Here are interview tips taken from Poynter. I think the best way to interviewing ppl is took back to its journalism basic, other ways are personal style.
Interviews not only provide a reporter with essential information, they also add life and voice to a story. In interviews you can gather information, pick up quotes, and set scenes -- the basics you need to write a story.
Here are some tips for more effective interviews:
1. Allow yourself extra time to get to your interview. Traffic, parking problems, getting lost -- anything can make you late. Better to be a few minutes early or have some time to kill than showing up an hour late.
2. Dress to fit the occasion. Try to blend in with your surroundings, because asking questions and taking notes will make you stand out more than enough. If you're going to interview a businessman or someone in their home, wear a suit or other suitable clothes. If you're interviewing someone who rustles cattle, wear jeans. Always wear comfortable shoes. You never know when you're going to need to run or spend a long time on your feet.
3. Treat an interview like a conversation, only with more structure. Prepare a list of questions in advance, but don't be wedded to it. If a source says something controversial, don't follow up by asking where she bought her car.
4. Plan an order to your questions. Don't lead off with: "Well, why DID you embezzle all that money?" Ask more innocuous questions before you go for the hard stuff.
5. Set ground rules before you start to talk. Tell people you're taping if you are -- and get a verbal OK on tape. That consent will help protect you if you're ever accuses of taping someone on the sly.
Pull out your notebook after you get in to the place you'll be interviewing; make some small talk. Make your subject comfortable. Show people you're interested in their stories, not just their juiciest quotes.
Take notes or, better still, tape record. If you do tape, take backup notes of key points to be safe. Always test your recorder -- does the tape work? are the batteries fresh? -- before you start. Going in prepared makes you look even more capable and competent.
While you're taking notes, if the person is talking too fast, say something like, "Could you repeat that, please? I want to make sure I get all of that down."
An organizational tip: Label and date notes and tapes for easy reference. Nothing is more frustrating than playing eight unlabeled tapes or flipping through a stack of old notebooks on deadline, looking for an interview.
6. Ask some questions that can be only answered with a story. When you're an outsider to a place or situation, having people tell their stories is the quickest way to let them know you're interested in them and their lives. Telling stories is primal, and allowing someone to do it creates a feeling of trust.
7. Look for scenes. Whenever you can, interview a person in a place where something is going to happen, where they are doing things. You may witness scenes that will add life and drama to your story.
8. Know when to shut up. Listen carefully enough so that you know when to let your source pause to collect his or her thoughts. Don't feel the need to fill every empty space with conversation.
9. When it comes to person-on-the-street interviews, be brief and friendly, yet businesslike. Don't walk up to people with a "sorry to bother you" attitude. You're a professional so you should act the part. It goes like this:
-- Approach someone. Identify yourself and explain what you're doing.
-- Request permission to ask a few questions.
-- Ask for the person's name and where they're from.
-- Again, be brief and look for follow-up possibilities.
-- Save tougher questions for near the end of the interview.
-- Verify names -- especially spellings. Thank the person -- remember that anyone who consents to an interview is doing you a favor, whether they are getting anything out of it or not.
-- If they story is being published, let the person know where and what your name is again.
-- No matter how rude someone is to you, be polite. Be businesslike. Remind the person you've approached why you're there and, if you can, repeat your question. If the situation doesn't improve, walk away. And don't take it personally.
10. Act as if you know what you're doing, and people will generally give you the benefit of the doubt. This is not, however, the same thing as pretending you know everything. Don't be afraid to say you don't understand something or need more explanation. Ask people, "So what you're saying is ..." or "So let me get this straight."
11. Be willing at all times to be surprised. Don't head into an interview thinking you know what the story is about. Don't let your own feelings or biases shape the questions you ask or the story you write.
And this one is from fashionNet (sorry if already posted).
---
How to become a fashion editor
Live and breathe fashion? Looking to join the sorority of stylists and fashion editors? Pat Steele gives you an insider's view of what to expect.
Invitations to the best fashion shows and parties, discounted designer clothing, champagne on tap... A fashion editor's life may sound heavenly, but the journey to front-row Nirvana is no easy 8-Path Guide to Entitlement.
