Editorial Assistant- when stressful is worth it!

‘Congratulations I’d like to offer you the job.’

I was ecstatic. I had just submitted my final assignment to university two weeks ago, my graduation was still two months away and I had just secured myself a job as an Editorial Assistant for a small publishing house in Central London which published medical journals, travel books and an international lifestyle magazine. I had applied through LondonJobs website simply because the title of the role enticed me. Though at the time I had no proper idea what the role even entailed, I was just looking forward to the experience that I would gain through working with editors and witnessing the entire process of how a publication came together.

My first day was great. I spent the day with the Editor-in-chief of the international lifestyle magazine who briefed me on the aims and concept behind the magazine which included articles on celebrities, travel, health, social and beauty articles. I got to do a lot of writing to show my supervisors what I could produce and my style of my writing; they were pleased and so of course I was pleased. I wrote press releases and blogs for the numerous websites of each publication. At work, I would enjoy a lot of the main responsibilities: taking minutes at meetings, writing press releases, transcribing interviews, proof reading, phone calls and emails. But being an Editorial Assistant isn’t all easygoing, when the Editor-in-chief/Publisher/CEO of the company is stressed it also means you are stressed. Everyday was different according to the Editor’s diary and schedule, it was also my responsibility to ensure that everything was organised for meetings, exhibitions and travelling to other countries. Whilst ensuring social media accounts were refreshed and new content was being uploaded on to each publication’s website. So at times it did feel very overwhelming.

Despite these intense moments I learnt that although working in an ever changing environment where tasks are given in the spur of the moment depending on what the objective or outcome of the day might be, may be considered ideal for the type of people who don’t like being tied down to the same routine, however, I learnt that maybe I am out of the few people who prefer consistency and knowing what I will be doing in advance. Nevertheless, the job allowed me to hone my writing skills and learn innovative techniques on how to edit and proof read large amounts of text, I learnt how to use wordpress and manage social media sites and accounts where there were large numbers of following, so I developed some new skills like condensing important information in to just a few crucial words. I have enjoyed my time in this role and look forward to pursuing more experiences in the writing and publishing industry.

http://internmagazine.co.uk/editorial-assistant/

Emily Blunt- The Devil Wears Prada