a handful of friends so soon, but somehow I got lucky!

And then it happened. My supervisor snagged me to go out on a messenger run for her. As cool and collective as I tried to make my face portray, inside my nerves were twisting in all kinds of ways since I'm still not quite used to the vigorous New York subway system. Yet after about the fourth run I had to go on (one right after the other!), I shocked myself by how fast I was catching on. Yes, it was about this time that Google Maps officially became my new best friend.

Want to Keep Up in the Magazine World? 4 Easy Ways to Prioritize!

Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons 

My first few days at Women’s Lifestyle Mag have been incredible. It’s been a lot to take in, but I love that there is so much to do. There are no coffee runs here!

Now that I’ve learned the tedious things, like how to work the magazine’s content management systems (more on this later, promise) and the login information for a social media account, I’m ready to roll.

I have a list of tasks that need to be accomplished each day and it’s my job to get them done! Then, there are also the occasional side projects, like transcribing or running items to the freight closet, which I’m also responsible for.

I’ve learned very quickly that the key to tackling a long list of things-to-do is prioritizing. I need to be good at judging which projects need to get done and when.

During the school year, I work a 40-hour week and still attend class full time, so I’m not too shabby at managing my time! But, I have to admit; the mag world is fast paced, even for me! I’m slowly getting the hang of things, but I’m still learning. I’ve made a list of four things I’ve been doing to help me prioritize my time.

Did You Google Stalk Your Fellow Interns?

Hello fellow Edsters!

I am quickly developing a fear of the unknown. As I get ready to start my internship next week, I keep thinking about what I’ll be doing, whom I’ll be meeting and what I will gain from the experience. I have always been someone who wants to know exactly what is going on, all of the time.

The other day I received an email from my boss with more information regarding our first day and orientation. The other interns in my department were CC’ed and their full names included. My brain jumped to Google searching my co-workers. 

Dress Code Disaster: What Does Stylish Yet Appropriate Mean?



Courtesy of Banana Republic

Hey Edsters,
Finding out the dress code at my internship sent me into a tailspin. "Stylish yet appropriate" is really magazine-talk for business casual. I hated business casual, mainly because I didn’t know how to do it right.

Last semester, I worked at my university’s business school in its events department. The job required business casual attire, so I would go to work from class and change in the bathroom before entering the offices. I typically stuck to a dress/blazer and pants/sweater combo with flats. Despite my best efforts, my boss revealed at the end of the semester that I didn’t wear the business casual attire that the job required.

Networking For Extreme Introverts

We’ve all heard it a million times: This industry is about networking. Oh, your friend talked to her mom who talked to her coworker who talked to her cousin who works at Condé Nast to score you that huge interview? Well, of course, that’s how everybody gets in.

Except what happens when you’re looking to break into magazines and the only industry connection you’ve got is a great-aunt’s friend who works in the art department of a local Alaskan lifestyle magazine?

For the longest time, I thought that all the connections I needed were a resume, a cover letter, and access to Ed’s website. That was all I had when I scored my first internship the summer after my freshman year, and that was all I had when I got two big, sparkly fashion internships as a sophomore and a junior. One of my fashion mag co-workers and I would joke about how our friends reacted after we got the job. The most common response tended to be: ‘How did you get this? Who do you know?!’ And then we’d quip wittily: ‘Uh, he’s this great guy, Ed. You should really meet him...’

But, as is normal when I make fun of things I don’t understand, I was quickly forced to eat my words.

New Wardrobes, Post-Abroad Shock, and Pre-Internship Jitters!

Hey Edsters,

Ed’s other Interns may be starting up their internships this week, but I’ve still got two more weeks in beautiful Italy! Though I’m lucky to have more time studying abroad, it’s not all pizza and gelato: I’ve got to finish up my final exams, harass my professors in the US to write me letters of credit from afar, and find a new work wardrobe—I’ve only got four days at home before I start my internship!

Here’s what I’m most looking forward to about heading home:

Seeing all of my family and friends! Facebook Chat and Skype can only take you so far for six months. I can’t wait to tell everyone I care for all about my semester abroad in person!

Heading back to my internship, of course! Though I’ve emailed and tweeted my editors and continued blogging for the site, I CANNOT WAIT to see them every day and get in the thick of the fun that I’m lucky enough to call work.

The pace of life! I’ve definitely learned how to take it easy in Italy, but I’m ready to head back to the constant posts, photo shoots, interviews, and staff meetings. I wouldn’t want it any other way!

And what I’m least looking forward to:

What to Wear for Your First Day as a Fashion Intern

Well Edsters,

Here I am trying to pick out an outfit for my first day at my summer internship. Since I’ll be working at one of the most popular fashion magazine, the pressure is definitely on. My mind is at a torn–do I overdress to impress on my first day, or should I try and recreate some of the casual outfits I always see in the magazine itself? Decisions, decisions…

Although this may seem like a small dilemma to some, I believe your first impression can say a lot about who you are as a person, and the work you can deliver. Therefore, I want to look sharp and polished, without trying too hard. Yet, I’ve come to find out that you can never get the true sense of the office wardrobe until your first day when you can spot what others are wearing. 

Day One At A Women’s Lifestyle Mag: What To Expect (And Not Expect!)

Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Hi there, Edsters!

I just finished my first day as a web intern for Women’s Lifestyle Mag! Now that it’s over, I can hardly wait for day two. But I was INCREDIBLY nervous for Day One. I had no idea what to expect, as this was my first in-office internship at a magazine. Needless to say, I was prepared for the worst.

Here’s what I thought would happen on my first day on the job…and what actually went down.

Expectation 1: Everyone will be super serious and no one will talk to me.  

LOL.

