How would you like to spend your days interviewing musicians, casting models or organising an eligible bachelor competition? Ex-kiwi Leong Su-Lin is a features writer for CLEO Singapore...
Name: Leong Su-Lin Age: 26 Job: Features Writer – CLEO Singapore Salary range: Start off at approx $2,000 - $2,500 (it differs from publication to publication and country to country). Dress code: I’m usually in pants and sneakers, but when I’m meeting clients or attending events it can range from smart casual to dressy.
Describe a typical day at work?
There are no typical days as such, but depending on what I’m working out, I might be out all day at a shoot, interviewing people all day, sourcing for props or clothes, casting models, or guys for Eligible Bachelors. I also spend a lot of time attending press conferences and briefs for advertorials and a large chunk of my time doing research for articles, co-ordinating shoots, ringing around for contacts, arranging interviews and thinking up story ideas.
Best perks of the job?
A never-ending supply of books, CDs and foreign mags (I’m a self-confessed bookworm with an otherwise very expensive appetite). I’m also very grateful that I have the opportunity to go out of the office regularly, as I’d be bored to tears sitting behind a computer from 9-5. Although overseas travel is rare for me (that’s more common with the beauty and fashion team) I do appreciate the opportunity to do travel stories and celeb interview stories, which take me out of Singapore!
Mundane aspects of the job
Writing advertorials – it’s a long and tiring process, and certain topics that we have to write about aren’t that appealing, although we have to make it sound fantastic! Deadlines also suck. They don’t take into account getting sick, public holidays, or writer’s block! The mag comes out same time every month… no excuses!
Most memorable moment since getting your job?
Besides our readership going up by 16,000 last year, it would have been watching the 2002 Eligible Bachelors do a strip tease in front of a screaming crowd. Yours truly was the long-suffering choreographer, and it was the result of months of training. I also still get a kick every time we receive our advance copy – hot off the press and still warm.
What do you enjoy about your job most of all?
The new experiences and people I come across, being paid to keep up-dated with entertainment and the fact that something I write can actually make someone’s day. (According to our feedback – it’s true!)
Qualifications and previous experience that got you the job…
I’ve been writing since my school days, and later for community papers like City Voice in Wellington (now defunct) and The Salient in Victoria University. Even though I’m a Theatre and Film grad who was working in advertising production as a producer, I steadily built up a portfolio of work through free-lance writing, and after working in film production in Singapore, got offered a job with CLEO based on my past work.
What personality traits/skills/attributes help a person to get a job like yours?
You have to have a lot of perseverance, accept being rejected with a smile (it happens all the time), be responsible for what you write, and be able to inject passion into every subject. People will bribe and try and cajole you into writing stuff for them, so you have to be a person who can say ‘no’ without guilt. On the other hand, you’ll do a fair bit of convincing yourself, usually it’s in the name of a good story. Being a people person also helps as you’ll meet all types, good and bad.
Advice for people wanting to get into your industry…
Start writing now! Whether it’s for free or for peanuts, a portfolio of published work gets you a food in the door. An internship at a publication is also a great way to learn the ins and outs of this world.
What sort of job could you go to from here?
The next most likely step is to become an editor, but in many magazines that often means that you’ll oversee the direction and running of the mag rather than do any writing. Another step is to move on to a bigger more respected magazine, or if you’re established enough, be able to sustain yourself through freelance work. A lot of the writers here move into PR for some reason.
Last thoughts…
Remember that even though you may be hob-knobbing with the celebs, it doesn’t make you one. Otherwise it can be a little overwhelming when you come back down to earth.
How would you like to spend your days interviewing musicians, casting models or organising an eligible bachelor competition? Ex-kiwi Leong Su-Lin is a features writer for CLEO Singapore...