The interviews with fashion industry professionals are a weekly appointment here on Glam Observer. Each week you can find new written or podcast interviews. I enjoy speaking to these inspiring fashion professionals, listening to their stories and sharing this content with you to show how successful people have started and are navigating their career in fashion so you can follow their footsteps and have a guide to follow, a starting point and you somehow know what are the steps in order to get their same job. The real experiences and their tips are always on point. The fashion industry seems a closed world from the outside and as you might know, if you have read or followed me and Glam Observer for a while, you know that my aim is to make fashion accessible to anyone and bring you closer to this world by giving the tips and introducing you the people shaping it.
Today I want to introduce you to Sarah Weldon, Associate Editor at Cosmopolitan. She started gaining experience already when she was in college “I was told that if I wanted to get into this industry, I had to have a ton of internships. So, that’s what I did.” When she applied to Cosmopolitan, she already had many experiences in different kinds of publications from politics to entertainment and fashion “I had applied to be a fellow at Cosmo twice before, but obviously those didn’t work out. And while I was at Entertainment Weekly, one of the editors there knew I was interested in working in women’s magazines so she put me in touch with Cosmo’s then-Senior Editor (now Op-Ed editor!) Jessica Goodman.”
Enjoy her career story, how she managed her internships while studying, how she went from Digital Editorial Fellow to Assistant Editor and Associate Editor, her tips to get a job at a fashion magazine, what a workday looks like and much more.
What did you study and what was your first job in fashion?
I went to Sarah Lawrence College (aka a teeny liberal arts school) and there were no traditional majors. While I was there I got to study literature, women’s studies and creative writing on top of journalism which was so great because I got to dig my hands into all of my interests. The summer after my freshman year of college I was able to intern at Time Out New York on the editorial team, but my first internship at a fashion magazine came a year and a half later at NYLON.com.
Interning is fundamental to get in fashion and you did great as you interned every year throughout college. What did you learn interning those years?
I was lucky that my school was just a short 20-minute ride on the Metro-North, plus I grew up in New York City, so I had a lot of privilege when it came to building up my resume as an undergrad. I interned on and off for five years straight. My first internship was at Time Out and then junior year I interned at NYLON.com. After that I spent the summer before senior year assisting the features team at The Village Voice and my last semester of college interning at TheWeek.com before I graduated continued interning full-time at Entertainment Weekly. So, by the time I got to Cosmopolitan (my dream job, tbh) as a fellow, I had experience working at so many different kinds of publications from politics to entertainment and fashion.
How did you manage your internships while studying?
Honestly, it was not easy! But I was told that if I wanted to get into this industry, I had to have a ton of internships. So, that’s what I did. There were a lot of all-nighters and one instance my senior year where I took a brief nap in the bathroom stall at TheWeek.com offices because I was finishing a term paper on War and Peace the night before. I don’t recommend that and wish I told myself to take a breather.
After your graduation and your last internship you started at Cosmopolitan as Digital Editorial Fellow, then after 6 months, you became Assistant Editor for one year and a half, and for the past 8 months you are Associate Editor. Can you walk us from how you got your first job at Cosmopolitan, to progressing your career inside the magazine?
I had applied to be a fellow at Cosmo twice before, but obviously those didn’t work out. And while I was at Entertainment Weekly, one of the editors there knew I was interested in working in women’s magazines so she put me in touch with Cosmo’s then-Senior Editor (now Op-Ed editor!) Jessica Goodman. Then as I was reaching the end of my six months at EW, Cosmo posted a listing for a digital fellowship and I jumped on it and was hired. After about six months there, there was an entry-level position open on the Snapchat team so I applied and after submitting an edit test was hired.
How have your role and responsibilities changed over time?
Once I was hired as a full-time staff member, I was working solely on Snapchat, but still had strong relationships with the rest of the digital editorial team from my time as a fellow. And then a few months into that two major things happened: We launched our (now-defunct, RIP) Snapchat channel, Cosmo Stories—which was just solely user-generated submissions—and the print and digital teams combined. After that, the majority of my days were spent working on Cosmo Stories and writing for the brand-spanking-new YOU FIRST section of the magazine. After about a year of balancing responsibilities on Snapchat and the print magazine, I was promoted to Associate Editor. I still work on Snapchat but also now edit the YOU FIRST section of the magazine, while also writing and editing for the website. So, it’s changed a lot since I was first hired as an Assistant Editor!
What are your tips for those who want to start working at a fashion magazine? What are the most important things to do to be noticed and get the job?
The most important thing I’ve learned is to speak up when you have an idea! Don’t let being an intern or an assistant stop you from sharing a good day—it’s an old, archaic thought! Another thing is to always say “yes” as long as you *can* still say yes. You don’t want to say “yes” to everybody and then find yourself an intern still at the office at 9 p.m. while everyone else has left. It’s not fun and it’s not healthy. It’s a lesson I’m still trying to unlearn myself, honestly!
As Associate Editor at Cosmo, what a workday looks like for you?
Because of COVID, our entire team is working remotely so things are a little different now! I usually sign on around 9 a.m. and knock out some emails or some editing before the rest of the team signs on. And then because I work on so many platforms and for so many teams at Cosmo, my day is different all the time! Sometimes I’m working with a writer on tightening a joke in the YOU FIRST section of the magazine, other days I’m slotting in content for our Snapchat channel. Right now I’m editing this really big project with a lot of moving parts that I can’t really say anything more about, but I’m so excited for it to be published! I try to log off for the day no later than 6:30 and actually step away from my computer.
What are your favorite resources to stay inspired?
I really, really do love magazines. I still love flipping through a print issue of literally anything (beyond Cosmo, Allure is a current favorite). Also, I’ve found myself spending hours and hours on TikTok at the end of the day before I go to bed. I mean, I learn something new literally every second on that app—even though I know all the experts say to “shut your phone off” at the end of the day. Plus, I think it was Harry Styles who said something like teens are the future?? Plus, I love a good 15-second video of a dog doing something dumb. I grew up in the Vine-era, so it’s just part of who I am now.
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