HOW TO BE THE BEST INTERN
When people ask how to get work in the ‘magazine world‘ I always tell them to do an internship. This sounds as though I’ve been in the magazine business for a thousand years, which is not necessarily so, but in any case: go do an internship. There aren’t too many jobs up for grabs in this field, thus making an internship the perfect way to show industry people what you can do.
From the many trainees that we’ve had come in and out of this building, two are still working with us. They were just too good to let go. Just like many other areas of the workforce, an internship is your entry into the business so you’d want make a point of being the best intern they’ve ever seen. And this is how you do that.
Do everything you are asked
It sounds a bit harsh, but the bottom line is, don’t feel that you are too good for anything. You are sitting at the bottom of the food chain. Without a doubt in the beginning you will be asked to prepare the lunch table, pick up the phone, answer the door. I remember stories about an unsuccessful ELLE intern who had been there just before me. When asked to write a piece about lipstick she replied with: “I didn’t go tp college for that.” That is not how it works. By being flexible and open to all tasks you’ll see that your position in the team will quickly change. Before long bigger jobs will be assigned to you.
Show initiative and be pro-active
Put on the kettle, run a cloth over the counter, empty the trash, suggest to pick up lunch, ask if you can offer help – everything works. Don’t sit there slumped at your desk with headphones on. This type of indifferent attitude will not get you far. When your supervisor or other employees spend time to explain everything and you turn out to be a dead beat, then the fun is quickly gone.
be prepared to work outside of office hours
Don’t be the last to arrive and the first to leave. The nine to five work day is something of the past. Here at Amayzine we start at half past nine and basically work until half past five. But more often than not we are not out the door until well after six. Of course if you have the one off appointment and you need to leave on time, that shouldn’t be a problem. Just don’t make a habit of shutting your laptop and packing up your gear ten minutes before the end of the workday.
don’t shut yourself off
I don’t know how it works in other fields, but in the editing room there is a good chance that you’re entering a fairly close-knit group. I know that can be intimidating at first. But try as quickly as possible to get in amongst it and don’t become the shrinking violet in the corner that everyone forgets.
immerse yourself in the company
Our graphic design intern Vera made quite an impression on Josselin, our in house illustrator. Before starting her internship Vera already taught herself the ins and outs of WordPress. From day one at Amayzine she could hit the editing floor running. What I’m trying to say is; do your homework. An internship is to learn and you will never know everything in advance, but you can can always go that bit further to help get on top. Before beginning my internship at ELLE I spent a whole weekend reading old ELLE’s over and over again. I knew exactly what was written and above all, what their tone of voice was. It is no different at law firms, consultancy agencies or advertising agencies. Look into their cases, see who their customers are, what kind of projects are they doing, etc.
take notes
As an intern you are there to learn and you will hear a lot of things you didn’t already know. It is impossible to remember the deluge of information so take notes. By writing something down you’ll remember it better and, if in doubt, you can read back on it later.
ask questions
Once too often rather than once too few. There’s nothing more unpleasant when something goes wrong and you answer with “yeah, but I thought….”. If you are not sure, ask first. Correcting mistakes costs more time than avoiding mistakes. And the old cliché is true: there are no stupid questions.
