Advertisers

Female Travel Advice

Shopping in New York
gapyearbooks - £4.79

3-IN-1 SAFETY DEVICE

This gadget is a smoke detector, a distress alarm and a powerful LED torch

Find out more >>

GOT AN ARTISTIC STREAK?

Share your love for arts and crafts with American kids on summer camps

Find out more >>

Magazine work experience

Magazine work experience: how to get ahead

Katy Salter writes...

"Barely an hour into my first work experience placement, on a well-known teen magazine, and my career in journalism was in tatters.

All thanks to a cuddly monkey.

Katy's nemesis

The day had started promisingly. I’d wanted to be a journalist since picking up a copy of the very same magazine at the tender age of 11, so when they took me on for work-experience, I was over the moon. Unfortunately, I was so brain-numbingly nervous that my attempts to impress backfired. Badly.

Stressed and on deadline, the art director entrusted me with an urgent mission. They needed a picture of the cuddly monkey and they needed it fast. She dispatched me to a studio in a Soho backstreet. Did I need directions? Oh no, not a cosmopolitan media chick like me. I knew W1 like the back of my hand.

An hour later, monkey and I were lost and panic-stricken. In my excitement at being trusted with an important task, I’d completely forgotten the street name. I wandered through Soho, asking directions but no one had heard of the studio.

The look on the art director’s face when I returned without her vital chimp prints was one I’ll never forget. But, to her endless credit, she gave me a tight smile and sent me back outside. This time with her A-Z.

So began my career in magazines. I eventually relaxed and stopped making monkey-related blunders. After stints on other publications, I was offered my current job, on a women’s magazine. During my time as an intern I learnt a lot about working in the media, the great bits and the not-so-glam bits. Now it’s part of my job to supervise work experience students. The advice in this guide is mainly focused on magazine journalism, though much of it can be applied to newspapers, TV and other career options.

If you’re thinking about a career in magazines, or another branch of the media, your gap year is the perfect time to gain some experience. Why? Firstly, popular publications are booked up a long, long time in advance, especially during the holidays, so you have the advantage of being available during quieter periods. Secondly, you can jump in at short notice if other candidates drop out and maybe stay on longer if you make yourself indispensable. If you’re still studying, or haven’t been to university yet, it will give you a distinct advantage over other candidates when you graduate. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, gaining work experience in your gap year is a chance to find out if your dream job is actually for you. Discovering what you don’t want to do with your life is just as important as deciding what you do. The following suggestions should help you get the most out of your placement, and ensure you’re remembered for all the right reasons. Who knows, a successful placement could lead to a job offer of your own. But remember, if someone sends you on a mission with a monkey, always take a map.

Securing a placement...

DO

- Approach the publication(s) a long time in advance. Some popular magazines, such as Time Out, Heat and FHM are booked up anything from a year to two years ahead.

- Consider smaller titles. Alright, so Railway Modeller’s Digest and Cross Stitching Made Simple might not be as glam as the big boys, but a placement on a smaller magazine has two large benefits. Firstly, they get fewer applicants so you’re more likely to be accepted, and at shorter notice. Secondly, smaller mags have the scaled-down staff to match, meaning you get the chance to write articles and really get involved. Have a look in the newsagent for titles you hadn’t considered before, but remember to at least glance through a copy before you apply.

- The best way to apply is to email the editorial assistant of the publication you want to work on. It’s a good idea to call first to check the spelling of their name and to confirm they accept work experience students. If they say yes, send a brief covering email with your available dates and attach your CV.

- If you’re on your gap year and are available at short notice, say so. Your original choice of dates might be taken, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who drop out of their placements at the last minute, or don’t even show up. Leaving you to step heroically into their shoes.

DON’T

- Forget to spell-check your application and any follow-up emails. You might not be applying for a paid position but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to put the effort in, especially in journalism. Misspelling the name of the editor won’t win you brownie points. Obvious, but a common mistake.

- Be a no-show. If for any reason you can’t make your work experience dates, let the magazine know as soon as possible. That way, you’re giving someone else a chance and saving the mag’s staff a headache. The media is a nepotistic industry, so you never know when you’ll need to deal with these people again.

On the placement...

DO

- You’ve been accepted for a stint at the most glamorous mag on the newsstand. Congratulations. But before you start planning your Pulitzer Prize acceptance speech, make sure you find out a few basics for your first day. Email your contact the week before to confirm, and check:

* The address
* Who to ask for at reception
Dressed to impress

* The hours you’ll be working
* The dress code

A note on that last point. You’ll most likely be told to wear what you like. But if you’re after a job with the company, it pays to adapt your personal style a tad to fit in with the office culture. As a rule of thumb most hacks fall into three sartorial categories:

* Lads, music and teen mags. Baggy jeans, Converse and music tees are the order of the day.

* Fashion, beauty and women’s mags. Watch out for the scary types who plan their outfits with SAS precision, wafting around in 5in heels and this week’s Prada. But don’t panic, Topshop and Primark copies are de rigueur, too.

* Newspapers. More formal. In many places, suits are still the norm so double-check before you bowl in wearing those sweet new Adidas.

- Try to see boring tasks as an opportunity, too. For example, if you’re asked to go through the week’s papers to find relevant stories for the writers to follow up on, you can learn what makes a good story for the magazine. Equally, sorting through the post means you get an insight into what the readers think.

- Stick to your hours. You may be working for free, but being punctual and professional will curry some serious favour.

- Ask for clarification if you don’t understand something you’ve been asked to do or for feedback on any written work. Make sure you’re learning all you can from the experience.

- During a quieter period, take the chance to ask a staff member you get on with how they got into journalism and if they’ve got any advice for you.

DON’T

- Expect to be interviewing A-list stars and writing eight-page features. At least, not straight away. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to contribute creatively, but a lot of your tasks could seem quite mundane. Opening the post, writing to readers, picking competition entries and photocopying are all common tasks. But, as my mum would say, ‘do it with a good grace’ and you’ll soon be set something more exciting.

After the placement...

DO

- Send a follow-up email to say thank you and that you’d like them to bear you in mind for any future placements or job vacancies.

- If there’s someone you got one well with, stay in touch and drop them a line every few months to let them know how your studies are going. This will remind them that you’re out there if a job comes up.

- Email the features editor with any feature ideas you might have. If you’ve proved your mettle during your placement and they like your ideas, you might get commissioned to write your first big feature. Before you know it, your career will be up and running and you’ll be the one doling out advice to nervous new interns.

Good luck!"

further info

Click here >> for more info about picking up work experience on your gap year
Click here >> for gap year journalism placements overseas
Katy's currently travelling around the World: click here >> to read her diary

Adverts

what are these?

Bookmark With:

Favourites	Digg	Furl	Del.icio.us
Facebook	Google	Reddit	More Services >>

Plan Your Trip

Volunteering

Countries

Jobs

Find a Travel Mate

Messageboards

Members

Advertisers

Female Travel Advice

Magazine work experience

Magazine work experience: how to get ahead

Bookmark With: