Assistant Editor 

(Female, Age 28) from Astoria, NY

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 28 who works as a Assistant Editor in Astoria, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Assistant Editor
Salary $40,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 40
Company Size (not answered)
Location Astoria, NY
Years Experience 2 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I currently work for a medical publishing company with approximately 10 employees. We publish health-related newsletters and books. Clients contact us with an idea for a newsletter or book, and we create it for them.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I conduct research and interviews, and write copy for health and wellness related newsletters. In the final stages, I proofread and edit the newsletters. When working on a book project, I conduct research and fact checking for the manuscript, and proofread and edit in the final stages of production.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
401k, medical and dental insurance

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under compensated

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I work with others on a daily basis. In the office, I work with my senior editors on publishing projects. I also deal with the public when conducting interviews or fact checking. I enjoy this aspect of my job because I feel that working with others often helps to give you fresh perspective on a project.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in an office that is actually a loft space in a trendy downtown area. The open layout of the office makes the space large, with lots of natural light, and makes the office seem more friendly and inviting, as opposed to having lots of small offices. I also enjoy the variety of people and restaurants that are present in the neighborhood.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 4
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 8
The Actual Work: 1

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am Wake up, shower, prepare for work.
8am to 9am Commute to work.
9am to 10am Check email for relevant work-related correspondence. Reply to emails. Call contacts to obtain photos of major health expo, Expo West, to include in upcoming issue of our newsletter. Call contact to inquire about upcoming company events to publish in our next newsletter.
10am to 11am Meet with my senior editor to discuss the subjects and content of our next newsletter, discuss any problems we may be encountering so far.
11am to 12pm Conduct online and telephone research for health stories and consumer stories to appear in our next newsletter.
12pm to 1pm lunch.
1pm to 2pm
2pm to 3pm
3pm to 4pm
4pm to 5pm
5pm to 6pm commute home.
6pm to 7pm go to the gym.
7pm to 8pm eat dinner.
8pm to 9pm Compile list of things I need to get done at work the next day.
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
A friend who worked there informed me of the open position

What was the application process?
Submitted resume

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I underwent one interview, conducted in two parts. The first part was with the director of human resources. She asked about my general qualifications and background. The second part of the interview was with the two senior editors I’d be working with, and we spoke about the specific types of projects I’d be working on with them should I be hired.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
They asked about my strengths and weaknesses, my prior experience, and where I saw myself going.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. They were very open to answering any questions and guiding me if I had trouble. They included me in various types and aspects of projects, which made me confident in my abilities, and prepared me for my current position.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was no training for my current position. I was promoted to my current position after starting out as an editorial assistant.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I was a journalism major, which has been a significant help. My schooling has prepared me to write different types of stories, and has made me keenly aware of the importance of good grammar.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Yes. My internship gave me real-world experiene while still offering me the comfort and guidance of having advisors to help me. It was great practice for when I went out for my first real job.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend that they start out applying as an editorial assistant at a publication or publishing company. If they have already done this, then I would suggest that they begin contacting either specific publications, or publishing companies and inquiring as to their open positions.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
An individual needs excellent communication skills, both oral and written, in this field. Also essential are good organizational skills, as well as being very detail oriented.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. You need a college degree to be successful in this field.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I would tell them that in publishing, you need to be very organized, and very detail oriented. Always keep a style manual around for reference, and brush up on your grammar.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, my current employment is part of my career plan, as I intend to stay in the publishing industry.

What are your current career goals?
My current career goal is to become promoted to a managing editor.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Editorial Assistant 3 years 32500 General administrative duties, research, fact-checking, proofreading, and writing some brief copy.
Prior Job 2 Reporter (internship) 6 months none Attended press conferences, interviewed subjects, and wrote copy for weekly newspaper, The Legislative Gazette.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.5 Ithaca College, SUNY New Paltz BA in Journalism
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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