Welcome to the ultimate hub for expert advice to help you get your big break (+ move up the ladder). This time, I’ve remembered to swipe on some lip gloss because I’m on The Bottom Rung with…
ELEANOR PENDLETON, 25 – award-winning beauty journalist, founder and editor of Gritty Pretty and member of Witchery’s 2014 ‘The Style Collective’
Climbing the ladder
Then: Eleanor spent six months interning with Zoe Foster, ex-Cosmopolitan beauty director (now author and married to Hamish Blake), before being offered a fulltime role of editorial coordinator and beauty writer with Cosmopolitan brand extensions at the age of 19. She’s also notched up fulltime positions with the likes of FAMOUS and InStyle, and was the SHOP Til You Drop Beauty Ambassador in 2013.
Now: Since throwing herself headfirst into freelance, what doesn’t Eleanor do? She currently works as a beauty journalist, and is the founder and editor of Gritty Pretty, as well as part of Witchery’s 2014 ‘The Style Collective’.
“Enjoy every minute – even the boring bits”
By nature, I’m a pretty positive person. While every job has it’s pros and cons, I don’t look at the ‘worst’ parts of an internship as bad. I look at them as character building.
As editorial coordinator and beauty writer, my role wasn’t just playing with makeup and attending fancy product launches. My other responsibilities included being the editor’s PA and essentially, the magazines’ receptionist. I took reader phone calls and completed menial tasks such as filing freelancer invoices, processing petty cash and grabbing coffees for colleagues. Looking back, I don’t think of those things as the worst parts of my first job. The truth is, I had and still have the job a million girls would kill for so I enjoyed every aspect – even the boring bits.
As a graduate in any field, it’s imperative to start from the bottom rung of the ladder and work your way up. It’s what we learn throughout those early years of our career that shapes who we become as editors and/or senior members of staff.
“Mentors are essential in this business”
Spending my interning days with Zoe Foster Blake was a blast. She is a genius, a beauty writing wizard and a bloody good author. I owe a lot to her because if it weren’t for Zoe, I’d probably be court reporting for newspapers (something I’m no where at least passionate about). She was the best mentor I could’ve asked for.
FAMOUS’ publisher Gereurd Roberts has also played an influential role throughout my career. I first met with Gereurd over two interviews for the beauty editor role at FAMOUS. After the second and final interview, I got as far as Pacific Magazines’ foyer before he called me and made me the youngest beauty editor in Australia at the age of 20. While I like to joke and tell him he’s nuts, I do believe he saw something in me that I didn’t. His faith and trust in my abilities has been the backbone of my professional confidence ever since.
Also, InStyle’s Kirsten Galliott is another editor I admire. I didn’t get a chance to work with Kirsten for as long as I would’ve liked but she has a clear vision and a ‘no bullshit’ kind of attitude – something I respect in a position of her senior level.
“Approach work experience as just that – an experience”
It still surprises me how many work experience students waltz through a magazine’s doors expecting to be styling photo shoots, interviewing celebrities or writing 1000-word articles from day one. Students should approach work experience as just that: an experience. Consider it a way to watch how a magazine operates – from conceptualising ideas to sending pages to print. And, above all, use it as a way to network. I’ll never forget when I was 17 and I brought Sarah Wilson (previous editor of Cosmopolitan) her coffee one morning. When she thanked me by my name, I almost fell over. By putting your head down, working hard and going above and beyond to complete given tasks quickly and efficiently, trust me, you will stand out. Those workies are always the first to be noticed.
“Working in the media isn’t easy, but it’s worth it”
Nowadays, I see a lot of students give up after a few months of interning and I do feel sad when that happens. It’s not as glamorous as it seems and I think some come to realise just how much hard work is involved in putting a magazine together. This isn’t a 9-5 industry! I’ve already had such an incredibly rewarding career and can only wish others feel the same satisfaction with their work that I do. For me, my job never feels like ‘work’. Although, I didn’t know a single person in publishing when I broke into the industry and nothing has ever been handed to me on a silver platter, I did and I continue to work very hard. Still, I try to take the time to appreciate that every day – even the stressful 16-hour deadline days – are a blessing. I can assure you that the world of media can offer an incredibly rewarding career. Nothing beats the buzz you get when seeing your name on the masthead of one of your favourite magazines. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“So the perks can be pretty incredible…”
You mean like flying in a seaplane to Jonah’s in Palm Beach for a lunch presentation of a new skincare range; or getting up at 5am to go hot air ballooning to celebrate a new moisturiser that ‘lifts’ the skin; or perhaps swimming with dolphins at Seaworld in light of a new SPF 30 sunscreen? That’s not outrageous, right?
Thanks again to Eleanor for sharing her advice (and amazing insights). If you’d love to find out more, then visit Gritty Pretty, say hello on Twitter or Facebook, or check out her Instagram (@eleanorpendleton).
<The Bottom Rung series is inspired by the release of my novel THE INTERN (HarperCollins, out now) and my desire to ‘pay it forward’ with career advice and tips on climbing the ladder. Click here for more about THE INTERN and say hello at facebook.com/hellogabrielletozer and twitter.com/gabrielletozer – distractions welcome.>
