Many college students wait until after graduation to choose a career path and begin their job search. In the magazine publishing industry, though, you have to start early. The earlier you determine you want a career in magazine publishing, and the earlier you begin to prepare, the easier it will be to distinguish yourself from other graduates looking for positions in this highly competitive industry. Each year, thousands of candidates vie for the few available openings at various magazines and newspapers.
The most important thing students can do to prepare for career in magazine publishing, according to Professor Jay Rosen, director of the journalism program at New York University, is "read constantly -- read a lot of magazines, read the newspaper, keep up with hot selling books, learn about ideas and trends." Rosen says the second most important thing is to work on your college newspaper. He recommends starting early, "from your first week as a freshman. The goal should be to become an editor with your own section -- or even the editor-in-chief. There is no better experience."
In order to ensure that you secure a job upon graduation, and a successful career, you should also make connections, gather published clips and gain related professional experience. Described below, you'll find these and other key steps to a prosperous publishing career.
Gain experience
Explore internships, temporary and part-time opportunities, and summer jobs at local magazines and newspapers, no matter how small. Gaining experience at a local publication is the first step to building a resume. Although you might not be writing and assigning articles, just by being in a newsroom or magazine office will give you valuable experience. Contact employment agencies that offer access to temporary and part-time publishing jobs. Take anything they offer you -- from getting coffee to data input, from the editorial department to the sales unit. You'll make connections, learn about other openings and begin to build a reputation. Use your summers wisely. If you don't get an internship, look into local papers or magazines that need help on an administrative level -- and apply. Most important, take advantage of what your school offers. Get to work on your local school paper or literary magazine. These types of commitments are impressive to prospective employers.
Most major publishing companies and newspapers -- both big and small -- have extensive, well-organized and comprehensive internship programs for college-level students. (At the end of this article is a list of some of the largest organizations offering internships, along with their contact information.) Some local publications will offer high school students and anyone interested in the industry an opportunity to intern as well. Internships are generally unpaid and seasonal, with an established start and end date. Many programs, however, require that you receive college credit for work done, which limits the opportunities for high school students and, in some cases, college freshmen. Most internships are just a way for you to get in the door, meet editors and absorb as much as possible about the environment and process. For the most part, an internship is an introduction. However, some major international companies run highly competitive internship programs that allow you to perform the tasks of a junior editor -- proofreading, organizing manuscripts, and working in the production or art departments.
Eileen Cross, Director of Human Resources at Fairchild Publications, advises students to "seek out great internship programs, whether paid or unpaid that will offer rich work experience in a particular department for the length of the internship, versus a rotation program where you only get glimpses of what goes on and really don't get much of an opportunity to do real work." Cross warns students not to forget about trade publications: "College students get all caught up in the glitz of the fashion magazines. But they will probably get better experience on a trade."
Professor Rosen adds that most big cities in the U.S. have a city magazine such as DC's Washingtonian and NYC's New York, both of which he calls "ideal places to intern." And, according to Rosen, "almost as good are the free weekly newspapers that cover arts and entertainment as well as news, like the Chicago Reader, Boston Phoenix, LA Weekly, and Miami New Times.
No matter where you end up interning, expect to perform menial tasks such as faxing, filing, copying and administrative work. But don't think these are not valuable opportunities. The fastest way to get a full-time job in this industry is through the network of contacts you acquire on an internship. Editors are always in contact with each other and referring candidates for jobs and entry-level posts.
Chart your path
Find out whether you want a career as a writer or an editor, and which subjects you are interested in covering.
The biggest myth about writers, reporters and journalists is that they were somehow born with the ability to write. Many writers actually hate the task of writing itself. What really gets a writer going might be generating a story idea, performing research, or assembling information. The task of writing is never easy, and not liking it does not mean that you are not cut out for a job as a journalist.
Reporters and journalists generate story ideas and pitches, gather news and, of course, write articles. They also analyze news and provide fresh angles and innovative perspectives. As a fledgling journalist, the quickest way to garner a bad reputation with an editor is to hand in unprofessional, sloppy copy. The less work your editor has to do with grammar, spelling and style changes, the more successful you will be. That said, writers should never be too attached to every word in their stories, because articles will be altered and cut in the editing process. Learning to deal with these changes and quickly moving on to the next assignment is an essential part of being a successful journalist.
Editors generate story ideas, assign articles, and read manuscripts and pitches from freelance writers. Editors work with writers from the beginning of an article to its completion, correcting grammar and analyzing work for content quality and stylistic consistency. Although editors may specialize in a particular field of interest, a good editor is a good editor no matter what the subject. The skills and knowledge used in editing -- such as grammar, copy-editing, style and generating ideas for articles -- are applicable to almost any magazine. If you master these skills, you'll be able to move to almost any magazine, in any focus or specialization.
If you apply for a position as an editor, you'll most likely be asked to take a copy-editing, proofreading or word processing test, which will measure your grammar and attention to detail, as well as your knowledge of the publication's style. According to Cross at Fairchild, "We determine through the interview how results-oriented [candidates] are, and what 'success' means for them. The competencies for a consumer edit role versus a reporter on a trade publication like Women's Wear Daily or Supermarket News are so different. So we interview against those distinctive competencies. For example, if you want to be a reporter, you must have high level of curiosity, you must be competitive because you want to be the one to get the 'scoop,' you must be persistent, you must be able to translate what you learn into a great story, and you must be cynical -- [be able] to dig underneath and question what the press release is saying."
It's important to note that it pays to learn every aspect of publishing from copy-editing to production, because, in this economy, the editor or journalist who can do three jobs at once is invaluable -- and will always be employed.
Get the right education
Where you go to college and what you major in can play a big part in how quickly you'll get a job later. In this competitive industry it helps to focus on acquiring the necessary skills, internships and contacts early, rather than after graduation. In college, most journalists majored in English or journalism, and minored in business, political science, law or whatever other subject they were interested in writing about. Specialists in business, technology, science, medicine, law, politics, and so on are highly regarded and valuable. Depending on your area of interest, it's possible that majoring in your desired specialization and getting a minor in journalism might also be appropriate. Most editors were English, communications or journalism majors who worked on school publications, literary magazines and college newspapers.
You might want to look for college programs that offer the opportunity to study abroad with internships. London is a great place for budding journalists and editors; some publications in the U.K. provide better opportunities and more responsibilities for young writers and editors than their U.S. counterparts. Below is a list of schools with excellent communications programs, internship opportunities and established alumni networks -- which can help you get a job after graduation. (Note that the obvious Ivy League institutions, which have well-known faculty and prestigious programs, have been left out in order to make room for other lesser-known programs across the country.)
American University (www.american.edu), Washington, DC. American's international studies and journalism program offers the opportunity to work in your chosen major through a co-op program. American has an extensive government internship program and wide range of study abroad opportunities. And it's a great place to make job contacts.
Boston University (www.bu.edu), Boston, MA. With a prime location in Boston, a major student populated city, BU offers something for every major. The School of Communication has a great reputation and houses the nation's only Center for the Study of Political Disinformation. BU also has a study abroad and internship abroad program in major cities around the world.
Brown University (www.brown.edu), Providence, RI. This Ivy League school, unlike the other Ivies, doesn't emphasize grades or pre-professionalism, and offers students a great deal of freedom in choosing their own curriculum. Brown has excellent English and writing departments and features 20 study abroad programs.
University of Missouri-Columbia (www.missouri.edu), Columbia, MO. Mizzou, as the school is known, provides an intensive training ground for young writers at the brand new Center for the Literary Arts. The school also provides publishing experience through The Missourian, the university's local daily paper edited by journalism school faculty.
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