Name: Harriet Farkash
Position: Deputy Editor
How did you score your job at DOLLY?
I started out as a spring chicken doing work experience at Cosmopolitan during my school holidays. After school I took two years off to go travelling. When I returned home, I enrolled in Journalism at Macleay College. During this time I scored an internship at Slimming & Health mag and, after six months and a lot of coffee runs, I was promoted to Staff Writer. After two years there, I left to be Features Editor and Sub Editor for Studio magazines where I worked across seven titles. I loved my job but after a couple of years I decided I wanted to see more of the world so quit to go travelling for six months. When I came back, I didn’t want to dive straight into full time work so I went freelance. I wound up working at the DOLLY office and loved it, so I was stoked when a few months later I was offered a permanent position as Deputy Editor.
What does your job involve?
I was going to try and describe a typical day but I realised there’s no such thing! But typical tasks involve writing stories, editing other writers’ stories, coming up with coverlines, choosing images, approving layouts, catching up on celeb gossip, and wondering how 500 emails just landed in my inbox when I only checked it two minutes ago.
What do you love most about working at DOLLY?
DOLLY ticks all my boxes - it’s rare to find a job that pays the bills, that you love doing and that allows you to work with your friends. Oh and the perks like free movie tickets are pretty awesome, too.
What’s the hardest part?
It’s a big job with lots of responsibility and deadlines. I’ve had to learn how to stay organised and in control of my workload so I don’t stress out.
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to work at mags?
Aside from the necessary (work experience), if you want to be a writer, read anything you can get your hands on, especially respected newspaper columnists and authors. If you want to be a sub editor, practice your editing skills anywhere and everywhere - I used to try and find mistakes on the menus at restaurants.
What’s next on your life to-do list?
I’ve always wanted to own a property in the country, complete with a working windmill. I have it in my head that it’s possible to make my own, so I’m looking to enroll in a welding course. I’ll let you know how this pipe dream turns out!