Unfortunately for tear-sheet-deprived aspirants, the journey is fast-tracked for those with a very different portfolio: a good number of the cliquish coven of Blahnik-wearing fashion editors owe their jobs to the old-girls' network. In Manhattan fashion publishing at least, the right private school and a debutante's pedigree are never out of style. However, don't be discouraged if your blood doesn't run to various shades of blue and your ambitions are larger than your bank account: sheer determination, originality, a steely stomach and drop-dead style are also required to make it as a fashion editor. Though no meritocracy, in fashion as in life, talent always wins.
I love your work – What do you do again?
There are two distinct jobs in the fashion editing game. In-house fashion editors and stylists, like Harper's Bazaar's Melanie Ward, are usually the inspiration for the theme or narrative – "couture denim," "vive le rock star!" etc. – which runs through every fashion story. Like many of her styling sisters, Ward is also a hired gun for designers and photographers. In addition to conceiving shoots for Bazaar, Ward moonlights as a freelance stylist and as Helmut Lang's muse, helping the designer edit his collection and advertising images.
Meanwhile, market editors' responsibilities include having an expert knowledge of their beat. This entails traveling to designated cities, cultivating relationships with showrooms, choosing the right clothes for the story and making arrangements for the delivery and return of garments. Both positions are highly sought after and come with glorious perks, but in most cases the stylist's job is more creative and prestigious. It's no surprise then that a lot of market editors would like to be stylists. In any case, everyone starts out as an assistant, or at a less-than-divine publication. Even Anna Wintour cut her teeth at House & Garden.
The importance of interning
"There's nothing more important than to intern at a magazine during college," says Ruth Basloe, the 25-year-old fashion editor at Cosmopolitan. While a senior at Barnard College in New York, Basloe secured an internship at Harper's Bazaar. "It was in the features department, but I didn't care, I just wanted to be there." Her internship led to a job as an assistant at Redbook, and after a year she went back to Harper's Bazaar as a market editor.
Cosmogirl editor-in-chief Atoosa Rubenstein started as a Sassy intern. Rubenstein was notorious for her enthusiasm, even over the most menial tasks. "To me, that job was like saving lives," she says. "I did it with a real vengeance."
Another seasoned fashion editor at Hearst goes as far as to say that everyone she knows in the business has interned. "You're not going to get a job if you don't intern," she says flatly. "When we're hiring for assistants, we want someone who's already had magazine experience, and the best way to do it is while you're at college." If you're not lucky enough to attend a New York City school (many of Manhattan fashion editors have degrees from Barnard, Columbia and NYU), a summer internship is a good option.
Publishing powerhouses Conde Nast and Hearst receive thousands of resumes a year, and getting into one of their publications is the style equivalent to an acceptance letter from Harvard. Many are called, but only a few of the fashion-mad are chosen.
It's not all about who you know. Some editors do hire candidates based intelligence and passion. "When I'm hiring assistants and interns," a fashion director says, "I always look for a high aptitude as well as a real energy for the clothes. I mean, the job is not that exciting. I want someone who'll swoon when the Versace gowns come in, because that's what makes it worth it."
Persistence is key. If you don't know anyone at a magazine to send your resume to, go through the mastheads of your target titles and mail away. "I sent my resume everywhere," recalls Basloe. "Someone called and said they didn't have an opening, but they knew someone who did at another magazine. And because my resume looked good, they wanted to recommend me for the position." If your cold-calling doesn't yield results, you can always make your name and fatten your portfolio in the indie-mag frontier. Avant-garde magazines, with smaller budgets and an alternative viewpoint, can be stepping-stones to corporate behemoths. Surface, Arude, Flaunt and Visonaire, are more prepared take on the responsibility of testing out lesser-known talents. Be prepared to work for free, but amassing a great clip file from the 'underground' is a great way to launch into the mainstream. Camilla Nickerson, Vogue's senior fashion editor, made her career by styling eccentric, in-your-face shoots for British magazines like The Face. An early peddler of heroin chic, Nickerson was soon snapped up by Vogue's Anna Wintour to work on the other side of the Atlantic.
Dressing for your interview
There's no occupation more sartorially demanding than fashion editor, so dressing the part in your interview is essential. Still, when you're starting out, it's hard to make an impression. However, all the editors interviewed for this story agree: wear something respectfully professional, but still stylish. "No suits!" a fashion director commands. "Knee length skirt, bare legs, heels. Strappy sandals are OK. But don't wear jeans–unless they're Chloe."
Basloe, who is routinely photographed by the fashion paparazzi and has been pictured numerous times in the "Street Style" section of the New York Times and the fashion pages of the New York Post, still remembers her first interview outfit. "I had a sleeveless black turtleneck, a periwinkle knee-length skirt, and those Sabrina heels – the ones when they first came out. I was a senior in college and I didn't have too much money to shop, so the shirt was from the Gap, the skirt I got at Filene's, and the shoes were from Zara. And I still think it's a great outfit!"
"Basically, you're styling yourself," she says. "When people see you at appointments and at shows looking good, they'll want you. Your value rises. Let's face it, this is a looks-oriented industry." Helen Gurley Brown remembers that when Atoosa Rubenstein was an assistant, "People would ask me, Who is that girl? She was so striking."
Once you're in, keeping up the look is important. "I like to make sure every thing is right. I dress somewhat thematically," another much-photographed editor says. "I like to make sure I have the right jewelry on, the right shoes. If I'm working a look and I'll remember that I have another pair of shoes that might have worked better, I'll spend the whole day berating myself for not thinking of them sooner. It's all about the details."
Still, bargain shopping is not to be sniffed at. "It's all about mixing," says Basloe. "I still love H&M and the Gap. Don't be a snob."
What to expect on the job
It's not all sample sales and town cars. Internships are typically unpaid, or on the low side, and assistants earn in the high teens or low twenties. Entry-level jobs in the fashion magazine industry are also mindless and menial. "It's going to be pretty unglamorous," a former assistant at Vogue told me. "Mostly you end up steam-cleaning clothes for shoots, answering phones, opening mail." After interning at Sassy, Atoosa Rubenstein's first job was as a fashion assistant at Cosmopolitan – she had to keep the fashion closet (where all clothes and accessories are kept between shoots) neat and tidy.
Paying your dues means never giving any attitude when performing trivial tasks. "Don't sigh. Don't roll your eyes. This is a social game, people notice," an editor warns. "Also, you shouldn't kiss *** too much. It's better if people think you're cool." Enthusiasm is infectious – and can lead to bigger things. Nancy Roth, an NYU graduate who interned and worked as an assistant at Harper's Bazaar, followed that with a stint as a market editor for Allure, and was recently made a Senior Fashion Editor at Mademoiselle at 24. Roth was notorious for her dedication – she was reported not to have missed a day of work as an intern, even during finals.
As an assistant, you're responsible for the magazine's relationships with the showrooms. "You can't be careless," a Vogue assistant says. "If you say you'll have a sample from a shoot back at 4pm, you should make sure it goes back at 4pm. You have to keep to your word and respect their job and their obligations to other magazines." Usually, several magazines need the same sample, so a bad reputation can mean others in the fashion clique won't be so ready to help you out during deadline time.
The endlessly catty environment is also something you will have to adapt to – quickly. This is no career cliché. Fashion magazines are typically estrogen-heavy environments, and things can get nasty and competitive faster than you can say "Bitch on heels." One former Hearst staffer says, "If I wanted to join a sorority, I would have joined one in college. But you just can't take it personally." On the plus side: unlike the stiffness endemic to the typical office jobs, life at a magazine is less rigid, and sitting around and gossiping all day is allowed during slow moments. Still, the creative industry does breed its share of tyrants. It's common knowledge that several Vogue editors are notorious for their less-than-appealing behavior, but the sisterhood regularly warns other junior assistants about which editors to avoid.
Where are the goodie bags?
So your colleagues are hormonal and the pay isn't anything to write home about (or in most cases, to live on), but the perks – oh, the perks.
"You get a lot of free clothes," an editor admits. "Depending on your rank. You get a good amount of stuff at different levels. But you have to be careful not to get too greedy." Taking advantage of your position is a definite no-no. "People will notice. But it's hard – it's a strange thing. It's partly friendship and partly bribery – and things can definitely get out of hand." While some working fashion journalists are not allowed by their publications to accept gifts – e.g. the New York Times and the New York Observer – in the rest of the business it's a free-for-all.
Assistants can also view the fashion show circus first-hand, usually in their boss' place. "I remember when I was at Bazaar," says Cosmopolitan's Ruth Basloe recounts, "I went to my first show because my boss couldn't go. It was the Enrico Coveri show, and they sat her in the front row. I was so used to sitting in the back for Redbook. Of course I'm there 20 minutes early and I'm waiting. Ivanka Trump is modeling. And who sits next to me but Donald Trump!" Basloe laughs. "I was horrified! All the photographers started going nuts and I just wanted to hide underneath my seat."
Not for long, of course. Once they get through the door, few fashionistas want to step back outside. After all, a fashion editor's job is what every style addict craves.
"When I was a teenager, I cried, when I saw the Harper's Bazaar with Linda Evangelista on the cover. I cried, it was so beautiful," says Rubenstein.
"I was 8 years old and my family went on this cross-country train ride," remembers Basloe. "We were supposed to look at the scenery – that was the purpose of the trip. I totally missed it because I was immersed in my copy of Vogue. My family still teases me about that. But that's what I am. I'm a magazine and fashion junkie."
I am on the MA Fashion Journalism course at the London College of Fashion at the moment, trust me, don't waste your money. Get work experience and work from the bottom. Although I think it is worth getting your first degree like me first though (BA/BSC) - but an MA is probably not needed, although The Guardian and The Independent like their writers to have an MA Journalism degree. But I guess it is not the same for us 'wannabe' fashion journalists.
so interesting u reckon not worth it - I was just thinking of taking the MA in september, as I did a BA in modern languages and have no journalism experience but reckon I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and intern from the bottom up.
As a graduate realistically do I have any chance of getting a paid job having not previously done more than one internship at a small glossy 2 yrs ago?! Or at 23 am I going to have to go unpaid for a while? Any thoughts on this in London would be hugely appreciates thanks
You could start thinking about building a portfolio of published work through freelance writing. Commissioning editors do not care about degrees. They don't even care if you left school at fourteen. What they need are contributors who give them good, useable copy with a minimum of hassle. Here's a tip for anyone considering this route: magazine editors always need good Front-of-Book content, short pieces of anywhere between eighty and 400 words to pad out the ads in the first quarter or third of the mag. The Well - the bit in the middle full of longer features - is generally reserved for established writers although a newbie will get in there if he or she has produced something outstanding or very hard to get. Keep the day job and freelance in your spare time. Go for quality rather than quantity.
And forget about doing an MA in journalism. That's alright if you want to teach the subject or set up one of those scams involving seminars and How-To paperbacks. Do an MA in copyright and IP law if you can. Apart from anything else, you will be able to protect yourself more efficiently from bent publishers. There again, what do you need an MA for? Most employers regard BAs quite simply as proof that you can stick at something tedious for at least three years, that you are unlikely to leave after a few months. Vocational qualifications aside, MAs are widely regarded as an indication that you were scared of leaving the nest, so to speak. I know that will upset some people but it is sadly true. In fact, as I have said before, most editors will actually consider defenestrating anyone who walks into their office and announces that they have a degree in journalism or anything like it. An editor who tells someone that they need a degree in journalism - or anything else - to work on a newspaper or a magazine is usually being polite about telling the person thanks but no thanks.
I got your PM, by the way.
PK
__________________ Fashion is something barbarous, for it produces innovation without reason and imitation without benefit - George Santayana
^ Thanks for the reply -I completely agree - seems to be from the editors that I've heard from over the last few days that it's either a case of go in at the bottom and work your way up from intern to general assistant to EA etc, or put your money where your mouth is and write something awesome and end up freelancing. Now I just need to decide whether I can bare my current day job any longer which is super high stress and normally leaves me too exhausted to freelance!
I was wondering if anybody has information on studying fashion journalism in China or Japan. I'm studying Japanese and Chinese in Europe and thinking about going to a journalism or fashion school in one of those countries after. What do you think? Is it possible to get there? Are lessons teached in English as well? Where can I find further information? Or do you recommend applying for a fashion journalism programme in the US? ~~
Also I'd LOVE to hear about people who have experiences in doing an fashion/magazine internship in Asia
What do you think about the possibilities to work for an Asian mag as an European? I'm thinking about a way to combine my interest in Asia with my passion for writing and fashion. Any ideas?
