Beating The Fear of Striking Out

Hey Edsters!

I'll be the first to admit it, I am extremely shy and sometimes do not advocate enough for myself, whether it be in the office or outside of work. As I continue through my internship I am realizing it is extremely important to take chances, connect with whoever comes your way, and always be thinking about how you can help you boss. Over the past few weeks our web staff and other departments have met with groups of interns to give us workshops on success in the magazine industry that are also relevant to other fields. The pattern and theme of all of these meetings seemed to be the importance of reaching out to editors and making connections. Growingly I am realizing how important knowing people in your industry is. 

3 Things Every Web Intern Needs to Know

Hey Edsters!

It’s hard to believe that in just five short days I’ll be home in New York! I’m sneaking in every gelato I can before I leave. I’ve been spending my last few days in Italy thinking about how much I’ve learned during my time at the mag last summer, and how I want to be an even better intern this summer. Here are the three biggest things I’ve learned:

1) When in doubt, yes is the answer. This summer, you are Jim Carrey in Yes Man. Does your editor need someone to box prize packs for contest winners? Transcribe the millionth interview of the day?  Make an intricate timeline of Miley/Liam’s relationship? You’re going to do it, and you’re going to do it with gusto. The simple truth of the intern world is that, sometimes, you’re going to need to do things that aren’t as fun as interviewing celebs or going to press events. I know one of the reasons I definitely stood out in my intern class was because I took on jobs the other interns in my department were reluctant to, and I was just as enthusiastic about those tasks as I was about getting bylines. Your editor will probably return the favor when she knows there’s a project you’d be super excited about.

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!