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“Remember, no task is too small”
Words Danielle Wilkins
Thinking of a career in journalism? Work hard, persevere and stay hungry for it, says Danielle Wilkins, former Wedding Ideas editor.
Working in editorial is both challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Take it from me, as someone who’s spent the last 14 years grafting in magazine publishing, dipping my toe in almost every role (editorial assistant, sub-editor, features writer, editor – you name it, I’ve probably been it). It’s a lot of hard work, of course, and potentially unsociable hours, but I’d always encourage anyone who has a passion for words, for delivering news, for devouring stories and meeting people you’ll forever be in awe of, to pursue it.
But it’s tough out there, right? Editorial is a hugely competitive industry and jobs are in high demand. Aged 18, I recall weighing up the option of going to university (the path all my friends were taking, naturally) to get a journalism degree or doing an NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) course. Knowing how valued the latter was in the industry – and not being able to afford to do both – I swapped Kent for Essex and signed up for a year at Harlow College.
I did three months of unpaid work before landing a full-time role at the local magazine I was interning with. And I realise how lucky I was to get that in such a short space of time. But living away from home was tough. I’d make ends meet with a part-time retail job but it wasn’t enough and my only option was to succeed. When I was offered an editorial assistant role, I grabbed it with both hands, willingly taking on everything that was asked of me without question. The commute was long (a train, two buses and a 20-minute walk) and I often felt out of my depth, but I loved it. And, as I eventually found out, hard work pays off.
Find your niche
Anita Bhagwandas is an award-winning beauty journalist and broadcaster who has written for the likes of Glamour, Stylist and Marie Claire. She has her first book, UGLY, coming out in 2022. “I started writing when I was 15 but didn’t realise I wanted to be a beauty journalist until much later,” she says. “I started in music journalism, writing for local titles and doing lots of work experience. I felt like I had to prove I was really good at it because I came from a family of doctors and that was my expected path.”
It wasn’t until she moved to London that Anita started interning on women’s mags, eventually landing her first paid in-house role as an editorial assistant and then as a beauty assistant at Stylist. “Beauty roles in magazines weren’t really advertised back then, so while I knew it was something I wanted to do, I didn’t know jobs like that actually existed. Making the side step to Stylist was incredible because it was so revolutionary at the time.”
Broaden your knowledge
Finding your niche is important but broadening your knowledge of other areas is, too. “You can tell [from their writing] when someone is only interested in one thing – but that’s not real life,” adds Anita. Read anything you can get your hands on. It makes for more well-rounded copy when writers know stuff outside of their specialist subject.
Sell yourself…
Start a website, a blog, have an Instagram account… even if nobody’s reading it, it’s a window into your creative mind and potential employers will more than likely check it out before they hire you.
… And celebrate your difference
“I spent quite a lot of time trying to fit in, which was hard. If I could go back in time I’d tell myself to just celebrate my difference. It’s a virtue to have different interests and be able to write about different things,” says Anita.
Get your foot in the door
Work experience is probably the most important thing. It also gives you a chance to make contacts. There are sites, like Gorkana, that post new jobs daily. But for work experience, your best bet is to send a concise cover letter and CV to the editorial assistant. Your ability to hunt down a contact will show journalistic skill. Talk about where your skills lie in the context of that job. Show passion. Show them that you understand their brand. Tell them why you want to work there and what you could bring to the table.
Felicia Pennant is the features editor at Matches Fashion and founding editor-in-chief of football and fashion title, Season Zine. As well as studying Fashion History and Theory at Central Saint Martins and completing an NCTJ around her job, she went through various internships to help her figure out where she wanted to be in the fashion industry: “I thought I wanted to be a buyer, I thought I wanted to be a stylist, then I chose to write. One of the things I love most is the variation – so when I’m not writing or editing at Matches I get to do other things with Season like creative direction, strategy and leading a team.”
Practice makes perfect
Be prepared to work hard. And remember, no task is too small. “Even the most seasoned journalist will have their work edited,” says Felicia. “Be open to constructive criticism. Keep learning, keep moving. That also feeds into figuring out what your niche is. Find writers you admire and look at how they structure their pieces.”
There will be bumps in the road. Cue spring 2020 (oh, hi pandemic), the magazine I was editing closed and I found myself made redundant. It hit me hard – even harder when the job rejections started to pour in. I’d always considered going freelance but the constant hustle seemed like a huge hurdle and I wasn’t sure I had it in me. It’s now been a year since I started working from my kitchen table and I may have finally found my feet. “On the flipside, sometimes a ‘no’ is a blessing in disguise,” adds Felicia. “Maybe it’s not the right project for you, maybe it doesn’t align with your values or the time frame doesn’t work. Maybe it doesn’t even mean ‘no’ – it just means ‘you haven’t convinced me yet.’