Ed's Girl on the Hunt

Is this really happening?

2007-12-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

I’m still experiencing a bit of shock and I can’t decide whether or not I’m really happy or really scared. I’ve been dreaming about something like this for so long that I almost don’t believe it’s true or actually happening…

Oh, did I mention? I got the job!

That’s right, I’m officially the new editor of the fabulous mag of my dreams. I still haven’t told my boss, she’s out of the office until Monday. That’s sure to be an awesome way to start the week. I’m so nervous about this transition, especially since it’s right in the middle of the holidays. I’m scared to death that I’ll do an awful job and they’ll regret hiring me. I won’t get into details, but this is not at all like an EA position, it comes with a ton of responsibility and some pretty big shoes to fill.

I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for less than two months and I already found my dream job! I wish that I had some super advice to offer you guys about the amazing things I did to get it, but I know we’re all in the same boat and doing the same exact things. All I can say is that I applied to at least ten jobs a week, kept my head up and wrote like crazy. As much as I don’t want to believe it, this business really is a lot about luck and who you know.

So I guess this will be my last post, which is really sad. I’m happy to have gotten the job but I’ll miss keeping in touch with you guys! I really hope my story was inspirational, and keep in mind that if I can do it, anyone can. Best of luck to you loves, I hope all your publishing dreams (and beyond) come true!

There may be hope after all...

2007-12-05T23:07:00.000-05:00

EEK! I sent my thank you note (just like you all suggested) and got called in for a second interview yesterday morning! Thankfully, I think this one went SO much better than the first! I actually got to talk a little and I think I really convinced them of why I would be absolutely perfect for the position. They even kept my portfolio this time, which is huge. They said they’d be meeting to make their decision this weekend and I’d know by next week.

One of the other companies I interviewed with last week actually called to offer me a position this afternoon, but I decided not to take it. The commute was so long, the pay was less than I make now and the job was basically the same as what I’m doing. It was actually another marketing company, which I guess I didn’t really realize until I got there. No, I’m not that dumb, the job ad made the position seem a lot different than it was.

In freelancing news, I’m so busy I can barely keep up! I’ve somehow become obsessed with money and can’t seem to say no to projects. I’m nervous that when I do get the editorial job of my dreams, the pay will be less than I make now, so I’m trying to save as much as possible. Also, I have to start paying student loans next month (ew) so I’d like to be prepared for that.

Tomorrow I present my story ideas and magazine template to the president of the company I’m freelance editing for! I’m super nervous but pretty confident that I came up with some good stuff. Like I said before, it’s basically a newsletter, just a little more flashy. Hopefully they like it…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

I <3 Fridays...

2007-11-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

I am so looking forward to a big piece of chocolate cake and a movie in bed. Forget dancing the night away, this girl needs some serious R&R…

I had another interview this morning and I think it actually went fairly well. The position is strictly editorial but it’s for a company, not a publication. It sounded interesting and the benefits are great, but I’m nervous about getting stuck in another position like I’m in now. I really just need to be in a place where the creative juices are flowing, all this business talk exhausts me.

My freelance contract assignment is going SO well and I absolutely love the project I’m working on. Time isn’t that much of an issue, I work on it mainly on weeknights and weekends, but sometimes I get a bit tired. I’ve been taking on tons of random freelance projects, but I think I should slow down because my full-time job is getting pretty busy. We get a week off for the holidays and apparently people are rushing to get everything done before then. I’ve only got an extra three or four hours of free time a day now, which probably sounds ridiculous, but I used to have a full day filled with nothing to do!

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

PS – I’m dying to do something different and fun with the B/F this weekend. Any Boston Ed’s out there ever been to the skating rink in the common? Is it any fun? Are there any cool yet inexpensive restaurants around there for dinner?

Interview From Hell...

2007-11-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

You know that feeling when you leave an interview and you just know you’re definitely not getting the job? That’s pretty much how I felt yesterday when I left the interview for my dream job. I felt like I didn’t get to say enough, or anything really, because all they spoke about was the company and the job. I tried to put my two cents in but I thought talking about how great I was for the position was tacky after they asked if I had any questions. I wasn’t quite sure how bad it went until they stopped me to give me my portfolio before I left. It stinks because I prepared SO much for it and did tons of research, put together a great portfolio and thought about great answers to a million questions they could have asked me.

I’m trying to not to freak out too much. The best internships I’ve scored were after interviews I thought had gone pretty badly. I just really loved the job and it would be a great starting point and it’s a lot closer to my apartment than other jobs I’ve interviewed for. Boo. I guess we’ll see. Has anyone ever actually gotten a call back after a “terrible” interview experience? Perhaps it’s silly to hold on too long but I need a little hope…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

Ed Girl's Freelance Life...

2007-11-28T13:33:00.000-05:00

I’m not an expert freelancer and actually just started doing it about three months ago when I graduated and realized I didn’t have many good clips to put in my portfolio. The way I see it, there are two kinds of freelancing: writing for clips and writing for money. Hopefully, as I get older and more experienced, they’ll some how combine and I’ll be able to write fabulous features for fabulous magazines but for now, there’s still that division.

Sadly, I’ve been freelancing for money a lot more lately and am basically using elance.com to help accomplish that. Don’t hate, it’s almost December and the holidays are quickly approaching. I’ve got to make some extra dough somehow. The site is pretty simple to use and I’ve made quite a bit on it since I discovered it about a month ago. I’ve been basically doing a lot of web content writing, specifically for products or certain topics. For example, I just finished up writing a bunch of 300-word articles about marketing and made $400 doing it. I probably won’t use them for clips, but it’s cash.

I’ve been writing two or three clips a month for a Boston newspaper that I get paid a lot less for but can use in my portfolio. If you haven’t freelanced yet, I think you’ll find that the clips you can use are often ones that you wrote for very little or free. I got pretty lucky and have found a lot of freelancing gigs through craigslist but I’m hoping to eventually be in a place where I can pitch story ideas to my favorite mags. If you’re trying to build clips, though, I imagine you’re not in a place where you’ll be hired to write a feature for Glamour, so I’d suggest writing about what you know and love for smaller publications.

I hope this kind of helps some of the people who have been in touch with questions! Again, I’m definitely no expert and am learning all of this too so if anyone has any fabulous freelancing tips, please share them in some comments!

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

PS - I have an interview for my DREAM entry-level editing job in a few hours so wish me luck! EEK!

I'm going to be wearing stretchy pants for weeks...

2007-11-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

You know you’ve eaten too much when you literally can barely fit in to your pants after a week of holiday feasting. I’ve been hitting the gym like whoa the past few days but with a fridge full of leftovers and pies from mom, it’s basically a lost cause.

I interviewed late last week for the freelance editing position and heard back this morning that I got it! I start next week and, aside from two or three in-house meetings, all the work can be done remotely. I’m excited but nervous that I’ll get overwhelmed. I’ve taken on a ton of freelance projects and will still be working full-time so it will be quite a busy couple of months.

I’ve also got a couple of interviews lined up at the end of this week for some editing positions. One’s at a magazine and the other for a website. I’ve never done web editing and haven’t really done a ton of web writing, but it will be good interview experience anyway. I think my boss is getting suspicious that I keep having these “doctors appointments” and I feel bad missing more work, especially since I’ve been sick forever and missed so much already! As much as I really want a job in publishing, I will feel bad leaving here…

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday! I’ve been getting a lot of emails and requests for freelancing tips (even though I’m really no expert), so tomorrow perhaps I’ll post a little something about how I got in to it…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

The Gods Are Against Me...

2007-11-19T16:56:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for the past two weeks and lack of entries, I was super lucky and got a bad pneumonia, meaning no work, no fun, no entries and, worst of all, no job hunting. This past weekend I was finally able to muster up the strength to get up and check out the job boards and was so disappointed to see a few great openings I would have loved to jump on immediately. I still sent out my resume and clips ASAP and I’m hoping that most people are waiting until after turkey day to hire.

The only good news/real news I have to offer is that I did get an interview through the temp agency I applied for a few weeks ago. It’s for a contract, freelance position at a company in they city and I’d be responsible for putting together their first ever company magazine, which I’m assuming is essentially a newsletter. I’m pretty excited because it is a lot more editorial work than writing and I’d be responsible for managing the design team and freelance writers involved in the project.

Again, I’m so sorry for the lack of posts and I promise it will be much more interesting in the weeks to come. Now that I’m back on my feet I’m ready for the holiday season and the openings that will hopefully follow soon after!

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

Shorter Days & Cold Weather…

2007-11-06T15:27:00.001-05:00

…make me miserable and sick! It’s weird getting out of work when it’s dark and I can’t seem to shake this horrible cold. I finally had to turn up the heat this weekend, which means super high gas bills are sure to follow.

I heard back from the magazine I’ve had a couple interviews with and I didn’t get the position. They said that while they thought my experience was great, they went with someone who was an expert on the mags subject matter. Apparently the person isn’t really a writer but has been involved in the industry the magazine targets for years.

Yesterday I interviewed with the temp agency I wrote about but I don’t know if I should really expect anything to come from it. Apparently they don’t often get the type of jobs I’m looking for. It’s a creative agency and they’re mainly looking for people who do graphic arts or marketing. They do get a few freelance writing assignments so I’m hoping to at least get my hands on some of those. They said that they haven’t ever had one of the magazines in the area come to them looking for people, so that doesn’t make me too hopeful. Has anyone had any luck with temp agencies? I've heard some success stories, but not too many.

I keep seeing short freelance editing assignments on job boards, but I can’t leave my job to take work for only a short period of time. Especially around the holidays, it’s just not possible. I’m kind of expecting that I’ll be around here until January when people actually start hiring again. In the meantime, more resumes, more clips and lots more freelancing!

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

I can't stop checking my email...

2007-11-02T15:06:00.000-04:00

It’s become an obsession! I’ve always got my gmail open in a window on my desktop and I literally check every two minutes to see if anyone is responding to a pitch or resume. If I don’t get at least three emails an hour, I freak out and get all upset. I seriously need to relax a little.

I had a second interview for the Assistant Editor position this morning. Once again, I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I think it went really well. I did some research on the mags topic before hand and tried to throw a few facts out there. I made it clear that I was no expert but instead focused on the fact that I can adapt well to various topics. Hopefully they’ll see that! Lets keep our fingers crossed.

I just found out that, through a family member, I have a pretty strong connection at a regional mag here in the city. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this until now, everyone in my family has known about my plot to take the magazine industry by storm. It came up in a casual conversation and I’m not really sure how to use the information. I let my family member know I was really interested in working at the mag (it would be a DREAM) and she said she’d see what she could do. I’ve never had a connection like this before, am I going about it the right way?

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

PS - If any of you want to get in touch with me, feel free to shoot me an email at edgirlonthehunt@gmail.com! XOXO

Forgive me loves…

2007-10-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

Forgive me loves…

…for the lack of a post yesterday. Work was hectic and I was busy because I had an interview!

I think it went fairly well. It was for an assistant editor position at a very small regional mag. I aced the edit test (HOORAY!) but I’m not sure I’ll get the job because it’s a very specific magazine about a certain animal that I know NOTHING about. Going in to it I figured I wouldn’t get it, but I thought I could definitely use the interview and edit test practice.

I’ve been doing this freelance thing for the past couple of days and I’m particularly fond of elance.com. I had to pay to use the service but I’ve already been accepted on two jobs, one random blog assignment and another for web content, and I made a couple hundred bucks! I don’t think that I’ll be able to use all the work I do through the site for clips, but I’ll definitely generate a few and I can seriously use the extra money. Someone’s break pads decided to blow out yesterday and now she has to spend $300 to get them fixed. *sigh*

I absolutely love all of your encouraging and helpful comments! One girl in particular said that this whole job search thing is basically a waiting game and I think I’m starting to agree with her. I’ve sent my resume to every single mag in the city, but the reality is that if there are no positions open, they’re probably not hiring. It’s been a couple of months since I last emailed and snail-mailed my clips, do you guys think I should give it another go? Do people normally check in or is it more likely that since an editor may not have been hiring at the time they got your resume, they just ignored it?

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

PS – Happy Halloween! :D

Where's the love?

2007-10-29T14:12:00.001-04:00

I respect that it might be a little frustrating to read about an Ed Girl in Beantown while you’re searching for jobs in NYC, but the search is still the same for all of us chicas! With the exception of a lot of the whisper jobs and some specific mag questions on the message board, the site is geared towards the magazine industry in general, which includes cities throughout the world. I may drink Sam Adams and wear a Red Sox hat, but I’m just like the rest of you and I’m hoping that my experiences can benefit your own search in some way, just like your stories have helped me.

After a relaxing weekend, I dove back in to the search this morning. I actually got my current position (receptionist hell) through a temp agency, but I never considered going to one for editorial positions. My old editor from a mag I interned at last summer suggested this great agency that focuses on more creative positions like writing, editing, graphic arts, ect. So, after I finally finished up my online portfolio, I submitted my resume this afternoon and I’m hoping to at least get some freelance work from it, particularly on the editing side.

I’ve been worrying lately that I just don’t have enough experience to grab that EA position. After reading your posts and the entries of the last Ed Girls, I’m afraid that my three measly internships aren’t going to cut it! I can freelance write until the cows come home, but I feel like more editorial experience will beef up my resume. Have any of you found successful editorial jobs through a temp agency?

Oh, and in case any of you were wondering, I finally did hear back from my editor about the position and she did give it to someone else L. I guess I was expecting it, but it still stung to hear her say it out loud. Oh well…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

Is it just me...

2007-10-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

...or have the listings on craigslist been uncharacteristically meek the past few days?

I still haven’t heard from my editor about the EA position. She knew I had to give notice and said she’d take that in to consideration, so I’m pretty sure I didn’t get the job. Her last interview was yesterday and she said she was going to decide right away, so I’m assuming that, if I got it, she’d want to tell me immediately. BOO.

In the meantime, I’ve been doing tons of research on freelancing. I figured that since I have all this free time at work, I should really make a full-time go of it. The problem is I have no idea how to get started and I’m getting a little overwhelmed. I found this great resource at about.com (http://freelancewrite.about.com/) but there are so many steps and tips on the site that I don’t know where to begin! I already kind of had a website put together (yeah freewebs.com!), but no online portfolio or anything, which I guess is pretty essential. I also don’t have any of my clips saved on a computer. I’ve got them typed up in word documents, but no PDF files that actually prove they were printed. I’d link them all, but half of them are for a site that requires membership and a password.

Phew. I didn’t realize it was going to be so much work, but I think it will be worth it in the end. Eventually I’d love to freelance stories for big name mags, but I figure I’ll probably have to work my way up from the bottom. Do any of you have websites or online portfolios? Were they hard to make or am I just being super technologically challenged?

Well loves, I’m off for the weekend, I’ve got tons of shopping, beer tasting and baseball watching to do (GO SOX!)! I’ll be talking to you Monday…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

It took me 45 minutes to pick out something to wear today…

2007-10-25T13:53:00.001-04:00

…which means I definitely need to do some shopping. I haven’t bought anything (wardrobe-wise) since I moved here, which was about five months ago! I hate going to work feeling super ugly, which is how I feel right now in a frumpy old sweater and stretched out pants…*sigh*

So I went to my interview last night, the one I wrote about yesterday, and I can’t really tell how it went. I took the train in right after work and found the place pretty easily. When I met the editor (a woman I’ve talked with tons over the phone but have never met face-to-face) we immediately ran outside for a “walking interview,” which I’ve never done. I felt like I couldn’t really look at her, which was strange.

I thought things were going really well, she didn’t really ask me anything but basically went over the position with me and finally asked if I had any questions. I tried to think of something fast but she had covered absolutely everything and I had nothing to say. At the end she said that she had a few more interviews, some of which were with other writers who had been freelancing for her, and that’d she’d let me know by the end of the week. I’m kind of nervous because she said that she’d have a hard time choosing because she knew all of us and knew all of our writing. She said that, if I didn’t get the position, I shouldn’t feel bad or like I couldn’t freelance for her anymore because she loved my writing but had to choose between people she knew fairly well.

I’m not really going to get my hopes up or plan on actually getting the position, which is kind of disappointing. I probably got way too ahead of myself but I figured I would be the only one she actually knew who was applying. I guess, once again, I underestimated the number of people in this city who are in the same boat as I am…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

One more reason I love Boston?

2007-10-24T14:11:00.001-04:00

World Series mania! Everyone wore their Red Sox gear to work today to show their support for Game 1. I wish I realized we could go super casual, I would have ditched my work clothes for my Papi jersey.

So I think I may have finally caught a break! While checking craigslist yesterday (something I literally do every thirty minutes) I saw a posting for an Editorial Assistant for the newspaper I freelance for. Turns out the editor I write for is looking for some help with new pages each month. I emailed her right away, letting her know I was interested in the position and forwarded my resume and some clips from other publications. She replied after only five minutes and set up an interview! HOORAY!

I’m trying not to get too excited, but I think this is definitely a good thing. The paper is a lot of fun, very young, and not at all like some of the other ones I’ve written for. Plus, since I know her fairly well, I think I’ve got at least a little bit of edge on the other candidates. There would be a pretty substantial pay cut, but only because it’s part-time, and I could always get another job.

I’ve been thinking lately that I’m not at all confident in my basic editing skills. Maybe some of you have noticed in my posts? I’m sure I’m putting commas in all the wrong places. I’m thinking about taking a class or something, it will obviously come in handy. Perhaps I’ll check out mediabistro for some ideas. I always scour the site for job postings but I’m not a member so that’s basically all I use it for.

Do any of you guys pay to use the rest of the website? I hear it’s pretty helpful and some of the classes they offer seem really cool…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

"Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History..."

2007-10-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

…which is why I ditched work yesterday to send out tons of freelance resumes and clips. I can’t become the next Kate White while I’m sitting at a desk all day!

I’ve decided that I can at least freelance my butt off while I search for the perfect job. Eventually I want to work at a mag in the health/wellness/fitness field, so I’m focusing on writing stories like that. On the other hand, I have five or six really good health-related clips that I wrote for an internship, so I feel like I should be writing about some other things as well, just in case. I’ve been told that the subject of a story doesn’t matter as much as the writing, but I’m not too sure. I can’t really imagine getting hired at a fashion mag with only health clips or vice-versa.

I got an email yesterday from the editor of a local newspaper asking if I was still looking for a full-time job. It took me a while to figure out who the heck he was (I’ve sent out so many resumes I can’t even remember what jobs I’m applying for!) but I remembered that I put in for an assistant editor position I found on journalismjobs.com. I replied that I was still looking for a job and asked for some information about the position, just in case I still wasn’t remembering correctly what I had applied for. He said that he was interviewing for staff writing positions, which I’m not really interested in doing. Plus, I realized I’d be taking a $10,000 a year cut in pay. If it was an editing position or a writing position at a magazine, I might consider it, but it just doesn’t seem worth it. Plus, the commute is way over an hour so I’d spend tons of money on gas.

I replied saying that I was looking for a full-time editorial position, but thanks so much for the consideration and inquired about any freelance writing positions they may have available. I said it all very nicely and thought I was being courteous by letting him know, it’s not like I applied for this writing position anyway! He replied with this whole lecture about wasting his time and being ungrateful. I started to feel really bad about myself, like I wasn’t trying hard enough or something. I love to write but traveling around to town government meetings and working sixty hours a week for $20,000 just isn’t appealing to me, I feel like I’d be even more miserable than I am now!

What do you guys think? Should I have at least gone and interviewed? I just didn’t want to waste his time, but should I have considered taking the job even if it was definitely not something I wanted to do? Has anyone ever transitioned to magazine editing from a staff writing position at a newspaper? The two seem like worlds away…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

PS – Thanks for all the great comments to yesterdays post, I’m wicked (obviously I’m from Boston…) excited that everyone’s keeping up with the blog!

The Life & Times of EdGirl #6

2007-10-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

I’ve always known I loved to write and consider myself pretty good at it. In the 5th grade I won a short story contest after I submitted a piece about an acid trip gone bad. Obviously I had never done acid (ew!), but my much older, much more wild, cousin had tried it and described the experience to me so that I wouldn’t be curious. My parents were disturbed by the subject matter, but they were impressed by my “creative juices” and continued to let me write my twisted, adult stories.

Years later I finally discovered magazines. Skipping my homework and ditching my usual mystery novels, I’d lay in bed for hours scouring the glossy pages of CosmoGIRL, Marie Claire and Jane. Still, I never really considered it a possibility that someone actually worked for these magazines until I read one of Atoosa Rubenstein’s monthly columns in Seventeen. Describing how she turned her love of magazines in to a full-time job, she wrote about how she just randomly decided to make do a magazine internship and the rest was history.

Though I still knew nothing about the magazine industry, I enrolled in the Mass Communications department at my small college in Western Massachusetts and set up a concentration in journalism. I took an office assistant position at the school newspaper and wrote mini-movie reviews and covered student government meetings in my spare time. My sophomore year I was promoted to news editor and became editor-in-chief by the fall of my junior year.

I discovered ED2010 at the beginning of my senior year and was shocked and frightened by the amount of people with dreams like mine. Until that point, I had not realized how huge of the magazine market was. Few of the communications majors at my school studied journalism and those who did were more interested in becoming staff reporters at community newspapers than the next editor of Cosmo. Through ED, I learned as much as I could about the magazine industry and worked with the limited resources I had in my small town. During my last semester at school I took two internships, one in the editorial department of a national family magazine that happened to be based twenty minutes from my school, and another as a health reporter for a local daily. I spread myself pretty thin, but I felt like my experience, compared to that of others on the ED2010 message board, was lacking.

After graduation I took an internship at a regional mag based in Boston, which happened to be two hours from my home. Twice a week I commuted in and out of the city, burning gas money but soaking up more editorial and writing experience than I had ever gotten at my previous internships. I spent the rest of my time trying to decide what to do next. I knew I had to move, but didn’t think that I was ready for NYC. After months of deliberation, I packed up and moved to Boston, where I knew of a few regional mags and one national in particular that I had been dying to work at.

I started sending out resumes and writing samples as soon as I got to the city, not necessarily expecting my dream job, but at least a few interviews. After three weeks and twenty-eight resumes I hadn’t gotten any calls, let alone interviews, and my bank account was draining fast. I picked up a receptionist job to pay the bills and freelanced for a Boston daily at night. I thought I finally caught a break when I was offered a position at an international marketing company right outside of the city. It wasn’t a publication but I’d be doing all the editorial stuff, proofing, writing reports and publishing a company newsletter, and I thought it’d look better on my resume than “receptionist.” Plus, the pay was great, the commute fast and the dress code business casual (as opposed to my uptight reception gig where I had to wear a black suit every day). I took the position, eager to learn and excited at the thought of much more responsibility. I even moved out of my apartment in the city, where safety was becoming an issue, to be closer to my new job. I thought I was settled, not necessarily forever, but at least for a couple of years.

It only took me one day to realize that my dream job was not such a fairy tale after all. Instead of editing reports, I found myself answering phones again and staring at a blank computer screen all day, just waiting for someone to give me something to do. I had never felt so unimportant and useless. Still, with no other job prospects, there wasn’t much I could do, so I decided to stay and have been there for a little over three weeks now. When I heard that Ed was looking for a new Girl On The Hunt, I was excited for an opportunity to write and share my search with others, but a little sad that I was even in the position to do so.

So here I am again, searching for that perfect job. I love the company I work for, and the people are great, but the position itself is less than inspiring. The only good thing about having little to no responsibility is that I’m able to devote most of my day to the job search. Unfortunately, being in a smaller city with fewer prospects has made the process so difficult! Aside from the staff at my last internship, I basically have no mag contacts here and I definitely don’t know anyone nearby who is going through the same thing. I’m sure it’s just as hard in NYC, but it’s beginning to feel a little lonely out here in Beantown…

<3 Ed’s Girl On The Hunt

Goodbye and good luck!

2007-10-06T10:30:00.000-04:00

Well, sometimes real life gets in the way of things like keeping blogs and searching for that perfect magazine job. For now, I'm incredibly glad that I have a steady job that's able to give me time off, health insurance, etc.

My search is on hold for now, but when it gets back underway I think I may have to make a drastic life change - perhaps quit my job and take an internship in order to get some New York magazine experience - I've been getting the feeling that my regional mag experience isn't really enough.

In the meantime, I wish you all the best of luck in your search. I've had a great time blogging for you!

Bye,

Ed's Girl #5

Connections Obsessions Part Deux

2007-09-01T15:26:00.000-04:00

I can't decide how aggressive to be when pursuing contacts.

A couple of months ago, I mentioned my uncle's best friend, who works at one of my very favorite magazines (in a very high position.) He is, according to my uncle and his wife, totally scatterbrained, and wants to talk to me but keeps forgetting. Last I heard, he was going on a long vacation, but told me he would get in touch with me last Monday, when he got back.

Well. Obviously, that was two weeks ago.

So now I am not sure what to do. Do I e-mail him and say, "hey, remember me?"

Do I call my uncle and ask him to prod his friend?

Or do I just leave things alone?

It's particularly tough for me to deal with this because this guy works at my dream magazine. If he met me, liked me, and decided to give me a job, that would be it for me. I would never want to work any other place ever again.

Right now, I'm leaning towards being slightly passive agressive. I think maybe the next time I talk to my uncle, I'll talk about my career, so that he can then say, "Oh yeah, did my friend ever get in touch with you?"

I probably should be more direct, but I worry that when someone's doing you a big favor, the last thing you want to do is pester them. Right?

What's More Important?

2007-08-27T10:34:00.000-04:00

A major family emergency last week meant I had to cancel two interviews that I was really excited about - the editors were very nice and understanding, but unfortunately did not offer to reschedule.

So this week, back in New York a little the worse for wear, I'm wondering about whether or not it's worth it to skip an interview in order to deal with something important that's going on in your life.

Obviously, I wouldn't have been my best at these interviews - I was upset, and I wanted to be with my family. But now I've missed two opportunities that I'm not going to get again. Should I have sucked it up and gone to the interviews?

It's frustrating because I'm feeling resentful now, both towards my family and towards the editors who weren't more accomodating. Obviously my family couldn't help what happened, and obviously the editors wanted to fill their open positions, and were under no obligation to help me out. So I guess really I'm angry at myself, for not being able to make a decision and stick with it.

What do you guys think - would an interview be more important than a personal issue to you?

Digital Digital Get Down

2007-08-13T08:56:00.000-04:00

Well, like I said, I'm on vacation - hurrah. Currently this post is being written from the balcony of my hotel room, overlooking the ocean, a bunch of very attractive lifeguards, and a bunch of not-so-attractive seagulls who are fighting over someone's discarded funnel cake.

But even though I'm on vacation, I've already applied for a job this morning, and now am checking my work e-mail. And as usual, one of our celebrity authors is causing a fit.

One of the things my job always makes me wonder is: why on earth do celebrities want to write books so badly? The advances we give them, which are huge for the book industry - six figures to maybe the low millions - must mean nothing to them. The sales of the books are usually nothing compared to the sales of their movies, or albums. It doesn't increase their level of fame.

Yet every week in our editorial meeting at least three editors bring up the fact that "X" celebrity is shopping a book around. Most of the time they don't even know what they want the book to be about - they just know that they want to do one. If it's a big celebrity, sometimes we try to think up an idea for them. Insane, right?

So, thinking about celebrities this morning, I think I've realized why they have a fascination with books. It's the same reason I hem and haw every time someone asks me why I haven't started applying for online jobs yet.

There's something alluring about seeing your name in print - it's a feeling that's different and thrilling in a way that seeing your name on a computer screen is not. For the celebrities, they like being able to say, "I'm a published author." For me, it's that desire to go into Barnes and Noble, pick up a magazine, and say, "look, there's my name!"

I'm not knocking online publishing - obviously there's a lot of great stuff going on there, and to be honest I worry that soon EVERYTHING will be online - print doesn't exactly seem to be doing well as of late. But I remember doing my internships and being told that one of my pieces was going to be in the magazine, instead of on the magazine's website. It was the best feeling in the world. So now, I have a little more sympathy for those celebrities, despite the fact that they make my life a living hell.

Ed's Girl Says Relax

2007-08-09T09:41:00.000-04:00

Yikes. Obviously in my last post I meant the Holland tunnel, not the non-existent Hudson tunnel. The heat, combined with too many margaritas and too much stress, is obviously frying my brain. I've been making little mistakes like that non-stop lately. This morning I ran out of my apartment feeling like I'd forgotten something. I got halfway down the stairs before I realized - I was still wearing my slippers! I'd been holding off on putting on shoes until the last minute, since my feet were sore from my 60+ block walk uptown in heels yesterday. A few days ago, I happily gave a delivery person a $5 tip, wrote down the total, and signed the receipt. A few minutes later he knocked on my door. "Um, miss," he said a little nervously, "Maybe you meant to put something else?" I looked at the receipt - I had subtracted $5 instead of adding!

And, most egregiously, yesterday I sent out a cover letter with a mistake in it. I put a possessive aspostrophe "s" where it wasn't needed. My heart isn't broken over this - it was a job on the fashion side of things, instead of editorial, which is really where my heart lies.

But still. This is all a sign that I need to take a step back, breathe deeply, and relax for a little while.

Good thing I'm going on vacation next week!

Summer summer summer time!

2007-08-03T16:32:00.000-04:00

You guys - the words of support, commiseration, etc. on my last post were awesome. Seriously, thanks.

As I'm sure most of you know, it's August. And August in the city is so miserable I can't even begin to deal with it. Sticky subways, sticky air, and since I live pretty close to the Hudson Tunnel I have to watch all the rich people sitting in traffic, trying to get out of the city to their awesome summer homes.

But I have some things to look forward to in August. Firstly, I finally got in touch with a friend of a relative who has a very high position at one of my favorite magazines. He's on vacation for a while (of course!) but when he gets back he's going to get together with me to talk. Could this lead to a job? Who knows. I'm definitely already fantasizing about it, and saying to my friends, "Could you see me at x magazine? Don't you think I'd be perfect for it?" Probably counting my chickens before they hatch, but it's nice to hope. Plus, talking to someone who has really made it in magazines in a huge way can never be a bad thing.

Secondly, the publishing industry is ridiculously quiet in August. So I can basically sit at my desk and read jezebel.com if I want to.

And thirdly, New York in the summer may be miserable, but there is so much free stuff to do. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing Prince's masterpiece "Purple Rain," at McCarren Park Pool. Maybe I'll see you guys there?

Another year gone

2007-07-31T08:55:00.000-04:00

Last week I turned 23. And while it was great - lots of friends, lots of presents, lots of wine, lots of cake - it was also really depressing. At 22, I was still the new girl on the block. I was just out of college, I was the baby of my friends group, nobody cared if I left a job after three months (which I haven't done, by the way, but I would have!) or if I spent a month being unemployed.

But now I'm 23. And 23 is a grown-up age. 23 is a "you've been out of college for a year, you should be established by now" age. 23 is an age that is making me freak out a little bit.

I realize that in the grand scheme of things 23 is still very, very young. I realize that most people are NOT established by the time they're 23. But I look at representations of 23 in books and movies, and think about how old 23 used to seem to me, and I get upset that a year has passed and I'm still not in magazines. It's funny - most of my friends are freaking out about not being married or in serious relationships. I'm freaking out about being in a job I don't feel serious about.

Do you guys ever feel like that? Like you've got a ticking job clock? As if eventually you'll be old enough that people will think it's weird that you're trying to switch careers?

How short is too short?

2007-07-24T09:54:00.000-04:00

Guys, sorry for the long gaps between posts. The summer, which is supposed to be a quiet time in publishing, has been crazy. The upside - I'm earning lots of overtime, which means I've been spending a lot of money on Zappos.com. The downside - I have nowhere to wear my new shoes, since I don't have time for much of a life, much less time for blogging. Would you believe that the things that are making my life crazy are books that will be coming out in August of '08? Talk about a long lead.

Anyway, from now on I promise to try to update at least twice a week!

A few weeks ago I went on an interview for an assistant editor position. The job wasn't right for me - I ended up telling the editor that without even taking the edit test. I always believe it's better to not waste someone's time! But I've been thinking about the interview a lot - it took less than ten minutes. It sort of freaked me out, to be honest.

I went in, did the usual introductions, and then the editor said something along the lines of "so, you're in book publishing, right?" And that was it. That was the extent of our discussion about me. She explained the magazine, explained the section that I'd be working for, gave me an edit test, and sent me on my way.

So I wondered - did I even have a chance of getting this position? Had she just given me the edit test out of courtesy (I had been recommended to her by another editor), or was the short interview just her style? I know editors are busy, but this seemed ridiculous?

When I talked about this with a friend, she said, "obviously she had decided she liked you already, and didn't need an extensive interview!" The whole thing reminds me of the agony I used to go through when I would take exams - is it good that I left the exam earlier than everyone else? Does that mean I really knew the material? Or does it mean I didn't spend enough time on my answers?

What do you guys think? Is it good for an interview to be short and to the point? Or is it better for it to go on and on, as you and the interviewer get off on tangents and get to know each other?

2007-07-09T17:17:00.000-04:00

Ever since I realized that people actually worked at magazines, I've wanted to work for Jane. When I was a disaffected teenager, Jane spoke to me. They told me it was okay to be sort of grossed out by Cosmo. They turned me on to Liz Phair. They turned me on to Chuck Taylors. They turned me on to Elijah Wood.

Jane Pratt was my idol. I have always wanted to write AND edit, so I loved that the editors at Jane seemed to be involved in every aspect of the magazine. They were playing the pranks, they were writing the travel columns, they were interviewing the celebrities.

The magazine definitely went downhill after she left - it always seemed to be trying too hard to be half hip, half mainstream. I'm not sure if that's what brought it down, or if print really is dying.

Either way, I had a dream die today, which is always sad. Jane staffers, I hope you guys find new jobs soon! Jane readers, I hope you're not too bereft. Girls like me, who dreamed of working at Jane - Jane replaced Sassy in people's hearts, maybe something cool will come along to replace Jane. When one door closes, another door opens, blah blah.

Maybe he'll cook for me?

2007-07-07T09:43:00.000-04:00

Last night, I saw a mouse run across the floor of my apartment.

So I did what any mature, adult woman in her twenties would do: I called my dad. And proceeded to have a breakdown, complete with the typical exclamations of "Oh my god, why is this happening to me!" and "I hate it here! I want to come home!" and a huge, huge crying fest. My dad was obviously a little taken aback that his cool in the face of danger daughter had been brought down by a tiny little mouse.

My mom, of course, got on the phone and was the voice of reason. "This isn't all about the mouse," she said. "This is half because you're unhappy right now, and the mouse feels like the final straw."

And she's right. I've been feeling increasingly unhappy and disappointed with the fact that I'm in a job I don't really want to be doing, wasting time trying to advance myself in a career that I don't really want. I try to take proactive steps forwards to get out of books and into magazines, but I keep holding myself back by being wishy washy. I can't make up my mind - is it too soon for me to leave my new job? Will it reflect badly on me? Do I really want to leave a job where I'm semi-content (nice boss, nice co-workers, etc.) for a job that I may hate? Is it worth it to leave a book job for a magazine job that's not quite right, just because it's a magazine job?

My breakdown was definitely mouse related. I mean, a MOUSE. Running around my apartment! I think that's enough to freak anyone out. And last night, when I was feeling a little down, he typified every disappointment I've been feeling since moving to New York. I spent the night on the couch, with all my lights and the TV on, unable to sleep like some heroine in a ghost movie. But this morning, things look a little better. I'm going to go buy a Hav-A-Heart trap. I'm going to try to resist the urge to ask my dad to come take care of this for me. And I'm going to acknowledge everything I like about being here, while recognizing the things that I need to change without letting them bum me out.

Edit tests

2007-06-21T10:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I met with an editor about an edit test that I'd taken months ago. The meeting was definitely a little harsh - but I'd been expecting that. After all, if my edit test had been great I would have gotten the job!

She gave me lots of helpful advice. But the main thing I took away from the meeting was that I need to be more willing to take risks.

This is weird to me. In life, I'm a big risk taker. In fact, my birthday's coming up next month, and the item at the top of my wishlist is skydiving lessons.

But looking back on my edit tests, I realize that I've been a weenie.

In my job hunt so far, I've taken three edit tests. One for a teen magazine, one for a celebrity tabloid, and one for a health magazine. Obviously, I got none of those jobs. And in every case, I'm guessing my edit test would have been better if I was more willing to take risks.

For the teen magazine, there was a picture we were supposed to caption. I came up with a huge list of ideas that cracked my friends up. But when it came time to choose the final caption, I second guessed myself. I worried that my captions were too weird, too out-there, that the editor wasn't looking for zaniness. And so I went with something safer. And yesterday, when I was meeting with the editor, she told me that the caption was boring. Nothing special. She had been looking for something to make her laugh outloud.

Strike one for playing it safe.

So I went back and looked at my celebrity tabloid edit test. They'd asked us to write a 200 word piece on what our favorite celebrity had been doing that week. So I wrote up a cute, quirky, cutting piece on Lindsay Lohan's post-rehab activities, a piece that would be more at home on Go Fug Yourself than in this particular magazine. And then, once again, I overanalyzed and fretted. I decided it was too mean, that there were too many pop culture references. And so I edited it down until it was a straightforward news item, something you'd see coming off the AP wire. Last night I asked a friend what she thought of it. "Well, it's fine," she said, obviously wondering why I was going crazy over a test I took back in March. "I mean, it's well-written. But it doesn't have any heart, you know?"

Strike two.

With trepidation, I pulled out my health magazine edit test. We'd been asked to come up with some ideas for articles. I'd flipped through old articles of the magazine, asked my doctor dad to get me some health journals to look in for ideas, and noticed an amazing trend that could probably be a huge, really interesting article. And then I thought to myself, well, they probably don't want their editorial assistant to be overly ambitious. So I left my great idea off the edit test! Crazy, right? Now, looking back at the ideas I ended up putting down, I can see that they're standard stuff - perfectly fine for the magazine, but nothing that would make me stand out from the crowd of EA hopefuls.

So from now on, I'm going to take more risks. If I think an idea is good, I'm going to use it. If something makes my friends laugh, I'm not going to worry about whether or not it's too quirky.

It was a tough lesson to learn - it's almost worse to be told that your edit test is mediocre than to be told it's bad, in my opinion. But I'm incredibly glad that I've learned it.

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast!

2007-06-08T09:44:00.000-04:00

Someone on my last entry asked if I had any survival tips for living in New York and making connections. Do I ever! This time last year, I was miserable. I spent the summer of 2006 in my apartment, watching "So You Think You Can Dance" (which, unfortunately, I'm still addicted to, despite the fact that I have a life now) and "To Catch a Predator." I went home almost every weekend so that I could sit around watching TV with my mom, just so I wouldn't be lonely. This city is huge, and moving up here is hard! But for those of you who are about to do it, don't worry. If you can make it through those first few awful months, I promise you'll survive.

So, tips.

1) Get a job. I know, this one seems kind of obvious, for financial reasons. But what I mean is, if you can, while you're looking for that perfect magazine job, get the type of job where you're going to meet lots of other educated people in their twenties. I made one friend at work. And then I met all of her friends. And then I met all of their friends. Half of my social network here is because of that one work friend. And getting an office job, you're probably going to meet a lot of people for work networking that you wouldn't by working in retail or waitressing. For example, a lot of the writers I work with are freelancers for some of my favorite magazines. I have a friend in PR who's forged some great relationships with various editors.

I do realize that this tip is easier said than done. Waitressing is a lot easier to drop on a moment's notice, it gives you a flexible schedule for interviews, and, to be honest, waitresses probably make more money than I do. But unless you happen to slip Anna Wintour your portfolio when she comes in for a salad, it's not going to help you networking-wise.

2) Contact EVERYONE you know. Did your mom happen to mention that your best friend from middle school is up in New York? Does that random guy from your creative writing class live two blocks down from you? Does your uncle's best friend from college happen to work in Manhattan? Get in touch with them. Meet with them. New York is a giant city that functions as if it's an incredibly small town - somehow, everyone knows everyone else. And you never know who will happen to know the EOC of your favorite mag. Or turn out to be a great friend!

3) Be a joiner. Join a volunteer organization. Seriously, this is the best way to meet people. It doesn't cost a lot of money, it gets you out of your apartment for a worthy cause, and you will meet other people in the city who probably joined for exactly the same reason you did - to make friends. If you're athletic, ZogSports is a great organization. You can join a football, kickball, softball or soccer league, play on the weekends, and then go out to sponsored happy hours afterwards, where you play flip cup and feel like you're back in college. (It's especially great for meeting members of the opposite sex!)

4) Apply for a lot of jobs. Apply for jobs you don't really want that much. Apply for jobs you're not totally qualified for. It's a great way to make contacts - about half of my contacts are editors who I've interviewd with and really gotten along well with, but haven't gotten a job with. Like I said before, it's a small world - a lot of their friends are probably editors at other magazines. And when their friends go looking for an assistant, those editors will remember you.

5) Go to events. I am a naturally shy person - I'm not one of those girls who just walks into a party and instantly owns it. And so when I first got here, I didn't want to go to Ed2010 events because (and this makes a lot of sense) I wouldn't know anyone there. And I didn't have anyone to go with! Once I finally forced myself to stop being a recluse, I had a great time, and met a lot of people. The same logic applies to any event you're invited to. In fact, after my first three miserable months I made a rule for myself that I would go ANYWHERE I was invited, no matter how much I wanted to just sit on the couch and veg out. And it really paid off.

So those are my words of wisdom. Kind of standard advice, I guess, but it's what's worked for me. I've slowly built up a network of friends and contacts for myself here that's really amazing, and now that I've been here for a year I finally feel like it's home. I know coming up here is daunting, but it really is worth it!

Connections Obsessions

2007-06-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

When I graduated from college last year, I was living down South in my amazing, huge, cheap apartment with my cat and my friends and my great college life, and I couldn't decide what to do. Take the job I'd just been offered, in book publishing, up in New York? Or stick it out in my comfortable Southern city, hoping that eventually a job would open up at one of the few magazines headquartered there? The choice was ridiculously hard. I had made a pact with a friend of mine to have a "Summer of Fun," doing nothing but hanging out with each other, going to amusment parks and the beach, taking road trips, etc. I had the best apartment in the world - not only could I afford it, but it looked like something a set designer would pick out for a movie, with all of its quirky architectural details. And I was in love with my easygoing, liveable Southern city.

New York, on the other hand, seemed like it had nothing to offer me. A quick look at Craigslist showed me that I would likely be living somewhere the size of my Southern walk-in closet. I would have no friends. And the job, while interesting, was not really in the field I wanted to be in.

The choice seemed easy - stay in the South, hang out with my friend, and hope to get a fun editorial job at one of the regional mags eventually. Until one of my former bosses at one of those mags e-mailed me. "Take the job," she told me, "get yourself established in New York. That's where it all happens. You're not going to make any connections down here."

And so I moved, and the rest is history. Do I miss my Southern city, once in a while? Definitely. Was my former boss right? Absolutely. I have been slowly but surely building up a network of contacts with whom I would never have been able to meet if I was in the South. Just having the opportunity to go to Ed2010 events and classes seems like it's made a huge difference. I may not have a job in magazines, but I know that I'm closer to having one than I would have been if I'd stayed below the Mason Dixon line.

Which brings me to my point - I can't get over the feeling that using connections is kind of sleazy. Back when I was unemployed, I was in the "I might get this one" stage at a mag I really loved. And it turned out that my father worked with someone who knew the head of editorial hiring at that magazine's parent company. Before I went in for the interview, my dad asked if I wanted to have the guy contacted. I said no, I wanted to get the job on my own. After the interview, when I was doing my edit test, he asked me again. And then, when I was anxiously awaiting the results of my edit test, my mother stepped in and told my father to just call him. We set up a meeting, so that he could meet me, look over my clips, etc.

By that time the meeting had no influence on the job, which, obviously, I didn't get. But I wonder if my pride (I wanted to get my job on my own, not because someone pulled strings) is going to cost me one day.

In my mind, there are different kinds of connections. If an editor who's met me before and likes me puts me up for a job that she hears about, then that's fine. But what about asking my uncle's best friend, who happens to work at one of my favorite magazines, to recommend me? That feels like cheating.

I realize that this is really crazy - everyone says that you should look out for yourself, get your foot in the door any way you can. But I can't shake this weird moral code that I've set up for myself.

If I get a job through connections, will I feel like an imposter my whole life?

Bummer summer

2007-05-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

Like everyone else, I fled the city for the long weekend - encountering some of the most horrible people alive at Penn Station in the process. What is it about traveling to the beach that brings out the absolute worst in people? People who are going to the beach houses should be HAPPY, no?

I, with my limited money and social connections, was not traveling to a glamourous, preppy locale like the Hamptons or Nantucket. Instead I went home, so that I could have a weekend of eating actual food, paid for by my parents, sitting in furniture that wasn't bought at Ikea, and going to Six Flags with my sister. Not exactly a "cool" weekend, but I came back to the city refreshed, ready to face the job search with a smiling (if slightly sunburned) face.

And then I had one of those days. It's only one o'clock, and so far:

- a homeless person (or perhaps a drunk person, you can never tell in this city) decided to use the hallway of my apartment building as a toilet.

- I recieved a letter telling me my rent was going up by $100.

- I got three e-mails from editors rejecting my freelance pitches (although I suppose I should be happy that they responded at all).

- I got an e-mail from another editor about a position I applied to FOUR MONTHS AGO, telling me that my edit test just wasn't strong enough, and that they've decided to go with another candidate. Um, thanks. I kind of figured. (Although, again, maybe I should be happy they let me know at all?)

Now all my happy positive energy has kind of been zapped. I think I'll go home tonight, sulk a little, and see if I'm back on my game again tomorrow.

2007-05-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

It turns out my computer wasn't dead after all - just pining for the ffjords. While this is obviously good news, living without a computer for a week has made me desperate never to repeat the experience again. I never realized how many of my friends communicated only through e-mail, instead of using the phone - I missed several weekend get-togethers due to the fact that I didn't find out about them until I got to work on Monday. So from now on, my computer is going to be on light duty only - checking e-mail, doing blog posts, that's it. No using it to watch YouTube videos of Blake to remind myself how much I hate him.

Anwyay. Last week, before the computer blew up, I went to a fundraising event. It was one of those snotty events where people pay $100 to go to a fancy party where they drink their weight in champagne and flirt with each other, all the while pretending that they desperately care about starving children in Africa. I was there for free, on behalf of my dad, whose friend runs the charity.

And while I was there, I met that girl that so many of us hate, and feel that we'll never beat - the nepotism EA. She was talking loudly about how her job at one of my favorite magazines was boring her to death - all the COPYING! And the PHONE MESSAGES! And her boss makes her write things OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

Doesn't that just sound terrible?

I could tell, from the way she was talking, the way she was dressed, and her last name, that she had not gotten this job through good old fashioned hard work. Eventually, I had to go over to the bar and down a few glasses of champers just to get over it - she proudly proclaimed that she couldn't wait to get married, so that she could just quit.

Everyday I wonder how I can ever compete against girls like this. When they go to interviews dressed in Chanel and I go to interviews dressed in H&M, I start to feel like Jennifer Beale at the end of Flashdance. Granted, there are some editors who hire their EAs based on their clips and their edit tests. But far more seem to hire EAs to be prestigious accesories, content to let them sit at their desks IMing their friends all day while they recover from their hangovers gained from a night of partying with Lindsay Lohan. To lose jobs to people like that, when I've been trying to work all day and then do perfect edit tests at night, is disheartening, to say the least.

At the same time, I wonder if I'm really any better. A lot of people want my job, and I would give it up in a heartbeat if a magazine job came along. Does that make me as bad as the nepotism girl? If I don't appreciate the job I'm in, would I be better off giving it up to go work at Starbucks, so that someone who dreams about it at night could have it?

I've never been one to think that people should feel obligated to appreciate things - back in the day when my parents would try to get me to eat my dinner by telling me children were starving in Africa, I would always say, "So? Me eating this digusting dinner isn't going to help thme, is it?" I was sort of a brat.

But when I'm confronted with someone who so clearly doesn't appreciate the job thousands of people would do ANYTHING to have, I wonder.

-Ed's Girl #5

Radio silence

2007-05-17T10:14:00.000-04:00

Guys, sorry for the lack of posts this week. After three and a half years of loyal service, my little Mac laptop had a catastrophic meltdown on Tuesday morning. It actually occurred while I was watching Heroes, which makes me wonder if Sylar had something to do with it.

Anyway, the lack of a computer at home has made it extremely hard for me to continue my job search, and almost impossible for me to make blog posts. So, if you have any advice on whether I should continue dating the cool, hipster, t-shirt wearing Mac or switch over to the bespectacled and be-tied PC (who I totally have a crush on) let me know. If not, I'll see you guys as soon as I borrow an emergency computer from my parents.

-Ed's Girl #5

Living up to the hype

2007-05-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

Lately, everything is disappointing me.

Stephen Colbert's "Americone Dream" ice cream was nowhere near as good as I was expecting it to be. Spiderman 3 sort of sucked. Lakisha got voted off of American Idol (come on America - you realize Blake's basically doing a Porky Pig imitation, right?) The New York weather basically skipped over beautiful Spring days and went straight to that sticky, humid summer weather that makes my subway ride to work unbearable.

It seems like everything is promising a lot, but delivering little. And that's how I feel about myself, right now. Today is the end of my fourth week at my job - so basically, I've been here a month. And while I've settled in here, gotten my business cards, found the places I like to go to lunch, I haven't done ANYTHING for my mag career beyond signing up for an Ed class.

This is partly my choice - one of the reasons I took a job in book publishing was so that I would have the freedom to only apply for the jobs I really wanted. I haven't seen that dream job pop up on the boards yet, so I haven't applied for anything. Makes sense.

But not applying for anything makes me feel like I'm doing nothing, resigning myself to a job that I'm not entirely happy in just because I don't want to shake things up. During the month I was unemployed, I made sure to apply for a job a day, even if it wasn't perfect for me. Going from that to nothing is a pretty drastic change.

So starting on Monday, I'm going to go back to my proactive ways. A friend of mine has always said that when you're single, you should spend every day of the week either going out to meet guys, or doing something to improve yourself. I've decided to apply that philosopy to my job hunt. If there's not a job for me to apply for on a particular day, then I'll look for ways to build my portfolio. I'll submit pitches, I'll look for freelance opportunities, I'll attend networking events.

Even if everything else in the world is disappointing me right now, I'm not going to disappoint myself.

-Ed's Girl #5

"Let's never forget, we're the real story, not them."

2007-05-07T21:30:00.000-04:00

I find "Law and Order: SVU" or "Law and Order: SI" or whichever one focuses on things that actually happen in real life very strange. The idea of taking events that actually occurred - like Anna Nicole's death or the crazy astronaut thing - and turning them into a one hour fictional TV show starring Mr. Big is baffling to me. Why would anyone want to watch that? Didn't they get enough with the 24/7 news coverage?

Sometimes I worry that this bafflement makes me ill-suited for journalism. When the Virginia Tech shootings happened on my first day of work, I ended up, for a brief moment, thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't in the news. Watching TV and seeing the reporters pursue the story, seemingly not for the sake of news but for the sake of sensationalism, convinced me that I could never be one of them.

But of course I realized that the reporters were just doing their jobs, that the type of mags I want to work for will probably have serious, thought-provoking stories about Tech in a few months, and that, of course, the sensational side of news in unavoidable, in almost any industry. These days, news is so tied in with entertainment that it's pretty much impossible to tell the difference. Because I was interviewing for jobs after the infamous Britney Spears incident, almost everyone asked me what I thought about her. As a serious interview question! I was mentioning her in my cover letters!

Books aren't really any better - I think there are probably about four books scheduled to come out about Anna Nicole already. And this love of pop culture is part of why I want to be in magazines - I love the idea of actually having it be part of my job to know that the kids from "High School Musical" are dating each other, instead of it just being a freaky piece of trivia my friends mock me for caring about. And I bet some of you want to be in magazines to get the pop culture out of the news. I think there's a happy medium to be found some where, and I think there's a reason some people read the New Yorker and some people read Entertainment Weekly.

People like to mock pop culture, and the people like us who love it enough to make our livings from it, but I always like to point out that at one point Ovid, Chaucer, Shakespeare and Mozart were all part of pop culture.

I still don't get the "Law and Order" thing though.

Testing...testing...

2007-05-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

I nearly garroted myself with my office phone cord today by leaping for my keyboard as soon as I saw the information about Ed's "ace your edit test" class. I have severe edit test anxiety, since I've managed to convince myself that faulty edit tests are the reason I'm currently wrangling difficult authors instead of fact-checking articles on Britney Spears.

In a few instances, I've gone and checked the display copy in the actual magazine, and compared it to my edit test. And my copy has been nearly identical?

So I have to be doing something wrong, right?

The truth is, as many of my friends have tried to tell me, probably not. Positions probably went to interns, or my edit test was equally good as someone else's, but they had more clips, or my edit test was great but didn't suit the editor's personal style. If I was really as horrible at writing as I've convinced myself I am, I would never have even made it to the interview portion of the job hunt process.

But it's always easier to blame yourself than to be rational, especially after a couple of close calls. So I'm hoping that even if this class fails to reveal some sort of all-powerful secret, it will at least give me a little more confidence the next time I take an edit test. And that confidence will be worth the $100, even if spending that money means I won't be able to eat for a week.

Until then, I have beer, sushi, and, in about half an hour, American Idol to distract me from re-living my edit tests of yore. C'mon Chris! Maybe the three hundred votes I cast last night will be enough to save him.

- Ed's Girl #5

All the world's a mag...

2007-05-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

You know how some people like to imagine their lives as if it's one big movie or TV show? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who does it - walking down the street, listening to your iPod, and imagining that the song is really the catchy background music for an adorable montage of scenes of you triumphing over adversity?

Well, I do that with mags, too.

Recently I had a pretty bad personal experience - someone I had trusted showed me that my trust had been severely misplaced. And what was the first thing I did? Go home, crawl into bed and cry? Eat a tub of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked while watching Heroes on the couch? Call up my best friend so that I could rant for hours?

Um, no. I thought about what a good magazine story it would make. I imagined it fully, in my mind, complete with accompanying photos, captions, and heds and deks. And afterwards, I felt better, because of course the last imaginary paragraph was all about triumphing over adversity and coming out of my ordeal a better person. I could see the magazine story of this particular obstacle laid out before me, complete with a conclusion, and it was comforting.

I guess it's a weird form of therapy - and I of course did all the other crying, ranting and ice cream eating later that night - but it made me think about how for people who work in magazines (or want to work in magazines) everything feels mag related. I go to some hidden new bar and think, "can I pitch an article on this somewhere?" I watch Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada and think that the other millions of people who watch don't understand the way I do. I watch The Hills and end up screaming at my TV, "that's not the way it is!" much in the way I imagine historians do while watching Rome. I don't just read magazines - I criticize or admire the articles, I note trends, I think about the work that went into making them.

Other people may think we're a little strange, but I think it's a nice way of looking at the world. Really, it's a reflection on how creative we are. And who knows. Maybe one day your melodramatic crisis that makes your friends roll their eyes really will turn into a great magazine article. I can hear the triumphant music now.

- Ed's Girl #5

A million girls would kill for this job.

2007-04-23T19:37:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I went to a party in Williamsburg. It was so stereotypically Williamsburg that I felt like I was in a movie - everyone around me was talking about their band, several girls there worked at Babeland, and everyone, absolutely everyone, had weird, asymetrical haircuts. Except for me, with my choppy layers and my spring highlights and my dress from H&M. I guess I can console myself with the thought that I would have looked cute were I at a Manhattan party, drinking wine instead of a PBR.

Why is this significant? Because it seems like every time some cute boy wearing an ironic t-shirt and eyeliner came up to me to talk, the first question out of there mouths was "What do you do?" Pretty standard opening question at a Manhattan party. And then I would answer. And all of a sudden, they would become much more interested in me.

"I've been trying to get into publishing forever!" said one cute boy who had graduated from college three years ago and was currently working at (where else?) American Apparel while waiting for his pop-emo band to take the music industry by storm. "How did you do it? What's your secret?"

And so the night went. People who had spent their money on the Columbia or NYU Publishing course, but still couldn't get a job. People who were working in textbooks, hating their jobs and being bored out of their minds, desperately trying to get some experience so that they could try for a job in trade publishing. People who were temping at publishing companies, or working on the sales side, just to get their foot in the door.

It was eerily similar to what we're all going through with magazines. So naturally I didn't have the heart or the guts to say to someone, "Oh, what I really want to do is work in magazines."

It's a tough situation for those of us with good jobs that other people want. I know that when I first got out of college, part of the reason I took my job in book publishing was because so many of my friends who'd been searching for years told me I'd be crazy NOT to take it. Every time someone in a bar asks me what I do for a living, their reaction is always "Wow, what a great job!"

Which, naturally, makes it even harder to leave it. One of you commented that I might find I miss book publishing once I finally get a job in mags, and I definitely think that's partially true. And I think it's probably a little true for all of you who are working in books, or publicity, or fashion. If it's a good job that you enjoy, then it's much harder to leave, even if you're convinced that magazines are your true calling.

We should try to remember that just because a job is coveted doesn't necessarily mean it's right for us. Miranda Priestly taught us that. Although maybe not very convincingly. I probably would kill to be Anna's assistant.

-Ed's Girl #5

It's okay. Ed's girl likes a little pain.

2007-04-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

Everyday I voluntarily undergo painful experiences. I get up at six in the morning so that I can run before work. I wax. I give blood. I (try) to date. There's a lot of pain in my life, and for the most part I enjoy it. Running makes me feel good, waxing makes me look good, and giving blood makes me a good citizen. Dating, we just won't talk about.

The point is, most of the painful activities I undergo have some sort of reward, and that makes the pain bearable.

So for me, nothing is more painful than going to one of the huge magazine shops in the city. I torture myself. I open up mags where I've interviewed and look at the articles they gave me as edit tests. Was my hed better? Was my dek better? I look at mastheads and search desperately for the names of new editorial assistants. And then I google them. Why did they get the job instead of me?

Even worse, I now work in a building that contains several magazine companies. Every morning when I get on the elevator, dressed in my super serious publishing clothes, I stare enviously at the girls going to the higher floors, dressed in the pretty, whimsical dresses I wish I was wearing. "That should be me!" I think to myself, sort of crazily. So far I've managed to refrain from saying it out loud, but it's only just a matter of time.

Am I insane? Should I stay out of the magazine stores? Stop stalking the girls who've been more fortunate than I? Or do the rest of you do this too?

If you're like me, I have some advice for you. Leave the computer, or the mag store. Go outside. It's the first beautiful day in a long time here in New York. Soak in the sunlight, and forget about mags for a while. Who knows, maybe you'll even run into an editor walking her puggle in the park.

-Ed's Girl #5

Ed's New Girl

2007-04-17T07:25:00.000-04:00

Why am I posting this entry at 7 AM? Because nowadays, that's the only time I have to myself.

Let me back up and explain.

About a month ago, I left my good, steady job in book publishing. I had left all my friends, family, and pets to come live in New York, and I couldn't bear the idea that I wasn't doing what I really wanted to do - work in magazines. I was sure I'd have a new job before my two weeks notice were up. After all, I'd gotten my book job from my very first interview, two days after I graduated. My friends and family assured me I was very hireable.

Well, pride goeth before a fall obviously.

A month later, I still had no magazine job. I'd come close a few times - three interviews at three different major mags, three different edit tests, three different editors telling me they loved me, were so impressed with me, but had decided to go with a candidate who'd had a stronger edit test. One of these magazines was my absolute dream job. My heart was a little bit broken, and, more importantly, my landlord was banging on the door of my apartment, demanding my rent. Concerned relatives were calling every day to ask how my job search was going. I went to visit my grandparents, and they worriedly stuffed fifty dollar bills in my pockets. My friends started to offer to buy me drinks. I started to stay in my pajamas all day, watching Oprah and Rachel Ray, and drinking wine at two in the afternoon.

So, with a heavy heart, I started applying to every job I was even remotely qualified for. And, wouldn't you know it, another major book company bit. The pay was good. The health insurance was good. And, seemingly unlike magazines, they wanted me.

I started my new job yesterday. The people and my boss are amazingly nice, the job is good and interesting (I mean, who among us wouldn't want to spend most of their day reading?), and the commute is easy. My boss knows my true love is magazines, but I can tell he's hoping that I'll end up an editor of a different sort.

So that's my story. I'm determined not to let myself get too comfortable - I want a job in mags, I won't let myself get sucked into books. I'm going to freelance, I'm going to check the job boards every day, I'm going to go on interviews. Just, um, after working hours. My cubicle doesn't really allow for me to do anything on my computer other than actual work.

Keep the dream alive, cube dwellers,

-Ed's Girl #5

New Blogger TK

2007-02-12T18:44:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,

My apologies for the recent trouble with the blog. They've upgraded the blog system, and much like the new Ed2010 site, it's been taking some time to switch over (who knew this stuff could be so confusing!). We hope to have a new Ed's Girl on the Hunt in the next week, so you can look forward to another journey to follow. In the meantime, enjoy Ed's Girl #4 final blog entry which I was FINALLY able to post today–EG4, we'll miss you and best of luck!!

Cheers!

Passing the Torch

2007-02-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

Hello Edsters,

I am sorry for falling off the face of the planet for three weeks. Between a couple of days I took off to do some beginning-of-the-year soul-searching and some pesky Blogger upgrades that blocked me from blogging for a few weeks, I must have made you wonder whether I was hit by a cab or something. Fortunately, I am alive and well, but I do have something to tell you.

After several months of applying and trying to network like crazy, I have shared with you my strategies, tips, and tricks, and you have been there for the ups and downs of my job search. However, I have no been able to reach my ultimate goal of landing a job. The Girl on the Hunt is supposed to demonstrate what it takes to get a job in the business, and I feel that I should pass on the blog to someone with a fresh outlook, inspiration, and prospects. A person who can provide the hope and motivation I know you are looking for in a blogger. I am not giving up, but at this time, I need every spare second to continue on my job quest in order to reach my professional goals—2010 or bust!

I can not thank Ed2010 enough for this opportunity. It is an incredible and unbelievably hard-working organization, and I can not even begin to tell you how much it has helped and mentored me over the past three years. I also need to thank all of you for cheering me on and supporting me along my journey. It has really meant a lot to me.

Best of luck Edsters. I know you can do it!

Sincerely,

Ed’s Girl #4

Ed's Girl likes a little glimmer

2007-01-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

Everyone can use a little glimmer in their lives. Perhaps my favorite is that of the jewelry in the Tiffany’s window. Who can resist the sparkling and shining of the diamonds and sapphires on the rich velvet? That is why they are best admired from outside the window, a la Holly Golightly—early in the morning with a cup of coffee and a croissant. As our huckleberry friend said, “nothing very bad could happen to you there.” I must agree, it does in fact “calm me down right away.”

While I certainly don’t expect any jewels of significant brilliance in the near future, yesterday a different kind of gem appeared in my voicemail—a glimmer of hope. Once again on my lunch hour, I hustled a safe few blocks from my office to check the voice message from an “unknown” missed caller. This time I was fairly sure I didn’t have any unconfirmed medical appointments on the horizon. And guess what? It was a real live HR representative from a magazine publisher following up on the EA application I had mailed to the company headquarters several weeks ago. Oh why hadn’t I paid more attention to my phone?

In any case, she wasn’t offering me an interview or job, but she did say that based on my resume, I was a good fit for the company, and while there are no EA positions available at that time, she would like to encourage me to check the website regularly to apply for any positions that become available in the future. She also said she would keep my resume on file for future openings.

I am not a heck of a lot closer to job than I was yesterday, but it was very exciting to get a fairly long message from anyone in the industry. It was much more encouraging than the form letters HR offices usually send out. I saved the message so I can use her name in the cover letters of any positions I do apply for. In any case, I now have proof that my applications are being received.

Keep an eye out for anything shiny!

Xo,
Ed’s Girl

More information please

2007-01-09T22:52:00.000-05:00

It is a rare case when there is too little information about something these days, but even Google News couldn’t help nail down what the funky smell permeating Manhattan was yesterday. Yuck. However, if I wanted more details about K-Fed’s custody rights, I was all set.

Yesterday I ran out for lunch solo because most people were in meetings—and because there was an intriguing missed call from a Manhattan number I didn’t recognize. Alas, the call was my dentist confirming my appointment.

As I sat in the deli eating lunch and flipping through a magazine, a small group of girls sat down next to me. I swear I wasn’t intentionally listening to their conversation, but we were packed into the tiny dining area, so I couldn’t help catching a line now and then. In any case, I kept hearing the word media, making it very hard for me to tune them out. I managed to garner that each of the girls had recently started working at a trade publication. They had all left other jobs or internships, and they were looking to move to consumer publications in the future. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to learn much more about where they worked or how they landed their gigs because I must have subconsciously started leaning over toward their table, and as my ear started getting dangerously close the roast beef sandwich of the girl next to me, I started receiving some dirty glances. I took the hint, finished my panini, and went back to the office.

In hindsight, I’m cursing myself for not introducing myself and explaining that I’m not crazy, and I wasn’t planning on taking a bite of her sandwich; on the contrary, I’m just a j-junkie dying to learn more about how people find their “ins.”

This shyness thing is not getting me any closer to a gig! Maybe they’ll be back there tomorrow.

In the meantime, I am going to read some Ed Success Stories for information and inspiration.

Keeping it moving

2007-01-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

While the beginning of 2007 doesn’t feel much different from the end of 2006, I have a distinct sense of a clean slate. I’ve spent some time thinking about how I can improve the way I job search this year. But the tried and true method of networking, casting a broad net with applications and doggedly follow-up with every interviewer you meet appears to be the way people get jobs. One of my friends just got an amazing job after months and months of searching. The secret to his success was sending out tons of e-mails and talking to everyone he knew, so sometimes it just takes time. My new aim is to focus more on short-term goals. Rather than beginning with the end goal in mind, I want to focus on day-to-day goals, such as how many applications I need to send out each day and how many new connections I want to make every week. I have been pretty good about maintaining resolutions in other areas of my life—I finally turned my bathroom into the soothing, spa-like space I’d been envisioning for six months, so hopefully, I can makeover the career area of my life too.

Resolutions

2006-12-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

Holiday Greetings!

I hope everyone had a refreshing holiday. It’s kind of nice to have things a little slower in the work world, so I have a little more time to focus on each opening that arises. No rest for the job hungry. In any case, applying during the holiday downtime seems like a great strategy to me, not to mention that my personal deadline of having a magazine job by January looks doubtful. Which really sucks.

On the bright side, there is no better time to start fresh than on New Year’s Day. On the not so bright side, I am not alone in this theory. Finding a new job is one of the top ten most popular resolutions—this I determined through scanning several sources on Google. Competition…grrr. Back on the bright side, I am not too concerned about the top three: losing weight, quitting smoking, and saving money. Thus, I can dedicate myself to the long list of other self-improvements that I would like to make this year, finding a new job being the first.

Clearly, I’ve been thinking a lot about resolutions today.

I actually decided to look up the definition. While resolution applies to everything from “the act or process of resolving” to “the density of pixels in an image,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, I found the “process of resolving” and “the act of determining” to be the most applicable meanings. Resolve and determination are key in the job search, but perhaps no resolution can be seen to fruition without “courage,” which is listed as the synonym.

Whatever your resolutions may be, I wish you luck—and much success.

Happy New Year,

Ed’s Girl

Ups and downs

2006-12-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

Last week things seemed exciting. Doors were opening. This week doors haven’t exactly slammed shut, but they seem more or less ajar. I am frustrated that people who promised to call me back haven’t. I keep my phone in my pocket set to vibrate then ring at all times to make sure I don’t miss a call. It’s easy to hound HR people you’ve never met, but ticking off people who have offered to do me personal favors is another story. I am optimistically hoping that the holiday season is responsible for delaying their response. Fortunately, there have been plenty of job postings to keep me busy. Woo-hoo for listings that request a mock article in place of a cover letter—anything that breaks up the monotony of the application process is greatly appreciated.

While I like change (and boy, could my life use some), I was a little concerned when I received a new magazine in the mail today. Receiving a free magazine is usually a cause for celebration, not worry, right? When I opened the accompanying letter, I found out that the magazine I had been subscribing to had folded—for the second time.

Confused? Let me explain.

Last year, I ordered a magazine subscription to a fairly new publication that I really loved; however, it never arrived. After several calls to the subscription line, I found out that it was no longer being published, and that my subscription would continue with another magazine. I shrugged it off, a little disappointed, but after a mere two issues the replacement magazine itself went out of publication. So the magazine that arrived today is the third title I have received since originally subscribing—and I am happy to say it is a magazine I love, and that it has no chance of folding. But it did make me think about how unstable the industry can be. It’s tough from the outside and tough from the inside—you just can’t win. And yet as soon as I started thinking about career stability and all of those minor life details, I serendipitously came across this quote:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

A little inspiration certainly felt in order. And the great Mark Twain is never wrong.

Getting in the mood

2006-12-18T07:49:00.000-05:00

My roommate brought home The Devil Wears Prada yesterday, and watching it last night was just what I needed to get through a “Why am I doing this? It’s never going to happen” moment. While reading blogs, websites and gossip columns about the industry always keeps me excited about the prospect of finally landing a magazine gig, sometimes total fiction works too. I started thinking about some of the movies and TV shows that capture, whether realistically or inventively, the spirit of magazine industry. While most of the picks on my list don’t exactly portray the field in the most positive of lights, nor do it justice, they keep me going—or at the very least, they give me a good laugh. Maybe it’s because they prove that it’s not easy to get a job or keep a job, or maybe it’s because the main characters are all strong, hard-working woman acting on their convictions, or maybe I am just a little crazy, in any case, here are a few flicks and one show that can help get you in the magazine mood:

Funny Face
Ugly Betty
The Devil Wears Prada
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
13 Going on 30

A hair-raising experiment

2006-12-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, I decided that looking older might help me be taken more seriously professionally. Looking young for my age has bothered me since I went to college. But recently, it has really been driving me crazy. Well-meaning people usually laugh off my exasperation at their comments. But believe me, I don’t need to be reminded that I will be happy I look so young when I’m forty. Aside for taking no precautions against free radicals attacking my skin, there is only so much I can do to age myself, so I decided that my changing hairstyle was my best strategy.

After scouring hairstyle magazines in the drugstore for few hours to find a cut that was mature, but not too soccer mom, I came across a Sienna Miller-style bob that was trendy and age appropriate (the age I am, not the age I look), but not so edgy that I would have to change my wardrobe and my music-tastes too.

I arrived at the salon completely ready for totally transformation; however, my stylist needed some convincing.

“Are you sure?” she kept asking.

But I managed to calm her nerves, and we got on with the chopping.

With a weight off my back, I felt lighter and excited to test at my new cut at the office the next day and, hopefully, in interviews down the road.

So did cutting my hair get me a job? No. Not yet anyway.

Do I look older? I still get asked for ID at about the same frequency as before.

Did it get me more respect professionally? Maybe a little.

I definitely noticed that there was a clear divide between the reaction of my younger co-workers and the senior-level executives at the office.

All of the supervisors complimented me, and I sensed that joining the above-the-shoulder haircut club gave us some kind of weird common ground. Do they ask me for my input or support on projects more often? I’m not positive, but I think I have had a few extra opportunities thrown my way.

My co-workers that closer to my age and position level, were more apt to respond with indeterminate statements, such as “you cut your hair” or “wow, what a change.” But our day to day interactions haven’t changed.

Seeing how my hair fares in an interview will be the determining factor.

From a practical standpoint, my short hair has definitely eliminated the matted nests that usually appear at the nape of my neck during the winter months. Thick scarves and New York City winds=one nasty, knotty situation.

Okay, maybe it seems like I was expecting a lot from a relatively minor change. But I recently read a magazine article that said that brunettes are more likely to be taken seriously by employers than blondes—and they are often hired at higher starting salaries.

Darn. Maybe I should have changed color, not length. But one major change to my tresses in any 30-day period is about all I can handle.

Weekend update

2006-12-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy but promising week folks. I have been hosting friends and family from out-of-town all week long, so between working, going on tree-buying expeditions, entertaining and trying to create the illusion that my apartment is always magically spotless with little to no effort on my part, I’m exhausted. There is no place I’d rather be than alone in my cozy apartment sharing my news with all of you.

The week started off with a promising telephone conversation with a family friend of one of my best friends from college. The conversation went very well, and she said she would pass my resume on to a VIP in the industry, along with a personal recommendation. I always feel a TON of pressure when I have someone put their name on the line for me. On the other hand, I know how hard I am willing to work, so I have to have faith in myself and utilize all the connections I have. I have gotten over any delusions that if I just keep at it, I can land a job all on my own. In this business, it’s who you know and who you meet. Networking, my friends, just do it. (I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to work my butt off to repay everyone for helping me once I get a job.)

The second great thing that happened is that I ran into an editorial assistant I met while interning several years ago. This girl is proof that if you are overflowing with personality and energy and have limitless drive and determination, you will make it in the business. It was great seeing her again, but it gets even better: I received an e-mail from her yesterday asking me if I might be available to temp for a few weeks at her magazine.

Okay, in case you weren’t sure, by the time I finished reading the e-mail, I was on the verge of exploding with excitement!

Unfortunately, a few little devils named obligation and reality came a-calling, and I was beckoned back from cloud nine to NYC. As flexible as my work schedule may be, I can’t exactly take two weeks off without a seriously good explanation… or giving two weeks’ notice.

But I do happen to have a whole week off at the end of the month, so I gave all the dates I could be available, and offered to try to work a little magic to get a few extra days off as well. So I am hoping, by some miracle of God, that things will work out and I will have the opportunity to help her out. I can confidently say that this is the most exciting temp position I have ever been offered. I actually just realized recently, and by recently I mean this week, that many magazines hire temps to help out for special projects, as well as fairly long term assignments. So there’s another possible angle to try to work!

I have a full weekend of employment avenues to explore, a sizable handful of ideas to pitch to a few of editors I know, and the excitement of the possibility of a prospective gig to keep me going.

Okay, enough about me—this may also be the best week ever as far as journalism advice is concerned.

In case you missed it, check out these two fabulous articles:

“Land your dream job—or at least get in the door,” by Jaclyn Greenberg

This is a great article on how to get a job in the industry—with lots of advice from the team at our not-so-secret favorite resource: Ed2010.

And Part II of Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s series on mediabistro.com, “Why You Didn’t Get the Job: The Resume.”

My only regret this week: not buying more raffle tickets. ;)

A little help from my friends

2006-12-04T22:27:00.000-05:00

I think a very good friend may have hooked me up with a fabulous mentor, but it's too early to tell so that's all I can say. :)

Yesterday's post was interrupted due to technical difficulties

2006-12-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I promised you a post every day this week, but yesterday I ran into some technological difficulty. My laptop decided to commit suicide. I turned on my computer only to have a physical memory dump screen appear…and it didn’t get any better from there. I tried manually turning it on and off by holding down the power button for extended periods of time about 15 times—and nothing. I unplugged each cord, shut off my power strip, waited, replugged everything, turned the power on and waited—still no signs of life. As Kristin Cavalleri would say: the laptop was dunzo.

In all honesty, I have been dying to get an ultraportable laptop, such as a Lenovo Thinkpad X60 or a MacBook, but I wasn’t prepared (personally or financially) to be forced into the situation.

When my laptop’s condition hadn’t improved by morning, I called for back up: the Dell customer care hotline. Did you guess it? I spent the morning on hold. (As soon as voice activated system picked up, I knew my intention of finally getting to the MET to check out the Spanish art exhibit was foiled.) While I don’t consider myself an impatient person, the knowledge that my limited daytime cell phone minutes were ticking away while I listened to annoying commercials for features and products I don’t need or want was doing nothing for my composure. Why do we keep vetoing the idea of getting a landline in the apartment?

When I finally got connected to a person, he talked me through a series of tests and safe mode start-up options until my computer slowly regained consciousness, in the form of a very loud buzzing sound, reminiscent of a plane taking off on the runway.

At this point I am happy to report that my computer is off the critical care list, but just in case, I have come up with some alternative Internet-connected locations that will allow me to maintain applying and blogging schedule.

1.) The university library—I am entitled three visits with my alumni card, as long as I am still paying off my loans, I should put those tuition dollars to good use.
2.) The Cube-also known as the Apple Store. Hip and functional.
3.) The public library. Although I fear waiting lines, time restrictions and funky smells may hinder my productivity.
4.) Friends’ apartments.
5.) If things get really dire—work.

All I have to say is that I won’t be illegally downloading “Fergalicious” any time soon. Karma’s a, well, you know.

If you don't love writing cover letters, you're not a freak!

2006-11-30T00:52:00.000-05:00

Today I was doing my usual scan of mediabistro.com job postings, and suddenly I saw something that made me feel as though someone above had heard my questions—and decided to answer them for me. If you have been following my blog, in even the most causal manner, you may have noticed that cover letters STRESS ME OUT.

So I have to bring to your attention an article entitled, “Why You Didn’t Get the Interview.” (The article, written by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, is not brand new, but I hadn’t read it before, so I figure there’s a chance you may have missed it too.)

I find this article a godsend for several reasons:

1.) It confirms that I am not the only person who sometimes wonders if anyone is actually receiving their painstakingly crafted letters.
2.) It gives an inside perspective on what people who hire journalists are looking for when they read cover letters. And they do read them!
3.) It proves that writing a cover letter is really not that hard—especially if you avoid cutting and pasting. Cut and paste is the devil!

I was aware of most of the pitfalls mentioned, and I’m almost positive I don’t make them. I am pretty sure I have never spelled anyone’s name incorrectly, but I will definitely quadruple check from here on out! The article also discussed a few things I’ve never really considered, like just how inappropriate emotions can be in cover letters. So if you need a few pointers, definitely check it out.

But wait, there is more! This is part 1 in a series, so more advice is on the way!

Xo,
Ed’s Girl

P.S. Thanks to Ed for serving up two helpings of news and jobs today. Delicious.

From sun up to sun salutations

2006-11-28T23:45:00.000-05:00

Whew! I don’t think I’ve done as much writing as I did today since I wrote my thesis. I got a much earlier start today than I did yesterday, and I worked clear through the day. There were only a few brief interruptions.

Starting with the ever-disappointing false alarm.

At around 10:30AM my phone rang. I raced over from my desk to retrieve it and saw a phone number that was unrecognizable, other than its very familiar Manhattan area code.

This seems promising, I thought.

I answered with the most professional yet casual hello I could manage and…it was a someone calling to see if I could baby-sit December 29th, 30th, and 31st. Big money maybe, but definitely not the job prospect I was hoping for. Besides, last year I vowed never to baby-sit again on New Year’s Eve no matter how much money I was offered.

The second pause in my string of writing and applying was a 30-minute battle with my printer. After I replaced my ink cartridge, the printer refused to calibrate and align. Jerk. After I went through five sheets of 100% cotton resume paper, I decided to cease and desist. I turned it off and sent out an application via the significantly less temperamental Internet. With a silent prayer, I turned my DeskJet back on and voilà!—it started functioning properly, even the fickle envelope label function! So after getting a little fresh air on a brisk walk to the mailbox, I was back in search-and-apply mode.

I work until about 7PM before breaking for dinner and treating myself to a nice rejuvenating yoga class. I am normally a cardio queen, but every once in a while it feels good to stretch away tension with a few sun salutations and downward dogs.

Before I go, I’ll leave you with a few money saving tips for those of us who can’t shell out $18 for a yoga class. Many city parks have free yoga classes, but it’s getting a little chilly for that. So a warmer cost-effective option is to try the free introductory class that many studios offer; this includes the famous Jivamukti Yoga Center. If this restorative and spiritual experience turns you into a real yogi, look for first-time customer introductory packages—Yoga Works will give you a two-week unlimited class pass for $25.

Ohm,

Ed’s Girl

May your days be merry and bright

2006-11-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

It’s amazing how quickly we move from one holiday to the next. Just days after Thanksgiving, the entire city has turned into a winter wonderland. Lights hang from every street light and window frame, department store windows are bedecked in opulent and astounding glory, and Christmas music is blaring through the speakers of bookstores everywhere—not a cornucopia left in sight.

I am very glad to be back. Four days of fresh air and starry skies is about all I can take before I start to go crazy.

I start my first official day of vacation by packing up my laptop and heading to Starbucks. Bad move, it's packed. Don’t these people have something to do during the day, like say, work?

Never fear, there is always a second Starbucks near. In this case, there is one directly across Union Square. I dart across the square, not allowing myself to be distracted by the cheerful candy cane striped stalls offering everything from handcrafted jewelry to soy-based soap. This is definitely the place for one stop shopping for everyone on your list.

I make it to the second Starbucks, and every table is filled. There is also a line of people anxiously waiting to pounce on the next available table. Strike two.

Now I remember why I don’t go to Starbucks. I guess four days out of the city was too many.

Then it occurs to me that there is a cute café with free Wi-Fi and cheap coffee four blocks away.

Ten minutes and $2.00 later, I am ready to start job searching with a vanilla latté by my side. I better work on my efficiency—it’s almost 11:00AM!

Luckily, it looks like postings have picked up now that the long weekend is irrefutably over.

Over the weekend, a few friends offered to internally transfer my resume to their HR departments. I can only assume that this will be a significant advantage over sending it myself. Still in the networking mood, I send a few e-mails to friends to try and track down the names and e-mails of editors and HR people, so I can apply directly to a named individual, not to “Hiring Manager” or “Human Resources Director.”

Other than automatic confirmations, I hear nothing as I spend the afternoon looking for job prospects. I don’t expect instantaneous responses, but I check my phone and g-mail account every 15 minutes just in case.

It’s very refreshing to have the opportunity to search and apply for jobs in daylight. I am relaxed, invigorated, and best of all, awake. A much needed change from my nights of scrambling to get everything done before succumbing to exhaustion and crawling into bed.

With merrymaking all around me, I can’t help but be in a good mood--whether my cell phone is silent or not.

Traditionally speaking

2006-11-22T00:17:00.000-05:00

How can a Tuesday feel so much like a Friday?

I guess holidays technically shorten the work week, but they also somehow manage to protract the days as we scramble to squeeze five days worth of tasks into two and half.

I am all set to head to my hometown for T-day. But not before I send my cover letter and resume to two promising job leads.

There is something so comforting about the familiarity of going “home.” It brings back the simplicity of bygone days when food, clothing and shelter betided me with deceptive ease.

As soon as I relax against the window of the train as it rolls gently up the Hudson, I know that life holds no unforeseen turns, no stumbles, no rejections, but also no serendipitous moments, adventures or doors waiting to open.

Thanksgiving has a particularly dependable consistency. (At least, until my parents finally make good on their inclination to move south.)

I can count on community turkey runs in the morning. A gluttony of food on the table in the afternoon. The inevitable early evening trip to the movies, where I will inevitably struggle to stay awake in the dark theater.

Friday morning will bring chaotic, early morning Black Friday shopping--a truly suburban festivity that I can’t bear to give up just yet.

The afternoon always holds a high school reunion football game and visits to the local bars I am finally permitted to enter legally. I look forward to cheerfully reminiscing with friends, as if no time has passed. Of course, the conversation has changed from classes to careers, a topic that is a little touchy with me these days. No longer can we proclaim with exuberant anticipation all the glorious things we will be doing when we graduate; we must speak in concrete terms about what we are actually doing. Hearing of all my friends’ ambition-driven, promising positions always incites competition, ego, and even a little shame inside. I can foresee myself internally vowing to have my dream job by the time I return for the winter holidays.

But I would like to proclaim, with all the exuberant anticipation I still possess, that I will.

Happy holidays!

With love,

Ed's Girl

Should I stay or should I go

2006-11-19T23:04:00.000-05:00

I have definitely hit the “Why won’t anyone hire me? / What am I doing wrong?” point in the application process. On the plus side, I am feeling more impatient and restless than depressed and hostile, but there is definitely some frustration going on.

Fortunately, I have an entire week off following Thanksgiving, which is exactly what I need to bust out of the employer response inertia I have been experiencing. Unfortunately, in order to finish all the work I need to get done to feasibly use all that vacation time I accumulated (and will lose if not taken by Dec.1), I had to work until 10PM on Friday, most of Saturday and will have to work until 10PM tomorrow. So I actually lost a few job searching days.

I am just not gutsy enough to job search at work. The thought of running to the printer to collect resumes or cover letters that I (shhh) printed out induces panic. I can just see myself nervously guarding the printer like a solider, wondering why the heck my documents aren’t coming out. Meanwhile the printer has decided to pick that moment to back up and everyone in the office gets an error pop-up from the print job listings. Sure enough, “Resume—My Name” is holding up their expense reports. Okay, I have a vivid imagination. Reading the job listings in Ed’s e-mails or running to post office on my lunch hour to pick up stamps in order to have thank you notes ready to send in that crucial 24-hour window is about as far as I go.

I hope this week will help me answer a question I have been asking myself over and over during the past few weeks: “Do I need to quit my current job to get my dream job?”

While I do enjoy a seriously flexible schedule (I can usually shuffle my schedule to run out to an interview unnoticed.), I feel like I need time to focus 100% of my attention on finding a job—no distractions. I tend to be a serious workaholic and have a hard time saying no. In fact, I actually am working two nights during my vacation. Hear that potential employers? If I work this hard at a job I am trying to leave, imagine how hard I will work for you!

So this is my new deadline: I have this upcoming week to really attack the magazine industry with applications, letters and phone calls. I hope to get as many applications sent and interviews set up as possible during this time. If all goes according to plan, I will have a job by the time my December vacation begins. Yup, I have an entire week off in December too. If nothing has happened by then, I think I may need to make finding a job my full time job.

By the way, I promise to post every day during that week off!

Shipwrecked in a sea of ibankers

2006-11-16T07:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight I decided to show some school spirit by attending a recent alumni interschool happy hour. To be completely honest, I was just as interested in checking out the new club hosting the event as I was in supporting my alma mater. The prospect of getting seriously discounted drinks at a “list only” venue was enough to entice a couple of my girlfriends to come networking with me.

Once we got past the velvet ropes, we immediately realized two things:

1.) We were probably among of handful of non-investment bankers in attendance.
2.) The actual meaning of the term recent.

I found the latter revelation semi-reassuring: I have quite a while before my new alumni status expires.

As representatives from the broadcast news, beauty and (someday) magazine publishing industries, we concluded that we were surrounded by ibankers, brokers, and accountants based on the ever illuminating (and somewhat stereotyping) profession indicator: attire.

Yup, the three of us looked like shipwrecked Anthropologie clerks in a sea of Citigroup analysts.

This sort of put a damper on the networking opportunities I had been anticipating. But I think the school specific nametags were really to blame for the buzzkill. Seriously, they spoil half the introduction phase.

Getting back to clothing, dressing for success is something I have been meaning to discuss for a while. Personally, I think one of the great things about working in the magazine industry is the creative freedom allowed in the dress code. Everyone on the staff may be dressed completely differently, but all professionally—and in style.

I think business trendy is the best development to hit the workplace in recent years. Unfortunately, it hasn’t made it to my place of employment yet. My company would be thrilled if I showed up to work in a full suit everyday; I would be uncomfortable, stifled and broke. Thus, my suit makes a once or twice a week appearance, and I manage to get by wearing nice slacks or pencil skirts with crisp collared oxford shirts the rest of the time. All the more motivation to leave.

Now don’t get me wrong, some days I love wearing a suit. It makes me feel powerful, professional and in control. All wonderful things, but corporate clothes aren’t nearly as much fun or as versatile as a great pair of jeans. And I don’t doubt that most pairs of denim in the Condé Nast building cost as much as many of the suits in my office.

But clothes that multitask are a wise investment. For example, a great lace skirt paired with a pretty ruffled blouse, nice pumps and double strand pearls looks very polished in the office. At night you can swap the blouse and pumps for a cute lace-trimmed camisole and some knee-high boots, and you’re ready to hit the bar. By the time Sunday rolls around all you need to do is throw on some mid-calf equestrian boots and a skinny cable sweater, and you’re all set for brunch. All of the style, none of the suffocation.

Help from an unlikely source

2006-11-14T23:47:00.000-05:00

Life’s full of unforeseen occurrences. Today I ran into an ex-boyfriend I hadn’t seen in months (or dated in years). Lately even my briefest conversations somehow manage to revolve around the fact that I am looking for a job. Essentially, looking for a job is “what’s been going on,” so it’s hard for me to respond otherwise. (I’m sure many of my poor friends are dying for me to get a job, if only so we can move on to new topics of conversation.)

Anyways, today’s chat was no exception—he was fresh meat and all—but this time it actually, astoundingly, proved useful. He happened to have a friend who just launched an online publication that was receiving great reviews, and looking for help. He gave me the contact information, so I can pitch ideas and hopefully get some more writing experience. Pretty cool.

In exchange, I volunteered to go through my tremendous collection of magazines and gather up the all the women’s finance articles, so he can use them for research as he starts a new investment company.

Now I don’t feel so guilty about never being able to part with my precious periodicals. My collection is beginning to completely take over one corner of the bedroom, filling my entire nightstand, two large hatboxes and an overflowing magazine bin that I keep by my bed for current issues. But hey, if they’re as helpful to someone else as they are to me, they can stay.

Following up... a necessary step in the pursuit of success

2006-11-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Friday I go down my weekly checklist of jobs to follow up on. Using a combination of Ed’s resources and The Vault, I am able to get my hands on the six heavily guarded HR phone numbers I need.

Here are a couple of secrets I learned during one filled week of temping at a major magazine company’s switchboard: Secret #1, they exist—the number is usually at the end of the publisher’s masthead, but location varies. Secret #2, the switchboard is a great back door to getting a hold of HR. It’s also a great place to verify the correct name and spelling of editors (if you’re like me and don’t trust masthead lag). If you are really ballsy, you can just ask the switchboard operator to transfer to the editor you need directly.

I decide 11:00 AM is an opportune time to start making the calls. So I position myself as close to the window as possible to insure the best possible cell phone connection—I don’t want any dropped calls while I’m speaking to potential employers. (Wow, those Cingular commercials must be getting to me.)

So here’s how it goes:

Call number 1: I call and explain that I would like to follow up about a job I recently applied for, I am promptly transferred. Someone picks up, I give my polite, eager spiel again, and I am transferred to someone’s voicemail. I leave a message—and write down the extension for future reference. (There has been no response to date.)

Calls 2-4 go something like this: a general HR answering service picks up, I follow instructions, and eventually push 0 to be transferred to the operator. The operator turns out to be a general voicemail box.. I leave messages. During this process, I notice that one of the jobs had been taken off the job listings site since I applied. Does that mean the position has already been filled? Yikes, maybe waiting a week to follow up was too long.

Call 5: I say hello, introduce myself, and ask if I may check on the status of my application for job X at publication Y.

The woman tells me they do not accept phone calls. Whoops. However, in some strange twist of events, this woman turns out to be the single most helpful person I speak to all day. Intriguing, I know.

Right as I am about to thank her and hang up, she says, “Did you receive an e-mail confirmation for your application?”

In all honestly, I answer, “no.” This is true, I had not. This struck me as odd at the time; if there is one thing I have faith in, it’s that online applications systems are on top of automated responses.

She tells me to hold while she looks up an alternative e-mail address for me to send my application. I hold. She returns and asks if she can call me back once she can locate the information. Obviously, I happily give her my information and thank her for her help. In about ten minutes she calls me back and gives me the e-mail information. Score. That was semi-advantageous. It’s always helpful when your application is not left dangling idly in cyber space.

After sending the application to the new address, I resume my calls.

Nothing too exciting to report about call 6. Rather than calling up the editors I e-mailed applications to directly, I type up concise e-mails, hit the send button, and sit back wishing, waiting and hoping.

Top 6 non-committal ways to make money (that are not temping)

2006-11-10T00:48:00.000-05:00

Over the last year and half I have done some pretty random things to earn the cash necessary to stay financially afloat in the city. Temping is a great way to pay the rent while searching for the right position, the biggest plus being you don’t have to feel guilty about looking for other jobs. But I found temping to be, at times, miserable. I also found it hard to find enough short-term assignments to eat and avoid eviction. In order to, fill in the gaps, I found a lot of jobs that were semi-fun and seriously flexible.

1.) Baby-sitting
I heart baby-sitting in New York. You get to act like a kid for few hours and then watch super premium cable television for another few hours. As for pay scale, we are not talking the $5/hr suburbia sitting brought in, NYC parents shell out; I often make more per hour babysitting than I do at my job. If you are willing to give up your New Year’s Eve, consider January’s rent covered. Baby-sitting can lead to other lucrative gigs—I have a friend who became a major party attraction, be forewarned that in August a bunny costume can get pretty rank.

Alternative: If you’re not kid-friendly, pet-sit or apartment-sit. There are a lot of things that need watching in NYC; if you can people watch, you can plant watch.

2.) Tutoring
Similar to baby-sitting, tutoring is a great way to bring a lot of money in a very short period of time. I maintain a few steady gigs that bring me in an extra $200 a month for a few hours of my time. I found my clients through a past work/study tutoring job, but ask friends, apply to Kaplan or post yourself on craigslist to nab a position.

3.) Hostessing
I didn’t have the 25+ years of NYC waitress experience required to get a serving job, so I settled for a hostess position. It ended up being a great move. It was low-stress, allowed me to earn money on the weekends, and was, at times, fairly lucrative. Plus, unlike temping, I felt like I was part of a family and got plenty of free meals to boot.

Alternative: If you have the ability to balance and carry heavy trays, consider catering. It usually requires less experience than waitressing, and many catering agencies only require a 15 hours a month commitment. Oh, did I mention mucho moolah?

4.) Holiday helping
Obviously stores hire lots of holiday help, but they are not only looking for perky folders to work the floor. They are also looking for night owls to help land product flows and organize the holiday clothing chaos. If you need lots of flexibility and very little sleep, ask about being hired for overnights only. This way your days are free for applying and (hopefully) interviewing. Last year I worked a couple overnights for a major retailer, and while I was only paid $10.50/hr, I received a 50% discount at the store and a 30% discount at its sister chains for the entire holiday season. Christmas shopping was a snap.

5.) Front-of-book pitching
Here’s a no-brainer. My humble and novice advice is to start small and pitch ideas for front-of-book sections; I hear that these are often tricky spaces for editors to fill. I have gotten a few items published that paid pretty well, but I’m not going to lie, it was the excitement of seeing my byline in a magazine that was truly priceless.

6.) Lifeguarding
If you have your certification,your city needs you. There are a lot of city folk who can’t swim, and even fewer who are lifeguard certified. I guarded one weekend day and an evening for a summer and got paid twice as much as my high school beach jobs. I have to say guarding at an indoor pool is about as picking out white ankle socks, but sometimes you have to deal with essentials. Hot tip: aim for a swanky New York Health and Racquet-esque club, the scenery will be much better than at a seedy YMCA.

These are just a few ideas for scraping together a few extra dollars, be creative and you’ll never have to serve a latte or hand out a flyer.

Additional resources:
Check out the “gigs” listings under the job section of craiglist. There are tons of fun events, extras castings, and short-term jobs to keep you going until you are in the editorial door.

A victim of my surroundings

2006-11-07T00:58:00.000-05:00

Hoping to find fresh inspiration, I recently sought a new location for searching and applying for jobs. Okay, actually I needed to physically remove myself from my apartment in order to eliminate distractions.

Personally, I find it very true that you associate certain spaces with certain things. I associate my room with vegging out. This is not ideal because my desk and computer are in my bedroom. While I start out working at my desk, I wind up checking my e-mail a million times, organizing my make-up case, flipping through a magazine or two (which I excuse as research) or gazing out onto my porch to lament the death of my potted plants.

When I am actually typing up a cover letter or e-mail, I feel the need to periodically (every two minutes) get up and pace around my chair anxiously. Whether this anxiety is caused by the excitement of the job prospect or the anticipation of defeat, I couldn’t tell you.

My first solution was to try relocating to the kitchen or living room—thank god for wireless routers. But then I faced a new distraction: food. For some reason, I become ravenous when I write cover letters.

I typically find myself in the kitchen staring at the cabinets at least five times during any given application session. I grab a few almonds, head back to the computer. Twenty minutes later, I find myself with my head in the fridge, searching for an apple with the look of a woman on a mission.

Munch, ponder, type, review job posting, munch, type some more.

Before proof reading, I somehow find myself staring into the freezer. I acknowledge that I am most definitely eating out of emotion. I pride myself on the recognition, and pull out a half gallon of moose tracks. I grab a bowl, portion control, good job. I return to my computer. You get the idea.

Even our study, which deceptively seems like the perfect place to get work done, provides, perhaps, the biggest distraction of all: the TV.

I went through four years of college without a television. I didn’t understand how people could be obsessed with shows, speaking of characters as they would of friends and willing to miss parties to catch the latest episodes. A year and a half after graduating, I live in an apartment with Tivo and a Netflix subscription—I’ve been sucked in. I find myself waiting to find out if Tessa and Chase will ever hook up, screaming at the TV when Jeffrey won project runway and describing random cute guys as “Mc”+ appropriate adjective. I want to live my life, not spend my life watching someone else’s fake life.

With the kitchen, living room, study and my bedroom ruled out, the only remaining application location possibility was the bathroom. I decided I better come up with a change of scenery before I put the toilet to the test.

In the end, my new environment has made all the difference. In addition to the eradication of distractions, working from a coffee shop down the block serves several purposes:

1.) There are lots of people working to provide motivation.
2.) Instant caffeine access to fuel my sessions.
3.) The limited Internet connection puts a kibosh on random web surfing and helps me use my time efficiently.

Yup, the coffee shop is my new library.

Freshly inspired

2006-11-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

It’s hard not to be inspired by 37, 000 people flying through all five boroughs. I think some of the marathon inspiration carried over into my career quest because I’ve been extremely productive this weekend. I’ve applied to several jobs, followed up with pitches, and I got in touch with a new contact.

To be fair, some of this efficiency was fueled by a friend’s response to the news I hadn’t gotten the job I recently interviewed for.

He said, rather obnoxiously, “Do you have a plan?”

Ohh! Can’t I just feel sorry for myself for like five seconds?

But once I got over myself, I realized he was right, and I revisited my plan.

In a wave of ingenuity I created a log to track my status throughout each application.

Each new job application has its own row with columns for contact information, follow-up dates, and results.

On a separate sheet, I track my contact with human resources departments of each major publishing company. Right now this consists of me sending emails/letters, following up, and having no success at nailing down informational interviews. Darn.

Finally, I am keeping track of my communication with personal contacts.

I think this is a more responsible route than sheer mental organization. As much as I like to think that my memory is infallible, I never would’ve tried to memorize a course syllabus for the semester or not plug a work meeting into outlook. I also hope the tracking process will provide some positive reinforcement and insight as I continue on my journey.

The other milestone my weekend was finally coming up with a great standard cover letter structure.

This seems really basic. I am sure many of you don’t get how I could apply for so many jobs without having a generic letter.

For years, okay dating to my days applying for internships, I’ve struggled to create a cover letter that I could tweak and reuse. Writing a cover letter for a specific job seems like such a unique endeavor—not one size fits all. I’ve never be able to come up with something reusable that I felt was tailored enough to the job description, the magazine and my qualifications in relation to them.

So I’ve found myself completely rewriting my cover letters from scratch for every posting. This has not been helpful in casting a wide net nor in eliminating errors. But I think I have finally constructed a letter that succinctly highlights my experience and hones in on my strongest skills as an applicant.

Thus, I only have to rewrite the introduction and a few body paragraph sentences to capture my knowledge of and enthusiasm for the publication, and my qualifications with respect to the particular position.

Does anyone out there have any stellar cover letter advice? Is it better to start each letter anew or is it okay to recycle?

Okay, I am off to cook for another work potluck; maybe soon I’ll be an EA testing recipe for Gourmet.

Xo,

Ed’s Girl

Respite to recharge

2006-11-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

I took a day off applying to celebrate Halloween and get over my rejection.

Limiting to my break time to one day serves two purposes:

A.) It isn’t enough time to fall out of search and apply mode.
B.) It doesn’t give me too much time to feel sorry for myself.

Luckily, when I checked the new postings today there were a lot of exciting prospects awaiting me. One is even in the realm of dream job! I have quite a few long work days this week, so I’ve armed myself with multiple Red Bulls, and I am going to get cracking my cover letters. Daylight savings time really makes it feel like I am applying all night long!

As for past applications, this week is a big follow-up period. I have just about mastered the art of being annoying without actually being annoying. Friendliness, politeness, brevity and a pinch of enthusiasm go a long way in not pissing people off. In my own work experience, I actually really appreciate when people follow-up with me. It saves me a call, and shows me they are really interested, and proves they are on the ball.

Good night and good luck folks.

The In-Crowd

2006-10-30T23:45:00.000-05:00

Today I heard back from the interview I went on last week.

I was at work when I received a call from the HR director that originally interviewed me. The call was right on schedule, exactly one week from the interview date. How efficient.

Unfortunately, I missed it.

Now I was in a predicament. How could I return the call without letting anyone know I was applying for other jobs?

I was dying to know, my stomach was already feeling queasy. Could I escape on the pretense of a coffee run? Coffee runs at 12:30 seem somewhat suspicious. Hmmm.

Today happened to be a bug office potluck, so I dropped off my golden brown and bubbly, breadcrumb-crusted eggplant and spinach lasagna in the conference hall and headed back to my office while no one was looking. Très stealth.

Okay, I really don’t like being sneaky, but my destiny was just a phone call away. Can you blame me?

So I called on my cell phone. The very nice HR director picked up, and promptly put me on hold. Oh my goodness, just relax. Why was I feeling like a criminal?

When she returned, she asked me for my feedback on my interviews. I interviewed with three people, so I gave her my comments. The whole time I was thinking: this is not good. I want feedback from you. Obviously, I wasn’t going to tell the HR director that I was quite certain I blew the interview, especially considering that wasn’t the case.

So she told me that everyone that met me enjoyed speaking with me. (Not good.) The feedback was very positive. (And?) They had selected a finalist. (Okay?) They have decided to go with someone from inside.

No! I felt like I was in a Wonder Years episode. Inside I released a huge scream of anguish, outside I said I understood and calmly thanked her for interviewing me. I reinforced that I would like to be kept in mind for any future openings. I shall further reinforce this in the thank you notes I will be sending to all the involved parties.

Wow. I had rearranged my work schedule to attend two interviews. I had almost gotten caught when I arrived at work wearing a suit; fortunately, I had a big meeting at the office that afternoon. (My co-worker didn’t seem to buy my explanation.) I had agonized over e-mail versus hand-written thank you notes. I had bought a new suit. The weeks of preparation, interviewing and anticipation were summed up, concluded and tied with a bow in the span of 3 minutes and 43 seconds—according to my phone clock.

I guess if they had to select someone instead of me, there is a small measure of reassurance in the knowledge that it was someone from inside. It is pretty hard to compete with someone the employer knows and has witnessed in the work environment. At the same time, when will I be on the inside?

Fortunately, a glass or two of wine and a good friend goes a long way to soothe the dejected soul. It’s time to stick my chin out and try again.

You make WHAT?

2006-10-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

One of my friends recently got a position in broadcast journalism. Way to go. However, when she mentioned her salary, I had to gasp, “You make what?” Low 20’s? Is that even minimum wage?

I definitely feel her pain. My entry-level salary keeps my budget stretched to the limit. On the other hand, I am lucky enough to live in the greatest city on earth, so I might as well enjoy it with the occasional nice dinner out, drink or two at a celeb-studded hot spots, and a trip out of the city to visit friends every so often.

In order to make these indulgences happen, I have found ways to stretch a buck without sacrificing my quality of life.

My father is the type to bring his own cups to fast food restaurants with open soda fountains, so I know all about extreme saving tactics—and I’ll spare you.

Here are a few tips for savvy savings in the city:

1.) First Friday’s. There is no shortage of free culture in New York. From coffee shop concerts to free film screenings to Target Free Friday’s at the MoMa, you’ll never run out of shows to see or up-and-coming bands to hear. One of my favorite finds is First Fridays. The first Friday of every month, many of the big museums in the city have great events at a discounted price. Starry Nights at the Museum of Natural History lets you gaze at the stars of the Hayden Planetarium while enjoying a live jazz performance, all for a mere suggested donation—a dollar will do ya.

2.) Tailoring. I do not have a ready-to-wear body type. Almost everything I buy needs to be altered; fortunately, the flagship stores of most major clothing retailers (Banana Republic, Club Monaco, Express, etc.) offer free tailoring. It doesn’t matter where you buy your outfit, just ask the sales clerk which locations make the adjustments and head over with your purchase. Oh, and never forget to save your receipt, if your item goes on sale within two weeks most stores will refund you the difference in cost from what you paid and the reduced price.

3.) Stick to the special. Your best bet is to bring your lunch to work—this saves about $40 a week. However, the second best option is to stick to the special. It's easy to be enticed by upgrades, additions, yummy desserts...pretty much anything that is not going to save you money. But harness your willpower and stick to your plan. For example, one of my favorite cafes offers a great vegetarian soup special. It includes soup, a huge hunk of crusty homemade bread, fruit and a cookie for only $4. If I select a soup with meat my bill soars to $6.50.

4.) Comparison shop. There are a plethora of delis in New York that offer almost exactly the same thing. After spending a few days shopping around my office for my salads, I found a deli that sold me my spinach with avocado, broccoli, carrot and cucumber for $5, when the place next door charged me over $7 for the exact same salad.
Super saver tip for those who aren’t afraid of extreme measures: some companies offer subsidized lunch deals—that anyone can cash in on. One of my friends heads to the Viacom Building in Times Square to grab wallet friendly fare and has never once been asked for company ID.

5.) Anywhere but here. The Chinatown Bus is one of the greatest modes of transportation of all time. Contrary to popular belief, livestock is not included. There will be no chickens on your bus. For $15 I have taken the bus to Boston, Albany and Washington DC, and have never once regretted it. In fact, I find them much more spacious than Greyhound buses, which often leave me fighting for the territorial integrity of my seat. Another tip, they don’t all leave from Chinatown, you can often hop on at Penn Station or Herald Square. Leave from the same location for a fifth the cost of Amtrak!

6.) Fit For Less: My first summer out of college I worked out almost everyday without ever paying for a gym membership. I just kept signing up for complementary two-week or one month trials at different gyms. It’s a great way to try out some pretty swanky clubs. Once you’ve exhausted this method, buy the Fitness Passport or Yoga Passport. These booklets give you coupons for visits to over 175 health clubs/yoga studios in the city. Some passes are good for few visits at one locations others are good for an entire month. The book cost around $70 and is worth almost 600 visits. Bonus: If you join one of the gyms, you get the price of the book back!

7.) Food on Demand. I don’t know why, but getting groceries delivered in NY is often cheaper than buying them at the store. I get my organic produce delivered from Urban Organic every week. While it sounds very pretentious, it costs me a third of what it costs to haul my leafy greens and fresh fruits home from Whole Foods. Plus, I have no excuse to not get my recommended 5-9 servings a day!

8.) Tapas Style Dining: Stores, restaurants and green markets are practically throwing food at people everyday. You can hit up the Union Square Green Market for some goat cheese, apple, jelly and pretzel samples before moving onto whole foods for some chips and guac, round out this nice snack by trying a few flavors at Tasti-D-Lite, and then indulge with a chocolate sample from the Max Brenner shop. If you end up at Union Square Wine & Spirits for a free wine tasting, your escapade almost qualifies as happy hour.

9.) Keep the Latte Factor in Check: This is probably the most valuable (and obvious) point I have. Those 20 oz. sodas, packs of gum, the afternoon java and magazines to read on the subway ride home really add up. If left unchecked, I find myself buying a magazine a day. This adds up to roughly $24 a week. The price of two full-year subscriptions! Learning to keep these habits under control saves me at least $125 a month. Rather than give everything up, I subscribe to magazines or read them at Barnes & Noble, buy gum in bulk, and I’ve become quite good at flirting with the barista for a free cup of joe.

Going the distance

2006-10-25T08:55:00.000-04:00

“Prepare for an interview like you are training for a marathon.” This is the advice the internship coordinator at my school gave me.

So in effort to channel my inner Michael Johnson before interviews, I research like a John Hopkins neurology student.

I read every back issue of the magazine I can find, noting tone, visual style, audience and department titles. I learn as much about the editors I will be meeting as possible, and of course, I take care to read many of the articles they have written.

In addition to really taking the time to research the magazine's history, as well as its publisher, I consider my thoughts on the magazine, its readership, and why I feel I am a good match for the publication. This is always the fun part of the training phase.

Finally, I make sure to "prepare" for all the standard interview questions. I nail down intelligent responses for my strengths and weaknesses. I think about where I want to be in 5 years, in 10 years, heck, in 15 years.
The list goes on.

However, in the midst of all of this glorious preparation, I often manage to overlook the subject I should know the most about: me!

Pretty crazy, right?

In an interview over the summer I was asked, "What newspapers do you read?"
I suddenly drew a blank. Then every newspaper I have ever read came flooding into my mind in succession.

I subscribe to the New York Times crossword and the Sunday Times. I read Google News daily. These seem fairly respectable. But these are not the initial publications that enter my realm of thought. Suddenly all the times I accepted a free copy of The Metro or AM New York at the entrance to the subway are on the tip of my tongue. Then those occasions when I buy the 25 cent NY Post to indulge in Page Six gossip. Can I admit this? Is it too trashy?
Will they think I am an airhead?

No, they are wondering why I am taking so long to figure out what I read!

So recently, I have put my sneakers in the closet, and concentrated on keeping the process organic. I still plan my course, but I don’t memorize every bump in the road and prepare for every possible question. My legs are kind of on the short side, so maybe long-distance running is just not inherent.

Impression and personality are crucial. I wouldn't have made it to the interview level, if I didn't have the skills. In fact, most candidates interviewing for entry-level positions are probably quite qualified, so setting yourself apart in the entry-years is really about being genuine, enthusiastic and likeable.

In my most recent interview, I remembered to be myself (on my best day), answer the question before me, and above all, keep it natural. We’ll see what happens.

The EdTeam welcomes a new member: Chandra's baby!

2006-10-22T11:35:00.000-04:00

Please join Ed in congratulating Ed2010 founder and president Chandra Czape Turner and her husband, Paul, on the arrival of beautiful little Madelyn Molly!

GORGEOUS!

XO,
Ed

(Ed'll forward any congrats comments to her for you!)

Qualifications? These can be a problem.

2006-10-21T18:52:00.000-04:00

There is nothing I find more exciting than logging onto Mediabistro or Ed2010 in the morning and finding a slew of new postings. Each listing practically screams job opportunity potential. Potential is the keyword. Let’s take a look at how two very different postings can be equally disappointing.

(Note: the postings below are not real.)

Posting #1: The Dream Job

Assistant Fitness Editor
National Women’s Magazine

My initial response, Woo-hoo! If I could have my pick of jobs, working at a health and fitness magazine would be one of my top choices.

So I click on the posting to see the details…

National women’s lifestyle magazine seeks a dynamic, detail-oriented person with excellent written and verbal skills.

That’s me!

The assistant editor will assist the features editor in research, contacting sources, writing, and administrative duties.

Fabulous! I love research--history was my second major. And I have no problem with administrative work. This sounds like the perfect position. Where do I apply?

And then I see…

Candidate must have a minimum of 2-3 years experience working at a national consumer magazine.

Darn. Do internships count?

This is where I’m not sure whether I should apply or not.

I just want to say, “If you could only see my passion for yogalites, maximizing strength training workouts with cardio intervals, and finding moisture-wicking workout wear, you would have no reservations about my qualifications!”

At this point it usually comes down to the tone the posting conveys. If I see, MINIMUM of 2-3 years experience, it’s definitely back to the drawing board.

Posting #2: The Trade Publication

I scroll down to learn more…

National trade publication seeks an editorial assistant to support staff. Position will entail administrative duties, as well as writing, editing and reporting.

Okay, great. Sounds like the perfect way to get hands-on experience. I will even have the opportunity to write!

Previous internship experience at a magazine is required.

Check.

Journalism degree is preferred. Knowledge of Quark a plus.

I’m all set.

And then I scroll further to see this:

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a passion for fishing, and will have a strong knowledge and understanding of this topic.

Well, I could probably learn a lot about fishing, if I holed myself up in Barnes and Noble for 72 hours or so, but gusto? That could be a stretch.

Strike two.

Moral of the story: you can’t judge a posting by its title. The job’s true potential is all in the details.

A little bit of luck

2006-10-19T09:48:00.000-04:00

Some days I just can’t wait for that something to click and for everything to start happening. I have been getting up at around 5:30 to write my post, going to work, and arriving home to write cover letters. Bed, alarm, repeat. You may have noticed that these early morning updates have led to some very unnecessary mistakes, so I am going to shift my posting schedule to clear up those easily avoidable issues—much more on that later. Anyways, I was starting to get antsy when a series of serendipitous events occurred.

Yesterday got off to a great start when I logged into my g-mail account, and I had received a reply from an editor that I had almost given up on. See that folks, good things come to those who wait. No hot job offers on the table, but hooray for a response!

Bing

Then I went to an Ed2010 event. I was actually kind of nervous for the evening, so I started preparing early.

On my lunch hour I went to the salon on the corner to try threading for the first time. Honestly, it seemed fairly similar to waxing pain-wise, although it took a bit longer. On the other hand, I didn’t leave the salon looking like I had a serious case of pink eye. So guess what, waxing? You’re out. Auf Wiedersehen.

The rest of the day rolled along smoothly. I left the office with a fair chunk of time to kill before the event. I decided to stop by Sephora to touch up my make-up—and to seek solace in my house of worship.

Then I got a snack, so I wouldn’t be too hungry—or tipsy. Gosh time passes slowly when you are trying to be fashionably late.

Rather than heading up Madison, I took a long stroll up Lexington to check out the cornucopia of Indian restaurants between 23rd and 36th. Curry in a Hurry…Yum!

When I was certain that I was in no danger of being the first person to arrive, I did an about face and started toward Vapor. A few blocks before the entrance, I dug through my bag to find the tin of Altoids I had purchased for an interview earlier in the month. After one curiously strong mint and deep breath, I was ready to go.

The bar was packed, making it very easy to introduce myself to fellow Edsters. For those of you not sure what to expect at these networking happy hours, it’s pretty safe to assume that there will be: people with jobs, people looking for jobs, people you know and people you don’t know. It isn’t a bad idea to bring your card or a pen and pad to get names and e-mails.

While I didn’t win a meeting with Daniel Peres, the über hot EIC of Details, I did meet lots of great people—many of them living proof that people do get jobs.

Bam

When I arrived home, the new issue of Time Out was waiting on the table and my roommates had left a big pot of homemade soup on the stove for me.

Boom

So until next time, keep the comments coming and feel free to e-mail me at edsgirl@ed2010.com

XO,

Ed’s Girl #4

Ed's PR Pet Peeves, Part Trois: Lying

2006-10-18T14:19:00.000-04:00

"GREAT STORY IDEA!" read the subject line of a pitch email Ed got this morn'. Oh, really?! Since when is a topic that just about every magazine on the face of the earth covered two years ago when it was actually news a GREAT STORY IDEA?

Can't blame someone for trying just about anything to get a busy, jaded editor to actually open unsolicited email, but, still. As GOB would say...COME ON.

XO,
Ed

Thinking is easy...

2006-10-17T09:35:00.000-04:00

"Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and putting one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world."

This lovely quote by Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe seems fitting to describe my job search of late.

Searching for a job has quickly become a life consuming endeavor. I think about it on the treadmill, lying away in bed, and I have recently stopped listening to my mp3 player on the subway in order to have more time to think about it.

Who else do I know? What other publishing companies are out there? How else can I acquire contacts? Why isn’t anyone getting back to me? Where else can I find job listings? When is this going to happen for me?

So yesterday I had an exceptional amount of time to ponder these questions on the New York City subway system. I thought about on the way into the office, on the way to a meeting in Queens, and while journeying to pick something up in Midtown. On the way out to a final meeting in Flushing, I took a brief break to browse the latest issue of Time Out and to flip through my roommate’s new issue of EW—hey, I’m a magazine junkie, you can’t just leave them lying around…or in the mailbox. I’ll put it on the table today and he’ll never know the difference. On the way back home, I had a mini breakthrough.

I realized that I have a group of contacts in the industry, I have been forgetting entirely. My professors. They had hundreds of amazing editors come speak in my classes over the years. I may be one of thousands of students, but I did fairly well and never missed a class my entire college career, so I developed a good relationship with most of my professors. So they are my next target; I could use a good mentor and some great advice.

When I don’t have access to a computer, I think about applying for jobs. If I am anywhere near a computer, I am searching for jobs, writing cover letters and checking my e-mail obsessively. I hear this is quite common.

So far, not too much luck. I had a few fake outs from automatic response systems. I opened my box, see the magazine company listed as the sender and take a deep breathe and click on the “conversation” in eager expectation. And… “Thank you for applying,” yada yada, “human resources is currently reviewing your application,” more yada, “we will keep your resume on file for one year,” closing yada.” Bullocks.

Well, at least they received it. And, ha-ha, nowhere in the e-mail does it say no phone calls! Great, I will follow up with them in a few days.

All right, I am off to work.

The thin line between fiction and reality

2006-10-15T21:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have to admit I saw the “Devil Wears Prada”…twice, and then I forced my friend to sneak into it after the movie we were seeing had ended. So I have now seen it three times. This is surprising to me because I lost interest in the book halfway through—I’m more of a classic lit kind of girl. But somehow the movie brought to life the clothes, the glamour (and lack there of), and oh yeah, my own struggle to capture the job that a million girls would kill to have.

So by my second viewing, I started to take the movie far too literally. I began analyzing Andy Sach’s interviews. I thought to myself, she is not a great interviewer. Even by the end of the movie, her interview skills actually kind of sucked! Why did she get two jobs, and I can’t even get one? I would happily work all hours of the night. Glue my (future) blackberry to my side. I would give up carbs—okay, there’s a fantasy.

I realize that the chances of having an Andy Sachs transition to the journalism world is about as likely as getting asked out by Adrian Grenier. (Sigh, dark hair with blue eyes is so sexy.) Nevertheless, I can’t help to take into consideration that Andy got her job through...Human Resources!

I have always considered HR the place where resumes go to die, or as it is more affectionately called, the black hole. I find something about these massive brassring application systems, which truncate and standardize the format of my perfectly polished cover letters and meticulously constructed resumes, very disheartening. But the fact is: the people in HR are employed to give other people jobs! Someone must be getting jobs through them.

And so begins Operation Harassment.

After reading the experiences of several former Girls on the Hunt, I have learned the trick to HR is making the process as interactive as possible. I am going to give the HR route a real shot. My strategy is the tried and true method: send (via e-mail and snail mail) cover letter and resume, and call, call again. If I can find an insider source whom is willing to give me the name and e-mail of their HR person, all the better. I figure if I can just nail down the informational interviews, make fabulous impressions and follow-up diligently, I can be in the forefront of the HR staff’s minds when any EA, assistant to the EIC or even assistant to the ME jobs open up.

Of course, I am still applying to every promising posting I see and working to build up my contact base, but trying to break in through HR marks a new effort in my crusade. I feel like I am truly attacking the media world on all fronts, it is only a matter of time until victory… or at least a definite turning point in the battle.

From "shudder" to sigh (of relief)

2006-10-12T14:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, here’s the scoop on what happened with my contacts.

Most of them got back to me!

The people I was most nervous about contacting were my journalism mentors. I was so worried they would be disappointed in me, but actually everyone was extremely encouraging! And now they know that I am looking and applying again, so there is a far better chance that they will keep me in mind if any openings or potential job leads come up. This isn’t so bad after all.

All of my friends were really great about promising to talk to their contacts. In case anyone out there is feeling shy about letting their friends know they could use a little help on the job hunt, don’t be! I don’t whether it's pride or fear of inconveniencing people that makes asking for help from friends so hard for me, but people are often flattered to be asked. Helping people feels good. Plus, you can always promise to use your super editing skills to read over their cover letters or med school applications!

Now like I said, most of them got back to me. But hey, I did fall off the planet for a while, so I guess it’s fair if people take a few days (or weeks) to get back to me—or, tear, not get back to me at all.

So far things are off to a promising start! I also really appreciate all your encouraging comments. I am so relieved to hear that it is totally possible to get a job even after a few years out of college. I got locked into thinking that there was a six month window in which you must obtain your first magazine gig to have any hope of making it in the business. All hope is not lost!

Oh, I am going to leave you with a HOT CONTACT TIP that I forgot to mention before: people you intern with can turn out to be amazing contacts. Case in point: over the summer one of the girls I interned with in college e-mailed me, out of the blue, about a position at the magazine she was working at.

Unfortunately, that is where the good news ended. After a three-part interview and three sleepless days laboring over a grueling edit test, I did not get the job. I was so mortified and guilty that she had recommended me and I had clearly not impressed her bosses that I totally fell out of contact with her. Not one a very professional or considerate action on my part. I really owe her a very large (and weak) thank you, as well as an apology. Now that I have revealed this gross slip-up to the world, I vow to learn from my mistakes and conduct myself with dignity from here on out!

12-hour Tuesdays and that crazy world of work

2006-10-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, I have been so busy at work the days seem to fly by. This is particularly great considering I am working three 12-hour days in a row. Followed by a glorious Thursday and all of Friday morning off! I am all set to get up early, head to the coffee shop and scour the web for job postings, apply and network my heart away.

Yup, part of the beauty of the non-profit sector is they often can’t pay you over time, so you are only supposed to work your salaried 35 hours. However, another common feature of the non-profit sector is that it is under-staffed, so the workload requires way more than 35 hours—I don’t care how amazing your multitasking skills. My job is almost impossible to squeeze into 35 hours, and with night meetings lasting long into the night and working weekends. I often exceed my 35 hours, but no successful New Yorker works less than 60 right? However, right now, I am trying to remember that this is my day job, and I try to take advantage of my comp days in order to pursue my try passion. Oh, the life of a struggling EA.

So anyways, I have been overloaded with meetings, meetings, meetings: meetings in the office, meetings in the field, meetings with community contacts and association meetings.

And reports: expense reports (cha ching), monthly reports and staff committee reports.

And events and programs: sleepovers, marathons, day events, ongoing events, shows, concerts, fund-raising dinners, and so much more. Okay, I actually love this stuff!

And paperwork: did I ever mention how much I loved red tape?

Seriously though, having to be organized has really taught me my way around a file folder. My binders, notebooks, logs, file cabinets and program supplies happily coexist in a categorized, alphabetized fashion. I admit that I’ll never be one to panic if a paperclip or two find their way out of a drawer compartment. But having a highly functioning desk and relatively orderly office keeps my stress level down and creates a semblance of professionalism.

While I don’t actually mind meetings, events, reports, etc., they do distract from, oh right, my actual job. Fortunately, no one realized that our office was open Monday, so I sailed through meetings , event prep, reports, paper work, scheduling programs, filing (why bother the department assistant?), recruiting and making follow-up calls almost uninterrupted by the tidal wave of phone calls that normally flood the office. Feeling quite dry and very efficient, I went home to continue my j-job search. Whoever said there are 24 usable hours in every day may have be right.

While I was a temp, I seemed to find myself bored out of mind at some reception job (If there are any temps out there who manage to abide by the no personal use of the computer rule, I take my hat off to them.) or holding jobs that seemed absolutely absurd.

I had one job where I was supposed to get 300 copies of the same Jimmy Carter biography signed by Jimmy Carter--at the same Barnes and Noble book signing.

Then there was a time when I had to tell Beyoncé that she could not get into her apartment because the building’s ID card maker was broken. I mean I could barely eek out an, “Can I get you anything to drink?”

And then I got my “real” job, which often makes those jobs seem run of the mill. Working in youth development is never boring.

This weekend, Friday the 13th, I will be in the woods scaring the bejesus out of a bunch of tweens. In an elaborately decorated hill top haunted house, I will be standing in a bathtub, dressed as a character from “The Ring,” combing my hair in the mirror, nasty wig, white face make-up and full costume to boot. This will be just one room in house full of fun room mirrors, chain saws, Jason’s on the loose, blood curdling screams emerging from behind locked doors and bunks turned into coffins with cadavers springing to life. This jovial journey will be followed by a midnight hike around the lake and ghost stories around a campfire. As if being in surrounded by trees in the darkness of upstate New York wasn’t scary enough for city kids!

Oh blogs, how far you've come

2006-10-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

This is actually not my first blog. I was first introduced to blogging when blogs were still called weblogs! I was in this crazy online journalism class, which had a Webzine about “new media and Net culture.” How I found myself in this 4 ½ class that met on Fridays, I do not know. But it would actually prove quite useful in later years. I learned how to look up basically anything and anyone—public records, reverse telephone look ups, website owner’s contact information—I felt like I was an FBI agent whizzing through cyber world with a wireless mouse as my compass. My professor also introduced us to Google, which he insisted we use exclusively as our search engine. This was shortly before Google took over the world and the web; in fact, this was way before g-mail, let alone g-chat, existed! Wow, I feel like I am really dating myself. Don’t worry, I’m not completely out of the EA age range yet!

Anyways, to move toward the point of my story, we had to keep a class “weblog.” At the time, I had no idea what a weblog was, and my professor was not impressed with my first attempt. He returned a printed out copy of my first post—about custom-blended lipstick—covered with so much red, I was pretty sure he must have suffered a near fatal paper cut while grading it. Apparently, the fact that blogging journalists were well on their way to taking over the presidential election escaped my notice. At that point, I learned that weblog posts were supposed to ooze with snark (my professor’s favorite word), punch and irreverence.

Since this class, I have become a huge fan of blogs (which I find much sassier now that they have dropped the “we”). In fact, it seems like all the cool magazines these days have staff blogging. And let’s face it, Laguna Beach wouldn’t be worth watching without the wonderful commentary from B-side on TVgasm.

As much as I love reading blogs to catch up on my celeb gossip, I actually find them very useful sources of information.

During my million-job period, I was working in a fabulous raw restaurant and read every raw blog on the planet to maintain my enzyme-induced high. Whilst I only lasted so long before three very important men came back into my life (Ben, Jerry and Mister Softee), I still like to read what my favorite raw foodists have to say. Just so you know, the raw food police will soon pick up on that ice cream comment and come to take me away. (Good thing I didn’t mention my undying love of Diet Coke.)

Then Ed introduced “Girl on the Hunt,” which renewed my hope that finding a gig in the magazine business may indeed be possible. From, “I went on an interview, and yada yada yada...,” I was instantly hooked, and considerably renewed with the spirit to pursue my dream. The pangs of failure, I felt every time one of Ed’s wacky, but uplifting subject lines appeared in my inbox didn’t hurt either. Yes, there are definitely days when the job search seems like mission impossible, but Ed’s Girls 1, 2 and 3 made it, so there must be hope for you and me.

P.S. A "Contacts" update is on the way.

The cLOVEr letter

2006-10-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

I have spent the last few days writing cover letters. Whispers and postings have seemed somewhat slim lately, so I have tried some unconventional outlets and methods.

Thus, I wrote a Clover letter. One of my editors told me that if you are writing to apply for a position at a magazine you are interning at, the letter has to almost be a love letter to the magazine. I also decided to incorporate that technique into a letter to an executive editor at a magazine I would love to work for. It is one of the few shot in the dark, I would love to set up an informational interview with you, letters I have written. But after going over it in my head for weeks, and even sending it to a very smart friend for non-partisan review, I worked up enough confidence to go for it.

Still on the less conventional route, I also applied to few positions at magazines out by businesses and universities. While these types of magazines are often frowned upon for being too PR, any interview practice I can get will be worth it.

For me writing cover letters is no easy process. I never in my life imagined there could be anything as agonizing as writing a simple letter. The field of journalism rocks because you are encouraged to be creative and show your writing style rather than writing a boring form letter with about as much flavor as plain tofu.

However, with this afforded creativity, I find myself freaking out about the many balances you must achieve to create a letter that is reflective of your writing style, as well as in tune with the magazine’s; friendly, but not too informal; enthusiastic without being over-the-top or artificial, and where possible being original, without being too risky. All of these elements must fit into a few brief paragraphs that convey that you love the magazine, you know the magazine (in fact, you read it so obsessively you often buy it off the stands because you can’t wait for subscription to arrive) and that you can bring ideas and talent to the office, while being humble enough to make as many Starbucks runs as needed to help the staff create a beautiful publication.

Yikes, sometimes I think it would be easier to be boring.

Cultivating my "contacts." shudder

2006-10-04T08:29:00.000-04:00

At this point, the only word I dread hearing more than contacts is networking. While their meanings are very similar, I prefer contacts, it offers a more personal quality, whereas networking sounds like a virtual system of degrees of separation.

Nevertheless, they are both essential. In fact, many of my most promising interviews I landed through friends or people I met at internships and networking events.

Networking isn’t bad; it’s just so different from the educational system I spent most of my life in. In school you do your work, you study, you succeed. It is easy to be good at school. In the real world it is much more important to be likeable and to meets lots of people. If my school had told me that happy hour could have proven so integral to my future job prospects, I wouldn’t have wasted so many Thursday evenings in statistics lectures.

So today I started working my contacts, both close friends and causal acquaintances. I have found my contacts are often more that happy to help me network, breaking down those agonizing degrees of separation and opening new avenues and leads to explore.

However, I am in no ordinary contact situation. I have fallen painfully out of contact with many of my journalism buddies, and I have to hope they will find it in their hearts to forgive me and help me once again. For the record, I do not recommend the reestablish professional relationships route to anyone. Commit to maintaining your contacts like Kirstie Alley commit to maintaining her Jenny Craig diet plan. In fact, have you called them recently?

Anyways, I have decided to start with a few easy ones.

• My college roommate, who is close family friends with the EIC of a very popular magazine, perhaps a bit in left-field but worth a shot.

• An editorial assistant I met while interning that I noticed has recently been promoted to associate editor. She was very helpful to me as an intern and she has already made some awesome changes to her new sections!
Hot tip: An associate editor once told me that it is always a good idea to comment an article written or edited by the person you are contacting. Especially if you have never met them, it will help get their attention. Just passing along the information.

• Another associate editor turned freelancer I met while interning. She has always been extremely willing to mentor me, and as a very successful freelancer, is incredible at networking.

Here is what I find tricky about these e-mails. Clearly I have to nurture our relationship, not just flat out ask them for help. Besides, I genuinely like these women, respect their work, and what to know how they are doing and what they are up to. So I have my work cut out for me to craft well thought out e-mails, that are neither too expectant nor completely arbitrary to my purpose.
Hot tip #2: The same mentor mentioned in hot tip #1 told me to set a reasonable application goal (like three e-mail contacts a week or four cover letter/resume submissions a week) and stick to it. I think this may have been a huge problem my first time around. I would get too nervous or exhausted from my million jobs to reach my daunting weekly quotas. This time I am going to keep it real.

Here’s hoping that this may be the key to success on my renewed quest.

I’ll keep you posted.

Ed's Girl #4: Getting back in the game…of finding my first editorial assistant job

2006-10-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

If "Ed's Girl on the Hunt" has proved anything, it's that finding a job in the magazine biz is hard work. It is all about perseverance, dedication, making connections, and the age old adage, try, try and try again.

So what happens when the strain of five jobs, ravaged self-esteem, and fear of failure set in?

Well, if you're like me, you chicken out. Almost.

Throughout college I did what any typical journalism (and history) major would do—I interned at a teen magazine, held a few newspaper internships, and wrote for tons of campus publications, even starting one of my own. By the time I graduated I had a decent stack of clips to start me on the path to my dream magazine job.

I had also lined up an internship at my favorite magazine of all time. I prayed that if I was the hardest working, most conscientious and friendly intern of all time, my three days of unpaid labor a week would turn into a job.

However, not to place all my eggs in one basket, I still applied to every ed2010, monster, mediabistro, yahoo, Time, Rodale, and craigslist job listing that looked like it could get me any where near the door to editorial assistanthood.

While I absolutely loved my internship and the senior staff writer I worked for, the unbelievable perks, freebies and never ending press events, weren't paying the rent. So I lifeguarded a few nights a week, temped on my free days, tutored a few evenings a week, and worked at a restaurant on weekends.

This left me burning the midnight oils to craft cover letters and apply for jobs from about 11:00pm to 5:00 am.

At the end of my internship my dream position opened up. Not only that, the person who had gotten me the internship in the first place was the person leaving, so I had all the insider hints. My editor even helped me with my cover letter and highly recommended me for the position. After 72 hours of meticulously polishing my edit test to a high gloss shine, all I could do was hand it in and wait for good news. My editor had temporarily left the magazine at the same time my internship ended, so my two closest contacts were gone.

After three grueling weeks, I received news—bad news. The editors decided to go with someone they had worked with before.

For another three months, I kept applying, interviewing and getting rejected. Hello, self-doubt.

Finally, I couldn't take the embarrassment of having my editor give me wonderful recommendations, and still not getting the jobs. I actually stopped telling my friends and family about anything I was applying to because it was so mortifying. I mean interviews are based on heavily on your personality, right? Not to mention, I was really feeling the burn of working miserable makeshift jobs seven days a week.

I accepted a full-time position at a non-profit that I truly believed.

For the last nine months, I have had the safety of a salaried stable job, but the personal disgrace of failing at what I had wanted most. I was good at school, why couldn't I be good at getting a job?

So I have decided to try again. At twenty-three, my days to get an EA job are numbered.

After being out of the game for nine months, with the occasional exception of front of book pieces in the magazine I interned at, I have another strike against me.

But I am not without a plan. And I want to prove that finding a magazine gig, even after leaving the scene for a brief hiatus, is possible.

Whoever said that finding a job was a full-time job was absolutely correct. But that person either didn't live in New York City or had a trust fund.

I have the luxury of a 35 hour work week and extremely flexible hours. This is half the hours I worked when I was originally job searching, and I have much more flexibility to schedule interviews.

So I leave you with the plan:
1.) Write letters to all the contacts given to me be those I have interned for and my magazine friends.

2.) Apply for every minutely appealing posting I see, the day or the hour I see it.

3.) Continue to hound the HR's of Condé Nast, Time, Hearst, Meredith and Rodale for interviews.

4.) Attend all Ed2010 events despite the embarrassment of not having a job.

5.) Freelance and pitch to all start up and smaller publications looking for writers.

6.) Wish, wait and hope.

Monday: Ed's NEW Girl on the Hunt

2006-09-29T14:19:00.000-04:00

Ed's got hisself a NEW Girl on the Hunt, yo. Her first pot hits Monday! A little taste:

"If Ed's Girl on the Hunt has proved anything, it's that finding a job in the magazine biz is hard work. It is all about perseverance, dedication, making connections, and the age old adage, try, try again.

So what happens when diminished self-esteem, the strain of five jobs and fear of failure set in?

Well, if you're like me, you chicken out. Almost."

XO,
Ed

Wanna be Ed's new Girl/Guy on the Hunt?

2006-09-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

Auditions are open once again. Send a sample blog post of 300 to 500 words (including images you'd use if you feel like it) to Ed by Friday Sept. 22 at noon at ed@ed2010.com. Yes, short deadline. But it's a good gig, yo.

Feel free to re-apply if you've applied in the past but haven't gotten tapped. Quick! Just write something off the top of your head. Blogging is about relating to people, man, not perfection. Seriously, don't belabor it. Just, like, flow an' shit.

Requirements: You must be living in NYC (or moving here within the next few months) and searching for an entry-level position in magazines.

XO,
Ed

Ed's back, baby!

2006-09-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

He can't tell you where he's been. Trust him, you DON'T want to know.

(Oh, OK, he was in an opium den on the Lower East Side for the last coupla weeks and just woke up. Straight to Narcotics Anonymous for him, man.)

XO,
Ed

Ed kinda wants to work at Radar...but is he cool enough (and does he have enough money in his savings account) to do it?

2006-09-05T19:59:00.000-04:00

Ed's not usually a huge gossip whore, but there's something about the way Radar slings it. It's like Jane and Vanity Fair had a kid—and the progeny is WAY less irritating and self-important than the progenitors are. Like, WAY LESS.

Thanks for reminding Ed that the new Radar Online is up, Jossipers!

XO,
Ed

Evil succubus! You're bleeding Ed's brain dry, yo.

2006-09-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Ed set out to become an editor because he wanted to take other people's words and ideas and make them into something better . (Also, he likes to tell people what to do.) What he didn't realize way back then was that being an editor also meant a constant JUICING of your brainhole for ideas. MORE. IDEAS. ALWAYS. NEED. MORE. IDEAS.

The great Mindsuck never ends. Good thing Ed sort of gets off on it now.

XO,
Ed

Workin' for the weekend

2006-09-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

To all you unpaid interns (or underpaid EAs) who have weekend jobs at the Gap in order to pay your rent, Ed has a little announcement: Weekend working doesn't end when you become an editor! (It's just that usually you can do it at home in your undies with your laptop.)

BTW, does anyone happen to have an bat?

XO,
Ed

Why NYC sucks and the only reason Ed's still here is Magazines

2006-09-01T10:48:00.001-04:00

This Labor Day weekend forecast:
Moist with a chance of crappy.
THIS IS THE WORST SUMMER EVER.

XO,
Ed

Since when do magazine editors want "newsy hooks" for stories?

2006-08-30T23:47:00.000-04:00

SINCE 4EVA, people. Which is why this little descrip of the latest Mediabistro How to Pitch feature perplexed Ed so:

Though its feminist perspective paved the way for pop culture-obsessed daughters Bust and Bitch, this magazine foremother [Ms.] now seeks pieces full of newsy hooks.

Whereas before, they wanted totally non-relevant, non-current, evergreen pablum, apparently.

Meh. (Ed's totally been Complainy Complainypants lately, huh. Sorry guys.)

XO,
Ed

Hee-hee headline of the day: Vanderbilt University Expert Available on Pluto

2006-08-29T17:19:00.000-04:00

The funniest thing that's happened to Ed today was reading this press-release headline: Vanderbilt University Expert Available on Pluto. Oh yeah? Is he ON Pluto? Really?

Sigh.

XO,
Ed

Ed disapproves of getting his own coffee

2006-08-28T13:56:00.001-04:00

The worst part about summer ending: No more summer interns. Ed seriously disapproves of doing his own research, filing his own expenses, getting his own damn soy lattes and sending his own packages. This is, how you say, El Sucko.

Know who else disapproves? These guys.

XO,
Ed

Ed's PR Pet Peeves, Part Deux: Desk-side Appointments

2006-08-25T12:27:00.000-04:00

If Ed gets ONE more request for a desk-side appointment with a product-slinging rep lookin' for press coverage, he's going to stab himself in the eye with a pencil.

(Ohmigod, it's...happening...right...nowGHGHGHGHGHHH!)

XO,
Ed

Ed's in Vibe magazine!

2006-08-23T17:08:00.000-04:00

The latest national media outlet to mention your little old Ed2010? Miss Info, Vibe magazine, Sept. 2006 issue. Fun, right? (Does anyone else think Janet looks gross now, or is it just Ed?)

XO,
Ed

WHAMMY

2006-08-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Ha! The head of American Apparel—and mastermind of those omnipresent '70s-style-porn ads—is being accused of sexual harassment, according to FishBowlNY.
Serves him right for nastyin' up Ed's morning commute.. and his web-browsing experience...and his neighborhood walkabouts—those ads are everyfreakinwhere.

XO,
Ed

What I Did This Summer by Ed's Girl II

2006-08-21T15:16:00.000-04:00

I found it.

I found that reason to come in two hours early and leave two hours late. The one that pulls me out of the quarter-life insecurity and doubt and compels me to prove every ounce of what I’ve got.

I found it in the internship to be sure. I learned responsibility in the big and small tasks. I made mistakes. I found my faults. I learned more here than at any other EA job I might have accepted.

But I found it mostly in the people I work with. I didn’t think it was possible to look at an entire staff with the reverence that I do.

So this is my heavy-handed way of saying this summer has been an unbelievable trip. It has also redefined the word “work”. I spent 45 hours a week at my internship and carried around trays of sangria and beer for an additional 18-26 hours. I took two days off in two months.

Cocktail waitressing was work. My internship was my reprieve. Every shitty tip made me work harder at the magazine. I’d spend my day conducting research for an ambitious feature and at night I’d watch the bouncer kick out a man for shoving his pet chinchilla down a girl’s shirt or drag a homeless woman out of the bathroom with a heroin needle still stuck in her arm. It was a stark reminder to work my ass off to get the job I wanted and to keep my shirt buttoned up if someone asks if I’d like to hold their chinchilla.

My internship ends on Friday. On Saturday I turn 25. And in the next few days, I’ll find out if I have a job to come back to after Labor Day weekend.

I’m not ready to leave my magazine but one day, if I’m lucky enough, I’ll have the chance to work my way back in.

I’m ready to be 25 and I’m ready for health insurance, so keep your fingers crossed.

And I'm glad, like Ed's First Girl, that I took an internship at a magazine I aspire to work for one day instead of a job at one I hope to get out of because now I have acquired the taste of something spectacular. And no matter where I end up, I'll do my damndest to find my way back.

Now to find an apartment...

Good luck everyone!

Love,
Ed’s Girl the Second

Ed's PR Pet Peeves, Part Uno

2006-08-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

With all due respect to public relations professionals with whom Ed has very good relationships and for whom he has much respek (booyakasha), allow Ed to present:

Ed's PR Pet Peeves, Part Uno:
Multiple exclamation points.
Multiple exclams, like emoticons and too many elipses, have no place in business correspondence, people. NO PLACE. Even if your PR firm is in Southern California. (Beautiful weather is no excuse for such excessive peppiness.)

XO,
Ed

Ed's Girl One, the sequel

2006-08-18T12:49:00.000-04:00

I’ve been in my job for almost six months now. It’s surreal. Walking to work in the morning, paychecks on Friday, paying rent on an apartment (yes, I’m even happy about that). One day I’m basking in the newness of my situation and it feels like I just left the south, and the next day I feel like (dare I say it?) a New Yorker. I have a niche, finally. There’s something comforting about 9-to-5, or in the publishing world 8:30-7…or 7:30…or 8. And there’s nothing like seeing your name on the masthead or putting your nameplate by your desk (and yes, dork that I am, I actually took pictures of my new work space). In my first week at the job, I was just worried about getting fired. Was I overly nervous? You bet. I’d forget to breathe, and go home with what felt like heartburn. No newbie wants to seem naïve or incompetent (Reminder: You’re allowed. You’re new.) Tougher skin comes with time. Working for three bosses ain’t always easy, peeps, so yeah I’ve made some kinda-big-but-mainly-stupid mistakes. The important thing is I’m learning.

What have I learned? Now, I’m no expert, but here’s my two cents, yo:

1) Go with your gut. People thought I was ridiculous for taking an internship a year after graduating (lots of posters on here, included), but I knew it would be the best experience for me because it was my favorite magazine. And even though the pay wasn’t huge, it did eventually pay off.

2) Stop the comparisons. It’s easy to compare yourself to the next whippersnapper coming through the ranks (whippersnapper being Ed’s favorite word, you know). Yes, they are your competition, but you’ll end up where you’re supposed to end up. It took me over a year, but in the end I feel like I got the job that’s best for me.

3) You’re not too old! Despite everyone thinking I had been out of college sooo long before getting a job, I’m still the youngest person in my office. Call me “the baby,” baby.

Good luck guys. See you in 2010.

XOXO
Ed’s Girl Numero Uno

Some of Ed's least favorite words

2006-08-17T16:13:00.000-04:00

Poultice.
Ew. How gross is that word? Poul-tice.
Even the way you have to purse your lips out to say it is gross. Like, Ed is picturing some loose-rubberband-lipped old dude with whispy, oily, yellow-gray hair and baggy gray polyester slacks saying it..."poul-tice."

Also most-hated:
• sinew
• gal (it's not gross, just stupid)
• blog
• moist

Yours?

XO,
Ed

Who's your daddy NOW?

2006-08-17T13:50:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to soon-to-be-NYC-mag-intern Jessica Girdwain, winner of the first-ever Ed's Trust Fund! Thanks to her passionate essay and application, Ed is now $1,000 poorer. Don't spend it all in one place, Jessica. (Unless it's rent!)

Thanks to everyone who applied—Ed hearts you and wishes you luck.

XO,
Ed

Ed's favorite burger may have pee-pee in it

2006-08-15T10:30:00.000-04:00

Shake Shack Fails Health Inspection, Scores 140
[From eater.curbed.com]

Oh well. As long as the Shack Sauce isn't anything other than mayo, ketchup and some pickles, Ed's still going to MAO.

XO, Ed

People get fired. Get over it.

2006-08-14T11:11:00.000-04:00

Seriously guys? Ed is going to bizznarf if the media bloggers write one more post about the layoffs at Maxim. The magazine got a new EIC—what did you THINK was going to happen? And it's not even like the fired few were bold-face names. One breaking-news post about it, interesting. Two, three, four? Re-konk-ulous.

(A fact-checking thing: One of the layoff-ees was a senior writer, not associate editor. Ed is so SMRT.)

XO,
Ed

Hey everybody, come see how good Ed looks!

2006-08-11T10:13:00.000-04:00

Old Navy: An underpaid magazine editor's drizzzzneam. Close your eyes and imagine Ed in this little number:

H-O-double-TT.
XO,
Ed

Ed's goin' to the Candy Shop

2006-08-10T10:36:00.000-04:00

What Ed's listening to now on his iTunes radio flow:
Smoothbeats "explicit nonstop beats 24 hours a day"
Sure, there are some dirty words—OK, kind of a lot of dirty words—but Ed needs fly beats ta' edit to, man.
XO,
Ed