Week 4: Changing Perspectives

Now that I've been at Food Network Magazine for about a month, I've found my place within the office culture and have discovered more about this working environment along the way.

Before this internship, I knew nothing about sales, or advertising sales in particular. A conversation I overheard between an account executive and a sales assistant at another magazine sums up an observation I've made best: the executive was asking the assistant about any qualified friends she may have to fill a position at this magazine. Simultaneously, both women thought of an intern that had been at this magazine at the past as qualified for a position here now, and resolved to call her up.

Sales, while not always the most exciting or "new" field, is one that is and will continue to be growing. Considering my boss and another account manager at FNM are both only around 5 or 6 years older than me, I've observed that this is the kind of field that has positions available for young people, assuming they are qualified and have some sort of experience in sales.

It is reassuring to know that if this is a field I decide to pursue, my experiences this summer will directly affect my chances of getting a position shortly after graduation. I just have to decide if this is the kind of work I really enjoy, and having more internship experiences in different fields will help me make that comparison. So far, I've realized I love the human to human interaction that is a crucial part of a salesperson's job, I enjoy seeing how the magazine comes together, and the job requires a lot of organization skills, which I have.

And it's fun too! Yesterday, I helped set up an ice cream social for important clients and our associate publisher inspired by an editorial piece from our June issue. It was exciting to be a part of every step of the planning process, from developing a theme, to a menu, to the decorations and logistics. The associate publisher hugged me after the event, so I think I did a pretty good job! I've attached some pictures of the event here.

Magazines were set out to display the editorial connection to the event!

Toppings were inspired by the editorial piece

My boss and I showing off our hard work!

Yes, we picked the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms