Interview With Former Vogue Intern

This blog post was written by Caitlin Beck our Campus Ambassador from Fordham University.

Emily Sanchez is the definition of a success story. Hailing from New Mexico, Emily is not a Senior at Fordham University. She is in the Gabelli School of Business majoring in Marketing with a minor in Economics. With an impressive resume, and plenty of intern experience, Emily has managed to land a freelance position before even graduating!

Where was the first place you interned?

My first internship was at Harper’s Bazaar. I found the listing on the website ed2010.com, which is a great resource, if you are looking any type of magazine internship.

I went to the interview very prepared (perhaps a bit over prepared) and I got the internship on the spot. Bazaar is one of my favorite magazines, so I was thrilled to have an internship there!

How did you manage to get an internship at Vogue?!

Working at Vogue was (and still is) my dream. I waited to apply for an internship there until I had a bit of experience in the fashion industry. I had worked at Marie Claire and Bazaar before Vogue, so I finally felt ready. The interview went OK. It was the first job that I wasn’t offered on the spot, which made me nervous.

Eventually, I got the job offer and decided to leave Marie Claire.

What did you do at your internship?

I started out as a general fashion editorial intern, which means running errands and doing various tasks in the office.

I wasn’t thrilled about it because I had experience working closely with the fashion market team at my last two internships and that was where I wanted to be.

I reached out to the internship coordinator about becoming a market intern (they work with specific editors and their assistants). She was really responsive and understood where I was coming from, so I switched jobs and began working as a market intern for The Fashion Market/Accessories director and her assistants (the magazine’s Fashion Associates).

I did every thing from getting lunches to tracking packages to communicating with PR people about shopping credits for the magazine. I was very happy as a market intern. I also got the chance to go on set with the fashion director for a few photo shoots, which was a dream come true.

What was the application process like to become a freelancer?

One of the fashion associates decided to leave after two years and her replacement wasn’t going to start for a few months, so in May I asked if I could stay on and help during the transition. Unfortunately, some new rules were being enforced that interns are only allowed to stay at the company for one semester per calendar year.

Since, the September issue was coming out in a few short months, we really needed all hands on deck. The only way I could stay was to become a freelance Market Assistant/Intern. It was decided that I would stay on for the summer and I was pretty thrilled. I worked harder and longer than I ever had before, but I loved every minute!

Eventually, things slowed down and the new assistant arrived. I helped her settle in and made my exit in July. My boss helped me find another position for a Vogue contributing editor, who also happened to found a fashion website.

What are you up to now, and what are your plans for after graduation?

Right now I’m working for a great website called Moda Operandi. It’s a new concept where you can pre-order runway looks from New York, London, Milan, and Paris fashion weeks before they arrive in stores.

I assist on set and occasionally help the fashion team at Moda headquarters. I have also been assisting the Co-founder and creative director since I left Vogue.

I’d be thrilled to join the Moda team after graduation… or any of the places where I used to intern. My heart really is in fashion, so I would really love to stay in the industry once I graduate.