Kate White is the stuff of legends. During her time as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan from 1998 to September 2012, she increased the magazine’s circulation by 700,000, published seven mystery novels (including five New York Times best-sellers), and wrote two career books, following her 1996 success Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead… But Gutsy Girls Do. Now, White is making the leap into a full-time career writing and promoting her career books. Her most recent endeavor, I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know, hit shelves last month.
On November 17, White will make the keynote speech at the 2012 New York Women in Communications Student Career Conference in New York City. She’ll spill her favorite tips on prepping for a career while still in college. The conference is jam-packed with the communications industry’s top speakers, so register now to attend!
Can’t make it to the conference in New York? Get the scoop on White’s 10 tips for success from our exclusive interview with her right here on Her Campus.
1. Stand out from the crowd. When White was in college, she entered Glamour‘s Top Ten College Women contest. “I had seen the girls in the magazine – they all looked like they went to Wellesley and had long, blonde hair, and gosh, I could never be that kind of girl. I had been the nerdy yearbook editor girl in high school who had never been on a date,” White confessed. “I decided the only way to set myself apart from the pack was to do something really provocative.” So, she turned the essay application topic – her goals for the future – on its head. “I wrote my essay on why I had no goals. My point was that life was too uncertain at the time because there was so much change going on in the world that I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself.I took a chance doing it, and of course, in the end, I did loop back around to how I did have goals. After I won, and I was the girl on the cover, too, I had learned such a valuable lesson in taking a calculated risk to set myself apart from the pack.”
2. It’s okay to not know what you want to do yet! It’s easy to feel pressure during college to know exactly what you want to study and what you want to do after graduation. But if you aren’t quite sure what you want yet, don’t stress! “You don’t need to know what you want to do at 22,” she says. “In college, all the windows are still open. You shouldn’t feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s too late now.’”
3. Be proactive about your future. It’s never too late to join that club you’ve been eyeing since freshman year or enroll in a class that’s always piqued your interest. “The more you expose yourself to as many things as possible, the more likely you are to bump into what you want to do. You’re not going to figure it out on the couch in your parents’ den,” White says. That translates to enrolling in that Anthropology class you’ve always been curious about and applying to a variety of internships. Who knows where you’ll find big inspiration?
4. Stay focused. Breaking into the magazine industry is notoriously tough. If you dream of becoming an editor-in-chief one day, White encourages you to narrow in on your goals. White offers tough love: “Sometimes, people write to me and tell me they want to be in magazines, but they’re not sure if they want to be in fashion, beauty, or articles. Well, you don’t really know what you’re talking about, so why should I hire you and help you figure it out?” Before you start your internship search, determine which part of the magazine business fascinates you the most – if you wind up in advertising but dream of working in the photography department, you might feel as if you wasted your summer, and in turn, not feel motivated to do your best.
5. Sell yourself. Your internship interview is your time to shine. While you explain why you want to intern for the company, it’s even more important to explain why the company should want to hire you. “Show them you have something to bring,” White advises. Brainstorm ideas you have for the company in advance of the interview. Are you a Twitter savant who can jumpstart the company’s social media presence? Can you offer a fresh perspective on how they can get a leg up on their competition? Make sure your interviewer knows that!
6. Dress for success. White is a big believer in the idea that your wardrobe can set back your career. “When you’re applying for a job, you don’t want to dress like the person who has the job. You want to dress better than that,” she explains. That means a blazer and pumps – even for a lowly intern! “And if the place is hip or fashionable,” she says, “you want to have that, too.” If you’re interviewing for an internship in a creative field, like media or design, you should step your outfit up a notch with a colored blazer or a bold – but not distracting – piece of jewelry.
7. Take a break. Take it from one of the busiest women in media – taking a break is a good thing! “Part of how I dealt with [my stress] was finding a lot of outlets for enjoyment. I love to cook, birdwatch, and spend time with my husband and kids. And I find writing incredibly relaxing. There’s nothing like a corpse or blood splatter to take your mind off Cosmo,” says White. Even when you’re feeling stressed, try taking a night off from homework every week to hang out with friends, zone out in front of a Law and Order: SVU marathon, or go for a run – whatever makes you feel most relaxed.
8. Network fiercely and fearlessly. According to White, LinkedIn is one of the top ways to get hired. “Literally everyone you know in college should become a LinkedIn contact. See who your contacts may know who can open doors for you. Sometimes women are shy about asking people for favors, but you can’t be.”
9. Stick to your goals. The economy is tough right now. If you’re struggling to find a job in your dream industry right after college, you’re not alone. “Our research at Cosmo shows it’s better for you to take an unpaid internship that is really the right fit for you and what you want to do – and maybe bartend at night to make do – because then it’s easier to segue into a job in the field you want to be in. Don’t wait too long to try to course-correct.”
10. Save, save, save. No one ever said budgeting was fun, but having a little extra cash can encourage you to take big risks. “Part of what made [leaving Cosmo] easy is that I saved enough money to do it. I wonder if I would have had the guts if I hadn’t made sure financially that I could do it,” White says. In other words, skipping out on $4 lattes and pricey concert tickets now can give you the financial freedom to take an extra semester abroad or pay for an extra month of rent in your first post-grad apartment. Â