Introducing The PR Girl Turned Magazine Junkie

Edsters,

I have to admit, I haven’t always dreamed of interning at a magazine. In high school my life revolved around being a program director and editor for the radio station, slaving away at correcting beats and creating playlists for the following day’s shows. When I got to college and starting studying in a school of the communication, I decided to step away from journalism and major in Public Communication and minor in Marketing. Very quickly I became immersed in the public relations industry with my first PR class and involved in my school’s social media club. It wasn’t until halfway into my freshman year that I joined my school’s online magazine for women after searching for a creative outlet outside of the classroom.

I went on that summer to intern at a small tech and consumer PR firm, picking up all the skills necessary to write a press release, collect journalist’s emails on Cision, and brainstorm client promotional ideas. Over time I realized not being the one creating the content was limiting and I wanted to try something new.

Introducing the Shelter Intern Who Sent Out 34 Cover Letters

Fellow Edsters,

My search for an internship has been very comparable to searching for a partner. For the past four months, I’ve thrown myself out there; I have scoured Ed for internship listings, wrote countless cover letters and updated my resume. I felt like pre-New York Carrie Bradshaw, single and looking for someone to love me (and then give me a job).

As a college freshman, I had little expectations but large ambitions. I would not let up until someone hired me. So I wrote 34 cover letters.

You heard me, 34. Hey, I was desperate.

Introducing the Former Graphic Designer Turned Pro Celeb Blogger

I was dragged into writing kicking and screaming, fighting it the whole way down to the registrar’s office. Okay, well, not literally. But I definitely did not think in a million years that I would be staring down the gaping black hole of my senior year with this crazy idea that I was going to make a living off of writing words, and maybe somebody would be nice enough to pay me for it.

It didn’t start out that way though. In elementary school I was the queen of Accelerated Reader. (Anyone else remember that program?) I actually just cashed in two savings bonds that I won through the AR rewards system in 3rd and 5th grade in order to pay for my Metrocard this month. Thanks, little self!

In 4th grade I wrote a 20-page fiction piece on the Iditarod that left my English teacher speechless. The next year, my parents bought me this book for Christmas called So, You Wanna Be A Writer? and I was like YES.

But then something went weird. In high school I had that quintessential teacher—you know, the one who will leave an impact on you for the rest of your life. She was my English teacher and the advisor for the high school yearbook, which I reigned over during my senior year. She encouraged me, challenged me, and told me that writing was worth pursuing. But it seemed like the more papers I wrote, the more A’s that I got, the higher the pressure was to be some kind of brilliant writing machine.

Introducing the Web Intern Who’s Blogging About All Things Beiber

Hey Edsters!

I’ve been obsessed with the Internet ever since my parents would let me near a mouse. AIM? I was SmarterChild’s favorite buddy. MySpace? Ed would’ve been in my Top 8. When I wasn’t harassing SmarterChild or social networking, I was reading teen magazines obsessively and stalking my postman until the next month’s issue came. Though I’ve since graduated to Facebook, Tumblr, Wordpress, and Twitter, I couldn’t imagine a better way to merge my passion for magazines with my love of the Internet than pursuing a career as a web editor!

I scored my dream web internship last summer at my favorite teen magazine, where I blogged about all things boys, blush, and Bieber. I never thought I’d be interviewing talent and getting bylines—but I did! Sometime between writing posts, testing products, and stalking celebs, I feel head-over-heels with the magazine industry. I’m now serious about pursuing a career as a web editor—so you can only imagine how excited I was when my editor invited me back this year! In the world of web, like fashion, what’s in one day is out the next. My internship taught me that I want to write content that people will read across the world—and I’m so ready for the challenge!

Introducing the Small Town Girl Who Scored Her Fashion Internship Via Facebook

Hello Edsters,

Wow. It seems like it was just yesterday when I received the email stating I landed the internship of my dreams with one of my favorite magazines. With what seemed like a long shot when I took the chance and applied, it's crazy to believe now here I am, unpacking my overweight suitcase for my upcoming summer in the city.

I still remember all those times I would flip through the latest fashion issues and think just how fascinating it would be to actually work in the place that brings these pages to life. So when I finally put my thinking cap to good use, I started to sort out strategies of how I could transform this dream of mine into reality. I know you've probably heard the saying, "It's not what you know, but who you know." Well, as much as I wish that wasn't true, life lessons have come to show me that sometimes it is.

I knew I had to somehow make connections  so that I could find people that had ties to these publishing companies.

Introducing…The Tech Junkie With Her Dream Web Internship At A Women’s Glossy

Hi there, Edsters!

I’m here to tell you how to land an internship at your favorite magazine—after you failed to land it the first go-round.

Never give up. We’ve all heard the cliché a thousand times. “Never give up? Um, Obviously! Life 101, duh.”

This past winter, I applied for an internship at my favorite women’s glossy with grandeur dreams of New York City only to find out that I (drumroll please) didn’t get the internship. Admittedly, it had never been harder to keep my chin up. How are you supposed to “never give up” on your dream internship when you get the dreaded, “Sorry! Not this time.” Isn’t that the end of the road? Shouldn’t you just pack your bags, cut your losses, and find a new dream?

The answer is no. You should make that stupid “never give up” cliché the background of your cellphone, so every time you start to play Words With Friends, you remember that you have better things to do—like land your dream internship!

OK, Rant over. Here’s how to turn that “No” into a “YES!”

Calling All Summer Interns: Blog For Ed!

Hey Whippersnappers,

Want clips and online experience? We’re looking for fun, sharp bloggers to write about their summer internship. This is a great volunteer opportunity to improve your web savvy and build your resume. To apply, tell us your where you’ll be interning this summer and submit your resume with one sample blog post to yelena@ed2010.com by Monday, May 6.