Your dream: to sit at the helm of a major magazine, making executive decisions and holding weekly editorial meetings in a swanky, modern office with a plush leather rolling chair. You must have the leather rolling chair.
Your reality: a slow climb from an internship to maybe a comfy and somewhat noteworthy spot as an associate or department editor. Still, you’ve scooched along at what seems like an elderly snail’s pace and have an unshakeable feeling that you’ve plateaued.
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Depending on the size of the publication and the stability of the market—which, let’s face it, has not been that kind to print publications in recent years—the magazine masthead is not the playground of overnight sensations. There are, however, key elements to ascending to the loftier titles at the top of the page. Develop a new strategy with these tips:
1. Just get in the damn door.
Paula T. Renfroe, editor-in-chief of entertainment mag Juicy, got her initial “in” as a part-time receptionist at Time Out New York. It wasn’t glamorous, she admits, but it gave her a chance to convince the then-music editor to let her write a review. She parlayed that into a regular string of assignments at The Source and XXL before landing her current position. She went from answering phones to calling the shots, but the point is she got in, and then worked her magic.
For Marie Claire executive editor Lea Goldman, starting in the PR department at Forbes, was a means to an end. “You really just need to cut your teeth getting some bylines and experience under your belt,” she advised. “I meet a lot of people who are fixated on wanting to work in magazines, which is great and wonderful and inspiring and God bless you and go ahead and make it happen. But you have to be willing to start somewhere.”
2. Use your networking skills (but, of course!)
There’s that dreaded N-word again. Networking can strike fear into the hearts of the hopelessly introverted, but the key is to take baby steps. Start with someone with a commonality and work that bad boy like it’s nobody’s business.
Julia Cosgrove, editor-in-chief of Afar, used her Barnard College alumni connections—a lot. “Build relationships with people who could be mentors or who you’re interested in working with. Most people, in my experience, are very willing to have a cup of coffee or a cocktail with you and tell you how they got to where they are,” she said.
Even networking within the office can lead to bigger and better opportunities down the road. “Once you get your foot in the door, definitely talk to people to get your name out there,” Renfroe said. She applied for a job at Vibe, which she didn’t get, but the mere process of applying put her name front-of-mind in the hip-hop journalism circuit. Then, a spot as an editorial assistant came up at The Source. “It took almost a year of interviews, but I got it,” she said with a chuckle.
3. Express interest in doing more.
Goldman’s only regret about her start in Forbes PR is that she didn’t speak up soon enough about her desire to be on the editorial side of the mag. “I was working there literally for 18-plus months before I started to have conversations with editors, who I dealt with on a regular basis, and say, ‘You know, I’m really interested in writing.’ I was very shy and nervous about asserting myself in an office where I was a very lowly junior staffer,” she admitted.
Eventually, she got the chutzpah to ask for an assignment, but she learned, “you have to make your intentions clear—especially women. ‘This is what I’m interested in. I’d love to do that if ever an opportunity comes along. What do you need done? I’m happy to do it.’ It’s only by saying so that you’re ever going to get those shots,” she explained. “And do it because the last thing you want to do is spend your time stewing over the person who did and got it.”
Renfroe advised using your journalistic instinct to explore other avenues at the magazine and make yourself indispensable. “Just because you’re not in the art department doesn’t mean you can’t get your InDesign on. Just because you’re in print doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know how to post [online]. Just because you post doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know how to write copy for print,” she said. “Don’t limit yourself to your job title. Be naturally inquisitive and not just in your department… The more you can do, the more job opportunities there are.”
4. Dazzle higher-ups with your versatility.
Back in the day, all you needed was a way with words. The key now, says Goldman, is to bring a broad set of capabilities to the table, or at least the capacity to learn. “The things I do now do not bear any resemblance to the things I was doing when I was just starting out. Admittedly, I do less writing now than I was doing then, but the marketplace has changed so much that editors have to do other things,” she said, adding that magazines can’t afford to have staffers who are one-trick ponies.
Every day is on-the-job training for Goldman, who didn’t go to J-school or take any workshops to learn how to create content for the iPad, for example. She hit the ground running. “I am a big believer in just getting out there and doing. It’s thinking, ‘Oh, instead of an article, maybe we should do an interactive graphic or maybe a video would be great here.’ You really have to be willing to do more than just write and edit. If that’s all you’re interested in,” she added, “you’re probably in the wrong business.”
5. Go for it, but pace yourself.
Everybody (especially every boss) loves a go-getter but, on the flip side, take the time to really develop your skills. “There’s a fine balance between being enthusiastic and overeager. I think if you sort of operate in a how-can-I-help-out manner, editors will always find work for you,” Cosgrove offered. “I also think when you want to make those moves up the ladder, you have to ask yourself, ‘Do I have to go somewhere else to do that? Have I gotten to the top here?'” Just make sure you’ve learned as much as you can where you are before you jet set to the next big gig, she said.
More than anything, said Ericka Boston, consistency is key. She learned firsthand in her ascension from intern website writer to senior editor of Sister 2 Sister. Within a few months, she was promoted to editorial assistant and, six months after that, assistant editor. She admits that kind of rise isn’t typical at larger publications, but she brought a passion for excellence to everything she did.
“If you’re doing your work well part of the time, that’s not going to get you anywhere. If your manager is giving you things that he or she wants you to work on, and you’re only taking that advice some of the time, or doing well for a couple of months, and then falling back into bad habits, that’s not going to get you promoted,” she advised.
Renfroe said she looks at a staffer’s work ethic and knowledge of internal operations when deciding promotions.”Don’t get an attitude and be in such a rush to go up the masthead. Make sure you’ve mastered what your title is. Don’t leap ahead and say ‘I’ve had enough of being an editorial assistant,'” she suggested
6. Sign up for the un-spectacular.
You know those grunt assignments that nobody else wants? Take ’em. They’re like little learning boot camps, claimed Goldman, who found unique value in a notoriously tedious task.
“When I started out, transcripts and fact checking were the most useful things I did because they taught me how to put together a story,” she remembered. “I often just copied the source with the head of an organization and add that name and number to my Rolodex like, ‘OK, that’s a source. Now, I know if I’m ever working on a story like this, I can call that person.’ So they’re very useful and they shouldn’t be dismissed as just scut work.”
7. Make the brand the bigger picture.
Finally, don’t be so focused on your own success that you lose sight of the company’s bottom line. Remember, you work for the magazine, not the other way around. “If you can grasp how each article gets the company closer to meeting goals, that’s a prized asset and that’ll help you get promoted,” Boston explained. “So, develop an understanding of what actually makes money for your company.”
Janelle Harris is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. She documents her editorial adventures at www.thewriteordiechick.com.
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