Working in the magazine industry is easier said than done: it's competitive, jobs are in high-demand and it's hard to know how to get your foot in the door.
Which is where the advice of Cosmopolitan UK employees comes in. From the editor to the intern, the art department to the social media manager: here's how Team Cosmo landed their jobs at the publication. And for more info on how you can write for Cosmopolitan or contribute in other ways, head here.
Claire Hodgson, Editor-in-Chief
“I did a year of unpaid interning before I got my first full-time journalism job. I wasn’t from London, so I made ends meet by working at a pub on evenings and weekends, and doing weekly food shops for under £30. After every work experience, I always stayed in touch with the people I had met, even when it felt cringe - this industry is a small world and you never know who knows who. Contacts I made on work experience at Cosmopolitan led me to my first full-time job at a men’s magazine, which led me to an online job at a newspaper, which together gave me the experience to land my previous role as Senior Digital Writer here, where I've worked my way up. And now I get to work with the talented megastars featured on this page every day.
“Trawl sites like Cision, as well as the in-house websites and social channels that companies like Hearst use to advertise vacancies. But for work experience, your best shot will be emailing your one-side-of-A4 CV and a short, snappy cover letter to that brand’s Editorial Assistant or Deputy Editor. Your ability to hunt down a contact shows a key journalistic skill, as does the ability to write in a concise and engaging way in your cover letter.
“Everyone has dreams about one day being Carrie Bradshaw and having your own column and book deal, but the early days of your career aren’t about that – it’s about the brand you want to work for. When you talk about your talents, it should only be in the context of how you can apply them to that job and brand. Talk about why you want to be there, what you can do to make the brand better, what you love about the brand and what you think you could help improve. And when you get there, make yourself indispensable and do everything with a smile on your face.”
Catriona Innes, Commissioning Director
“I wouldn’t have my career if it wasn’t for perseverance. When I first started out, about ten years ago, I lived in a flat with a hole in the ceiling (so the rent was cheaper) and spent hours on buses to get to my unpaid internships. I applied for every single junior writer job going, refining my application so it was specific for the brand I applied for. But jobs were so scarce and I was constantly rejected. Whenever I received those dreaded emails I’d simply apply for something new, or write to an editor offering freelance writing. I just kept plugging away.
“Eventually I got a job on a trade magazine (a magazine that goes out to business owners) and then one on a customer magazine (a magazine produced by a company.) When I applied for jobs in consumer magazines, like Cosmopolitan, I was told my experience wasn’t right. But I knew that’s where I belonged, so when an old friend offered me one week’s freelance work on a women’s weekly, I quit my job to go do it. I had no savings so it was a bit of a crazy move looking back!
“I worked so hard on that first week, and they continued to book me – on a month by month basis – for about a year before offering me a full-time role. It was so fast-paced but I never allowed the stress of the job to effect the quality of the work I filed. I then applied for the job of Senior Editor at Cosmopolitan – but it was a strong recommendation from my colleagues that meant my application was considered as others had more relevant experience.
“I set high standards for myself, and now I’m Commissioning Director, I expect the same – from the team and from freelancers pitching to me. I love commissioning new writers and think that a strong pitch (that shows you really understand the brand) is so much more important than someone with lots of experience.”
Jennifer Savin, Features Editor
“I began my career at Cosmopolitan almost a decade ago (!) after scoring a year-long internship on the features desk – and loved it so much, I never left. Now, my job involves everything from commissioning and editing other journalists, writing my own reports or op-eds, covering breaking news, campaigning on issues important to young women, going undercover for long read investigations, and interviewing celebs or people with incredible real life stories.
“I started out by doing work experience at smaller, local publications and then worked my way up to the glossies (I managed to get my first placement at Closer magazine after attending a panel event and giving their editorial assistant my CV afterwards, saying 'If there's ever an opportunity for work experience, please think of me!').
“My best advice for anybody looking to get into journalism would be to attend as many networking events as possible, work hard to make job applications stand out, and when you do get your foot in the door and land an amazing placement, leave your attitude at home. You'll be starting from the ground up, so be prepared to have to nail smaller tasks (like admin or research) before you're entrusted to write something. You need to perfect the way you walk before you start running. I'd also encourage anyone to pitch an idea as a freelancer in order to build their portfolio up – as an editor, I want to hear what's big in your world. What's making you tick right now? What unique perspective can you bring to our magazine or website, that we can't cover or haven't heard of ourselves?”
Dusty Baxter-Wright, Entertainment & Lifestyle Director
“Landing yourself a journalism job comes with good manners, hard work and knowing how to string a (vaguely) funny sentence together once in a while. Oh, and lots of experience.
“I did a month of work experience on the features desk of Cosmopolitan before going back to school for a year, when I hounded the HR department and everyone I'd met at the time for references, job vacancies or freelance work. When I finished school, I chose a year-long internship at teen website Sugarscape (RIP) over university, before a Digital Writer position across Cosmo and Sugarscape was created 12 months later.
“There is no alternative for hard work. In the words of Rihanna, work work work work work. Put in the hours, know that no task is too small, and be willing to give up evenings, weekends, mornings - whenever you can to show your commitment to the brand. In an industry like this, where social media and contacts are key, there's no such thing as leaving your work in the office - it's a 24/7 hour thing you have to immerse yourself in.”
Keeks Reid, Contributing Beauty Director
“I got my job in media by sheer determination and persistence. For me, writing was the only career option, so I looked into work experience as soon as I started secondary school. I knew nobody in the industry, but persistently emailed, phoned and wrote to Sugar magazine (RIP) asking if they'd accept me for my Year 10 work experience placement, and they eventually did. As well as making tea and unpacking post, I got a real taste for the industry by compiling voxpops and covering a shop launch, and knew I wanted no other job.
“While at university, I used the same 'wear them down' technique to land an internship at Notebook, the Sunday Mirror supplement. I worked so hard on every task, offered up my ideas, and said yes to everything - even to faxing something for the editor when I had never touched a fax machine in my life.
“By the time I graduated, I was in the position to get an assistant job. When you’re starting out, it can seem like you’re competing with everybody for the same position, but you have to be confident. Discover your unique selling point and go the extra mile to show people just how indispensable you are!”
Maddy Alford, Fashion Editor
“My first step into the industry (after working on my uni’s newspaper) was a fashion magazine internship in New York. I couldn’t believe how hectic it was. I learned to write everything down so I didn’t forget and waste people’s time, and also to volunteer for the tasks no one wants to do. In the beginning, it’s not about piping up and offering your own creative direction - you’ll stand out better by showing a stellar work ethic, not by having lots of loud opinions.
“After a stint in marketing and PR, I moved to London and interned at ELLE. I befriended the cupboard manager after offering to do an urgent errand after hours when none of the other interns wanted to. Moments like that are your time to shine as an intern. Derek Blasberg said it best - to stand out in fashion, you should be ‘happy to be there and easy to work with.’ After a few fashion cupboard internships, I got a full-time maternity cover job at The Outnet, which was an amazing introduction to e-commerce fashion.
“It’s true what they say about keeping your contacts. I eventually landed the Fashion Assistant role at Cosmopolitan after working with Amy Bannerman (Cosmopolitan’s former Fashion Director) while she was Fashion Editor at InStyle and I was a cupboard intern. When she started here, I mailed her a congratulatory card, telling her I’d love to work with her and to please keep me in mind should anything arise. Six months later, I was invited to apply for the Fashion Assistant role at Cosmopolitan.
“I’ve now spent 6 years in my dream job here, and it’s been rewarding and challenging in equal measures. I’ve certainly made mistakes over the years – there was a steep learning curve at the beginning especially. But if you can accept constructive feedback with open-mindedness and maturity, people will appreciate that. That’s true for any job – there is always more to learn.”
Alexandria Dale, Fashion Writer
“I have always known I wanted to work in fashion, so started my mission to becoming a fashion journalist early. I joined school newspapers, wrote a blog in my free time and devoured fashion magazines. I spent summers during my university years interning anywhere that would take me – with a stint at Company Magazine (RIP) in the fashion cupboard a real highlight.
“Despite the announcement the publication was closing during my time there, it didn’t deter me from pursuing a career in magazines. This is an extremely tough industry to get into and there’s not always a lot of job security, but for me, there was no other option – this had always been my dream.
“After graduating from uni, I secured an unpaid internship via Fashion Workie. It was only supposed to be for a week, but I worked hard, said yes to every task and did it with a smile on my face, so when I asked if I could stay on longer, they said yes. After a month there, I asked everyone I’d been working with if they could recommend me for any other vacancies they knew of, which is how I managed to get a further nine months of unpaid internships before one finally turned into a paid Fashion Assistant full-time role at a newspaper.
“As well as job websites and LinkedIn, follow writers and editors you’d like to work with on social media. I made the move to consumer magazines after someone posted on their Instagram story that they were looking for freelance writers (a common way of advertising work) and I quickly slid into their DMs. After building up a portfolio of work and writing experience across multiple platforms, I landed my job as Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan – the ultimate dream role!”
Lia Mappoura, Beauty Assistant
“As someone who has known she’s wanted to be a journalist since her pre-teens, I started off this process by studying Publishing and English at University. Qualifications aren’t essential but what they can do is teach how to thoroughly research and write. During my third year, I decided to do a ‘workplace placement’ to gain as much experience in the industry as I could but it wasn’t a conventional process. While many of my peers were finalising their contracts, I was still emailing editors from every magazine I could think of, asking (read: begging) for work experience.
“I managed to secure nine months of work over a number of internships (before Covid happened), jumping from publication to publication shadowing the teams with call-ins, administrative work and if I was lucky, the odd writing task. Unfortunately, all were unpaid and I did have to work weekends at M&S to survive but those are the lengths people go to in the magazine world.
“I shortly returned back to university, finished my final year and before graduating, applied to every editorial assistant job going. The pandemic changed the way we work indefinitely and therefore, openings were scarce but after months of soul-crushing rejections, I secured a six-month role at Cosmo. This role was only temporary, however, I like to think that I made the best impression I could have as a permanent role was created soon after. And here I still am years on!
“Making myself indispensable to the brand was essential and to others starting out their journalism journey, I recommend saying yes to every opportunity. Every task that is asked of you is never one too big or small; offer your assistance whenever and wherever you can; and go above and beyond with effort in all that you do.”
