Emma Walsh, Beauty Editor at Who What Wear is back today, this time to tell us her top tips for landing your dream job and how these tips worked for her.
If you missed her first post on all her beauty tips and top products be sure to check it out here.
From The Skinny Confidential blog posts, to making connections, to gaining all types of work experience, these tips are so good and attainable. Let’s get into it.
+++
Hi, it’s Emma again. I’m an NYC-based beauty editor at Who What Wear. I had a long, not-so-glamorous career journey before entering the beauty and fashion world, so let me take it back to the beginning.
Similar to how Lauryn started scrapbooking when she was little (and how this led her to start a blog), I discovered my love for beauty and writing when I was about 8 years old. I distinctly remember flipping through the colorful, glossy pages of Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, and even Cosmopolitan (oops—might have been too young to be reading that one), and dreamed about writing these kinds of stories.
Fast forward to middle school—I was watching makeup tutorials and skincare routines on YouTube nonstop and became obsessed with collecting beauty products. Ulta and Sephora were my personal heaven—I felt like a kid in a candy store looking at all of the prestige skincare, beautifully packaged makeup, and luxurious fragrances.
When I was in high school, I started reading blogs and digital publications, including The Skinny Confidential, Who What Wear, and Byrdie. It looked like a dream job to be able to create these kinds of stories—from testing and curating products, crafting a clickable headline, interviewing experts, and writing voicey, relatable copy that reads like you’re speaking to your best friend.
I began studying communications in college, and I knew I wanted this to be my career. The only problem was—how was I going to break into this industry? I’m going to share my story of how I got to where I am today (along with all the twists and tangents) and a tip I learned at each stage in my journey. Let’s get into it.
5 Career Tips and How to Land Your Dream Job
1. Give Yourself the Experience You Want
*THIS* is so valuable. When I was just starting out, I didn’t have any related experience or direct contacts (until I started reaching out to people, which we’ll get to in a sec). I wanted to be handed a Vogue internship on a silver platter—but, since I was a girl living in Maine with zero connections to the NYC beauty world, I had to find a way to get those writing reps in for myself. So, when we were assigned to create a portfolio of work for our senior project in college, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start the blog that I’d always wanted to.
I started to write the kind of stories that I would ideally want to be writing if I had my dream job: product reviews, interviews with my friends, wellness tips, and more. I did what I could with where I was at, and it didn’t matter if anyone read it, because giving myself the opportunity to do the kind of work I wanted to do helped me sharpen my skills faster and gave potential employers a look into my work. Whether you want to be an editor, content creator, model, designer, makeup artist—just do your thing and showcase it!
+ TLDR: Strategically create opportunities for yourself to demonstrate your work and create a portfolio of your best work.
2. Take As Many Opportunities As You Can
At least at the start, take any opportunity you can, even if it’s not “perfect” or ideal. This is because you never know what it may lead to or how your experience could culminate into something meaningful.
I did what I could with the opportunities available to me. Here was my career trajectory in college and right after:
2018: I was a cashier at Kohl’s
2019: I wrote for the school newspaper
2020: I was a tour guide for my university
2020: One of my professors helped me get an internship at a local women’s magazine. (Okay, we’re getting closer!)
2020: I did a marketing internship at a biotechnology company (not related, but it’s experience to put on my resume)
2021: I interned at Planned Parenthood, where I got experience interviewing people and writing blog posts. (Side note: I remember one of my Who What Wear interviewers really liked that. A little cause-driven philanthropic work always helps!)
2021: Post-Grad: From my connections at the biotechnology association, I did social media (and customer service, woo!) at a local skincare company called Marin after I graduated. (Getting closer!)
I did quite a lot—none of which were exactly “beauty editorial,” but I still said yes and just tried to acquire as much experience as I could, and it brought me closer to the world I wanted to be in little by little. Also just a note—I try to do this in my current job by volunteering for as many projects as I can and always offering to help. It goes a long way and shows your drive!
+ TLDR: Take as many opportunities as you can, as you never know where they will lead, what connections they’ll bring you, or how they’ll benefit you in the future.
