INKWIRED

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.