Hey all. I'm 15 going on 16 (two months more, heh.) and I really, really want to get into writing. Fashion Journalism is what I'm leaning towards at the moment because... well, writing + fashion = my two loves combined and that's what you get. What concerns is me that my dad's already bribing me with trips to Europe if I switch over my dreams to being a doctor instead. He's concerned about the pay, about how it'll never match up to being a doctor, per se. I know that I'll have to start somewhere, from scratch. I just like to think that I'm good enough to get somewhere high up and stay there. >.<
My mom suggested I plan it out and look for the opportunities that a Journalism course will give me so I thought I'd hop over here and ask you lovely people. <3
What other courses should I consider taking other than Journalism? What's my next step after? Any tips at all?
Intern intern intern. anywhere anything you can even if it's not directly related to what you want to do, it looks good on the resume. try calling small magazines and interning or writing for your school paper is helpful too. also, try contacting online websites about fashion where they have articles and ask them if you can be a contributor and write for them. the most important thing, especially in fashion is interning and developing a sense of style in writing and in fashion. get experience.
I'm going into college this fall and the first thing I'm going to do when I'm there is to march into the student newspaper department and see about writing a fashion/design column.
Does anyone have any experience writing for a smaller publication -- what works, what doesn't? I was thinking of spotlights on independent boutiques, local designers and having a different street style photo each issue.
It's only produced twice a month, so I could actually put some time into it and make it good. =)
i don't know any in victoria, i don't live there but there are so many free mags downtown, like ion, sadly their located in vancouver but what i mean is that it doesn't have to be really credible or run an internship program. most places that are established don't want to take you if you've got no experience so you've got to work from the botttom. thing is...call everyone and bother them until someone says yes. i've called like 30 people in the past few weeks, modelling agencies, fashion photographers, magazines, websites for fashion, designers and i've only gotten one. most of the time, they don't really care so be sure to call back and confirm if it's a yes or a no.
i don't know any in victoria, i don't live there but there are so many free mags downtown, like ion, sadly their located in vancouver but what i mean is that it doesn't have to be really credible or run an internship program. most places that are established don't want to take you if you've got no experience so you've got to work from the botttom. thing is...call everyone and bother them until someone says yes. i've called like 30 people in the past few weeks, modelling agencies, fashion photographers, magazines, websites for fashion, designers and i've only gotten one. most of the time, they don't really care so be sure to call back and confirm if it's a yes or a no.
Oh, I'm actually going to Vancouver for college. =)
I'm going into acting but I'm thinking of maybe after a year, switching for a degree in journalism. There's a local paper at my college - it's sort of a community/college arts and culture etc kind of thing. I looked into it and it briefly touches on fashion, but nothing specific. They take volunteers, so I'm going to go for it!
And forget about doing an MA in journalism. That's alright if you want to teach the subject or set up one of those scams involving seminars and How-To paperbacks. Do an MA in copyright and IP law if you can. Apart from anything else, you will be able to protect yourself more efficiently from bent publishers. There again, what do you need an MA for? Most employers regard BAs quite simply as proof that you can stick at something tedious for at least three years, that you are unlikely to leave after a few months. Vocational qualifications aside, MAs are widely regarded as an indication that you were scared of leaving the nest, so to speak. I know that will upset some people but it is sadly true. In fact, as I have said before, most editors will actually consider defenestrating anyone who walks into their office and announces that they have a degree in journalism or anything like it. An editor who tells someone that they need a degree in journalism - or anything else - to work on a newspaper or a magazine is usually being polite about telling the person thanks but no thanks.
LOL. I agree with you. MA in journalism is useless on fashion industry (hey, fashion journalism is one of the fashion industry right?-but more industry rather than journalism). Basic practice in journalism is good to know but mostly you really need to know all the sophisticated media practices varied from copywriting to feature writing, from straight news to advertorials. And they are practically as simple as experience!
I wanna study this,but i dunno if i can, anyone knows a fashion jounalism college in switzerland??
__________________
John Lenonn Thought he was a god,I just Think I'm John Lennon- Liam Gallagher
-Jessica Stam.-Vlada Roslyakova-Siri Tollerod-Toni Garrn
Welcome to the thread Karen0193. To work in fashion journalism, one doesn't necessarily have to go to a fashion journalism college or study fashion journalism specifically. Have a look in this thread from the beginning (annoying I know!) but it is a huge help and explain other ways to get there
°°Fashion Journalism in Asia?°°
Thanks!
Linear Mode