3. Reach Out to People Whose Careers You Admire
I did countless informational interviews to gather career advice, learn about various roles, and expand my network. Then, I read a few TSC articles on resumes, job interviews, and LinkedIn that completely changed my life. These were written by a woman named Sam Heapps, an incredibly gifted editor and top talent manager at Nylon, and a bubbly, smart, and strategic badass human being.
I treated these articles as my handbook. I decided to reach out to her and ask if we could have a 15-20 minute phone call so I could learn more about her job. She was super kind, warm, and encouraging, and really took me under her wing. I met her in NYC a few months later when I was visiting, and she was set on helping me land a role at her company at the time, Gallery Media Group. And she did! So, a couple months later, I started working on the company’s influencer marketing team. I truly believe that I wouldn’t have gotten this role without her. Being where I am now gives me such perspective, and now, whenever someone reaches out to me and asks for career advice, I’m so willing to help because I remember what it’s like to be in that position.
Just a helpful note: I wouldn’t recommend just blindly reaching out to someone (a mistake I made many times), but instead sending an ultra-personalized note. (Ditto for resumes, cover letters, and cold outreach—personalization is everything.)
+ TLDR: Intentionally create meaningful connections with and learn from people whose careers you admire.
4. Don’t Reject Yourself
Let them reject you. This sounds weird, but just stick with me. After graduation, I remember I kept a list of all the jobs I applied for. I was applying for editorial assistants, marketing coordinators, social media associates—I remember I even applied for a couple sales associate jobs trying to get my foot in the door at bigger companies and didn’t get those (or didn’t hear back for some.) That was a blow to my confidence. But, I just kept going until I landed the influencer marketing job at Gallery Media Group.
All of those applications gave me a ton of practice to craft a wow-worthy resume and bolster my interview skills. About a year later, I realized I was ready for the next step and that editorial was still where I truly wanted to be. I remember when I decided to apply for my current job at Who What Wear, I saw the position had 38 applicants already. I thought that I wouldn’t even bother because I literally had two published articles to my name. I was hardcore judging myself—I thought that they’d be looking for a posh Upper East sider with a Vogue internship, Chanel handbag, and stack of sparkly diamond bracelets. I thought I had no chance, but I decided to go for it anyway. Looking back, I’m so thankful I did. According to my boss, my passion and potential shined through and that’s what landed me the role. Also to be honest, you can teach someone the hard skills for a job, but soft skills like kindness and your attitude are innate.
+ TLDR: Shoot your shot and apply to that job, even if you don’t think you’re “qualified.”
5. Glamorize Your Experience
When you’re applying for a job, you gotta jazz up and glamorize your experience to grab people’s attention. For example: instead of “Wrote marketing copy,” how about “Wrote engaging copy that connected the reader to the brand mission, which led to sales conversion and revenue growth.” Much more interesting, right?
On a similar note, make it easy for them to see why you’re the literal perfect fit. Sometimes you have to get creative and connect the dots for them. I was in a different sector of marketing, but I saw the connection between influencer marketing and branded editorial writing, which was the specific role I was applying for. I explained how my experience of organically weaving brand storytelling into influencer content could translate seamlessly to editorial pieces. And they saw my vision! (PS–Message me if you want more resume tips or if you want the exact one I used.)
+ TLDR: Describe your experience in a creative and strategic way that connects your skills to the role.
There you have it—my best career advice! I have to say, I’m still learning everyday and have lots of things I’m working on (ahem, imposter syndrome), but these are the five most impactful and actionable tips I’ve been wanting to share with the world.
I owe Lauryn and Sam a huge thank you for catapulting my journey and allowing me to get to where I am today. My experience serves as a testament to the power of community, creating meaningful relationships, and just going for it. I hope my story can inspire you to keep moving towards the career and life you want. Please feel free to reach out to me on Linked n or Instagram—I love sharing career advice or just chatting about current favorite products.
+++
Hope you loved Emma’s tips and they help you land your dream job. Remember to check out Emma’s first post on beauty tips and products and check out her articles on Who What Wear.
x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ Learn about our NEW Brow Peptide for the bold brows of your dreams.
++ Check out our team’s favorite skincare products.
DREAM JOB VIBE:
