Alum Aid from Jyll, Tufts' own Carrie Bradshaw

Jyll Saskin is wickedly smart fashionista who graduated last year with majors in Child Development and Psychology. A variety of internships and writing a Daily column helped her to uncover her desire to one day be the editor-in-chief of a major magazine. Jyll has taken many intelligent (and sometimes spontaneous!) steps to ensure that she gets closer and closer to attaining her dream job.

JYLL
When did you realize what you wanted to do after graduation, whether it was get a job, teach abroad, travel, etc? How did you reach this decision?

I realized it the summer after sophomore year. I became a makeup artist on a whim, which led me to write a column for the Tufts Daily on a whim, which led me to apply for a fashion mag internship on a whim. By the end of the first day of that internship, I knew what I wanted to do. Sometimes it's best to do something just for fun and not because you think you should - it's how I found out that my hobby could become my career.

What kind of career field were you interested in? Where did you look for jobs and where do you work now? What about yourself do you think made you a good fit for the position?

I was interested in magazine journalism, specifically for a female audience (fashion, celebs, etc.). There were two Web sites that are kind of industry standard for my field:
mediabistro.com and ed2010.com. I also networked my butt off. I didn't even truly understand what networking meant until after graduation, but I literally sat down with parents, made a list of everyone we knew who might know someone who could help me, and crafted personalized e-mails/resume versions one by one to send out. Every time I met someone knew, I mentioned what kind of job I was looking for. In some cases, it actually led to interviews or meeting great contacts. The key is just to keep meeting people in your field, or in a related field. Now, I'm the Editorial Assistant at QuizFest Magazine, a national entertainment publication for tween girls. It's a small staff (5 people) so I write half the magazine, interview celebs, manage all of our online content (including a new Web site!), pitch ideas for the mag, and a ton of other miscellaneous stuff. I joke that I get paid to be a 12 year old girl all day. I was hired for this position because a) I had a great recommendation from someone the hiring person trusted, b) I had a stellar resume, and c) I was passionate about our content and able to think like our consumer. This applies far beyond the field of journalism.

Susannah says:

Jyll brings up a good point about knowing the "industry standard" resources for the field or fields that interest you. This could mean websites, professional associations, or even specific employers. There are certainly sites out there that post openings in many fields, like simplyhired.com or indeed.com. It's also worthwhile to look at industry-specific sites; for example, hireculture.org (cultural/arts positons in MA), usajobs.gov (government jobs), and higheredjobs.com (positions in colleges/universities). While you may have a few favorite go-to resources, it makes sense to use multiple channels in your search (i.e. large search sites, industry specific sites, information gathered through networking and informational interviewing).

What do you hope to accomplish in the next year? The next five years? How do you intend on reaching these goals? How did Tufts prepare you?

I'd like to keep learning everything I can at this job, and then in two years I'll be going to Harvard Business School, so five years from now I'll be one year into my post-MBA job. I have no idea what that'll be, and I'm completely okay with that. Tufts prepared me because it was environment where I was able to experiment, try new things, and meet interesting people. It made me a more intelligent, well-rounded person.