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Landing Your First Mag Internship: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

So you want to intern at Maxim. Vogue. Wired. It’s intimidating to think about interning at big-name places, but it’s not as hard as you think it is.

Every publication has interns, and all of those interns started at the bottom, too. So why can’t the next Entertainment Weekly intern be you? Here’s a basic guide to landing your first magazine internship.

1. Get experience — and clips. It’s okay to start small. Work for your school newspaper or magazine — you’ll learn to brainstorm story ideas, to work under deadline, to write in AP style, and to ask good questions in an interview. Interested in music? Ask your editors for entertainment stories. Write for free for blogs and websites. Build your clips base so that you have a wide selection of strong writing to show any editor.

2. Work your network. If you don’t have one, start! Before you even see official internship listings or program applications available, email the editors to introduce yourself, express interest, and ask about opportunities — be respectful, and you’ll be remembered when editors are going through their many applications later on. Tip: Most editor email addresses follow a standard format. (And if you can’t find or figure out his or her email address, really, are you a journalist!?)

3. Have a kickass resume and cover letter. You would be surprised at how many resumes and cover letters are emailed in with tiny typos or grammatical errors. Plenty of people don’t bother to tailor each cover letter to the exact publication and exact internship position they’re applying for. You should. You’ll probably get better results from sending out three polished applications than 20 mediocre ones.

4. Make your interview the final sale. Be sharp, articulate, and prepared for any question that’s thrown your way. Nothing reinforces an editor’s opinion of your strong resume and cover letter like a stellar interview.

5. Send a thank-you note. A well-executed thank-you note can make or break you. I’ve heard differing opinions on email vs. handwritten card, but why not send both? Show you appreciate the editor’s time. A handwritten note that arrives a couple of days later can serve as just another positive reminder of you, you shiny star you.

6. Be outstanding. If you can’t demonstrate that you’re bright, motivated, and highly competent through the application and interview process, how can the editor hope you will be for the several months he or she has to work with you? Make yourself stand out from the standard applicant on paper, whether that’s with your superb research skills or your web savvy. Give the person hiring something that clearly sets you apart from the rest — and I don’t mean a perfumed resume.

Tags: career, clips, cover letter, experience, internships, interview, network, resume, thank-you notes, tips

6 Reasons to Start a Blog (Seriously)

You’ve heard it again and again: You should start a blog. You think about doing it, but something keeps holding you back. Maybe you just can’t stand the thought of your mom commenting. Or HTML makes your head hurt. And if your future employers come across it, well, God forbid…

Starting a blog is the simplest, most cost-effective way to stand out from a crowd. But still, plenty of aspiring journalists and writers aren’t doing it, whether it’s because they don’t see the advantages or because they’re afraid of putting too much of themselves online. Contrary to popular belief, blogging doesn’t necessarily have to be just an “online diary” — it can be an extension of your resume that serves to showcase your skills.

As everything moves from print to online, blogging also shows that you understand the web space and are a participant in new media, which is something more and more editors are looking for. (Nowadays, just knowing the AP stylebook isn’t going to cut it anymore — especially if you don’t even know how to <b>bold</b> something!)

Here are six reasons you should start a blog today. (Really. Like, today.)

1. Develop your voice. Writing in a blog provides you with an outlet for expression. It helps you hone your written communication skills, find a writing style that is comfortable for you, and get a feel for the topics that are of greatest interest to you.

2. Brand yourself. Blogging is a great marketing and communications tool. It allows you to establish your name and represent yourself online in a way that you want to be represented. If recruiters or employers Google search you, the information that comes up about you should be the information you put out there, not what your 7th grade kickball partner wrote about you in his LiveJournal. Though I’m sure that was very positive too.

3. Demonstrate your passion. Think of blogging as a test run for real publishing. If you regularly update your blog with solid content, you’re showing future employers that you’re genuinely interested in and well-versed in a certain topic. Blogging will help you figure out what kind of content your readers like and what kind of images work well with your text. And if you — gasp — have commenters, it shows people actually care about what you have to say.

4. Learn accountability. When you originally start a blog, you will have to write almost daily to grow your audience and keep readers coming back. Blogging shows employers you have the motivation and the self-discipline to write about a topic frequently and engagingly.

5. Become an expert. Writing around a certain topic, whether it’s street fashion or green technology or gadgets — will help you learn more about the field you’re covering. In order to stay on top of industry trends, you’ll constantly be reading other blogs and news sources, which will keep you sharp and informed, as an editor or reporter should be.

6. Build your network. By blogging, you put yourself out there for an unknown audience. Through sharing your experiences and expertise, you will be able to connect to like-minded people who blog about similar topics. You are able to give something to the community, which will reward you in turn. Most of all, your blog’s legitimacy will help you gain access to professionals at the forefront of their fields.

So go forth, young Padwans. Start a blog on Wordpress or Blogger today!

Tags: blogging, branding, network, new media, online media, passion, voice