Jobs in magazines, specifically women's
Discussion
Evening all - please find below a plea for help!
My girlfriend has been on internships for women's fashion/beauty publications for almost 6 months now. She has worked at 3 in total where she specialised in the hair/beauty sections, and before then she was on a sought-after, 3 month unpaid internship for a PR firm for fashion/beauty firms.
As these have all been unpaid, and any expenses are given to her late or not in full(!) so she is rapidly reaching the limit of her overdraft and the end of her savings
. It's upsetting for her to give up now, especially after she got so close and has dedicated almost 9 unpaid months of her life trying to get a career in beauty journalism. She was recently turned away from a paid position at a major women's monthly magazine where she was one of only 3 in the final interview stage.
Does anybody know anyone, anything, or anywhere so she would be able to keep her foot in the door? I would be very, very grateful. Certainly a pint in it for you!
My girlfriend has been on internships for women's fashion/beauty publications for almost 6 months now. She has worked at 3 in total where she specialised in the hair/beauty sections, and before then she was on a sought-after, 3 month unpaid internship for a PR firm for fashion/beauty firms.
As these have all been unpaid, and any expenses are given to her late or not in full(!) so she is rapidly reaching the limit of her overdraft and the end of her savings
. It's upsetting for her to give up now, especially after she got so close and has dedicated almost 9 unpaid months of her life trying to get a career in beauty journalism. She was recently turned away from a paid position at a major women's monthly magazine where she was one of only 3 in the final interview stage.Does anybody know anyone, anything, or anywhere so she would be able to keep her foot in the door? I would be very, very grateful. Certainly a pint in it for you!
With magazine sales at an all-time low (http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-the-10-year-view-uk-magazine-sales-hit-another-low/), she's certainly got her work cut out. This industry is struggling, does not pay well and it can be fickle as a career option. Her experiences to date would seem to validate this. I'm tempted to suggest that if she's failed to secure anything despite being on the inside, she may have to think about other options. What are her skill sets and key interests? That may allow scope to seek opportunities elsewhere.
rog007 said:
With magazine sales at an all-time low (http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-the-10-year-view-uk-magazine-sales-hit-another-low/), she's certainly got her work cut out. This industry is struggling, does not pay well and it can be fickle as a career option. Her experiences to date would seem to validate this. I'm tempted to suggest that if she's failed to secure anything despite being on the inside, she may have to think about other options. What are her skill sets and key interests? That may allow scope to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Evening and thanks for your response.These are all valid concerns that I agree with, but she is stubborn and determined - I suppose we cannot fault her for that. She (I) found somewhere quite local to her as a staff writer, its for an industry/trade body internal magazine based around health and well being, and she has an interview on Wednesday, so things are looking up. She sees this as a stepping stone to getting back in though.
Just discussed with her:
Key interests: journalism, future beauty trends, online journalism, making trends accessible, email newsletters, cosmetics, how cosmetics affect people
Key skill sets: written communications, writing regular features, managing the article writing process (inception -> research -> copy -> article), liaising with PRs, grammar (to Pistonheads standard), all the usual teamwork/organisation etc
Edited by W333 on Thursday 28th July 22:47
Great news about the interview; good luck to her. Other industries where her skills and interests may be transferrable include the charity sector; and I highlight one - http://www.changingfaces.org.uk; the health sector (NHS Communications Departments (see http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/cgi-bin/advsearch)); or go freelance/self employed/consultancy by setting up and having a web presence. Good luck again!
Very difficult to get into any writing job at a major mag, let alone a womans fashion etc, which are probably one of the hardest of all.
One option that has been done by a few I know (I've worked for two big publishing houses) is to start in sales and move over that way.
Another way would be to start off on a less desireable mag as staff writer or whatever and let your talent shine and move that way (this has worked for a freind of mine who has literally gone from the least cool mag to one of the most cool).
One option that has been done by a few I know (I've worked for two big publishing houses) is to start in sales and move over that way.
Another way would be to start off on a less desireable mag as staff writer or whatever and let your talent shine and move that way (this has worked for a freind of mine who has literally gone from the least cool mag to one of the most cool).
She could consider working overseas (if you can live with that). Quite a few of the big mags in Dubai (Grazia, Harper's Bazaar etc) have been hiring of late, and they tend to have more junior positions than senior. Keep an eye on http://www.itp.com.
PhillT said:
She could consider working overseas (if you can live with that). Quite a few of the big mags in Dubai (Grazia, Harper's Bazaar etc) have been hiring of late, and they tend to have more junior positions than senior. Keep an eye on http://www.itp.com.
Hi Phil, thanks for the tip. I am hoping to move to Dubai as well, but it would for a marketing role - do you have your ear to the ground about that kind of stuff as well?Just checked your profile and your job looks pretty sweet out there reviewing the cars. Nice one! Is it a good lifestyle?
W333 said:
Hi Phil, thanks for the tip. I am hoping to move to Dubai as well, but it would for a marketing role - do you have your ear to the ground about that kind of stuff as well?
Just checked your profile and your job looks pretty sweet out there reviewing the cars. Nice one! Is it a good lifestyle?
Sorry, marketing is not something I know much about, but again I think jobs come up fairly regularly. I've been out here for three years and I'm still here, so yeah, the lifestyle's not bad - sun, beaches and lots of interesting people that have taken a punt to come and try somewhere new. Oh, and tax-free salary.Just checked your profile and your job looks pretty sweet out there reviewing the cars. Nice one! Is it a good lifestyle?
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