A Career as a Beauty Editor

If you're a hard-working, great writer and you enjoy fashion, consider a career as the beauty editor. Beauty editor jobs are a dream for many, so it may be hard to get your foot in the door. Read on to learn how to get noticed and get a job as a fashion editor.

Job Description

The duties and responsibilities of a beauty editor will vary depending on where you work. Typically, the duties of a fashion editor include:
  • Attending events: As the beauty editor, you’ll need to attend industry events and even local galas to represent your publication.
  • Meeting with public relations: You’ll meet with representatives from different beauty companies to forge relationships and get early access to new products.
  • Writing and editing articles: As the beauty editor, you'll either write articles or edit those of fashion writers.

Salary Guide

Salary for beauty editor jobs may vary, depending on the following factors:
  • Reputation: You’ll make more money the longer you’re in the industry. If you have a good work ethic reputation, you may be considered for advanced positions such as fashion editor.
  • Salaried employee: Just like in other fields, a beauty editor on salary will make more money as she advances in the company.
  • Venue: Writing for an online site, a private beauty company or a magazine can all pay differently.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, salaried editors made a mean annual wage of $49,990 in May 2008. These opportunities are expected to increase by 8 percent between 2008 and 2018.

Education, Training and Work Experience

Although beauty editor jobs don't typically require a college degree, it is highly recommend in this very competitive field. The beauty editor has usually majored in journalism at a university, and has held internships before rising to the role of beauty editor. If you don’t want to attend a traditional four-year college, build up as many clips (samples of your printed work) as you can to show potential employers to become a fashion editor.

Career Advancement

The more experience you have in the fashion industry, the more likely you'll be to get one of these competitive beauty editor jobs. The beauty editor has usually done some freelance work in her career, in an attempt to meet the fashion editor at other publications and make connections.
 
A fashion editor usually begins working as an intern for a semester or two. Afterwards, you may gain a job as an assistant editor for a few years and then move on to a higher role.

Related Associations and Groups

Networking is one of the most important aspects of getting a job as a beauty editor. To prepare yourself, you may want to contact these groups:
  • Association of Young Journalists and Writers
  • Fashion Market Magazine Group
  • International Digital Fashion Magazine Association (IDFMA)
  • Society of Professional Journalists.
 
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