Interview with Miranda Max
English Program

English Career Guide

 

Name: Miranda Max Degree: B.A. in English with a minor in Sociology (Roosevelt University, pending Spring 2008) Employer: Screen Magazine Position: Intern Long-term career plans: Working with a small print publishers Interview date: Fall 2007

 

 

How did you go about applying for this position?  Do you think that your background in English helped you get selected?

I actually went to my academic advisor here at Roosevelt where I was told about online resources that would help in searching for internships.  I went through e-recruiting here at Roosevelt, so I essentially found the internship online.  Screen Magazine had put up an ad looking for interns with a list of majors, so my English background had a lot to do with getting the internship.  English students know how to write academically and correctly, but my creative writing background also helped; the position is almost journalistic, so creative writing was a big help in getting the internship.

What is a typical day like in your internship?

My typical day is pretty laid-back.  I’m doing phone interviews on a regular basis.  Once my editor has given me a run-through of my assignment, I call people to get information on what I am going to be writing about and research their company.  I set up dates for interviews, transcribe the notes, and write articles based on that information.  I never have a deadline over a week to my articles, which are about 500 words.  I also do a lot of office work like organizing databases and editing.

Screen Magazine is who I work for and they are a small print magazine here in Chicago that deals only with advertising and film industries in the Midwest.  I talk with producers, writers, and directors involved in commercials or print-ad campaigns.  I write basic articles about the production and postproduction of these commercials and ads.  I pretty much write the same article every time: here’s how they made this commercial, here’s what the commercial did, and here’s what they’re going to do later.

Would you suggest that other English students apply for internship like yours?

Yes, I would totally suggest that other students apply for internships.  I love that I’m writing articles.  I’m creating a portfolio that is quite large since I’m writing an article every week.  Any English major that wants to go into publishing or writing should get an internship like mine.  I’m learning a lot about editing and I’m learning how a magazine is put together.  Why would I learn the proper way to write papers if I’m not going to someday use that to my advantage?

How has your studies in English helped you during your internship?

I’m writing in a very journalistic way, but I’ve never had experience in that before now.  I’m used to writing twelve page research papers with elaborate sentences where I assume my reader knows exactly what I’m talking about.  I’m also used to writing creatively, where there are no rules or limits.  My internship meets somewhere in the middle.

Do you have any advice for students interested in getting an internship like yours?

I would recommend taking an internship when your semester isn’t really busy.  This semester, however, has been my busiest.  Having the internship outside of school takes away from what you can do for school.  But what’s great about my internship is that I don’t really need to do much work outside of the internship; once I’m done, I’m done.  What I do there is it.  There’s no research outside.  Just make sure you have time, make sure you have energy, and don’t settle for something you don’t really want. 

How do you think your experience at this position is going to help you pursue your long-term career plans?

Before my internship, I only really had experience in writing, but now I’m learning a lot about online magazines, which is a growing market.  My future employers may like to see that I have a lot of experience writing about something that interests me and I’ve done pretty well at a demanding internship.  I also think that having good communication skills, as in conducting interviews, will be really helpful.  Employers like someone who is able to communicate.  Since I don’t want to teach, it will be helpful to know a lot about the publishing industry.