Dating is extinct.

Well, at least according to Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler, Syracuse University graduates and authors of ‘The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl’s Guide to Living it Up.’ The alumnae journeyed back to SU and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on Friday for the first time since graduating in 2001 to speak to a group of aspiring authors and editors.

As women poured into the Newhouse II classroom, Lavinthal, associate beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, and Rozler, editorial assistant at Allworth Publishing, cracked jokes about sororities (‘This feels like rush, welcome to Greek Week!’) and recalled warm Newhouse memories (‘Oh graphics lab …’), setting the stage for the ‘super-informal’ advice session on everything from book publishing to job hunting.

‘I always knew I wanted to work in a beauty department, but I loved writing,’ Lavinthal said to the eager crowd of magazine majors. ‘When I realized there were jobs for people to write about beauty products, I became obsessed.’

The fixation ultimately paid off, but Lavinthal took the road less traveled.

After receiving a call from her interviewer informing her that Cosmopolitan was dropping her desired position, Lavinthal phoned back and begged to work for free. Unable to turn down free labor, the magazine welcomed her aboard. A year later, she earned a full-time paid position on the Cosmo staff and her name on the masthead.

‘It sounds corny, but I think Newhouse helped. When I graduated, I was more in the game than other people,’ Lavinthal said. ‘When I got to Cosmo, I wasn’t that nervous. I knew what I was doing.’

Rozler had also hit speed bumps on the road to success. Upon graduating with a degree in magazine journalism, she landed a job at Men’s Health magazine, but found working her way up the masthead as a woman on a predominantly male staff a difficult, if not impossible task.

‘It’s not because they didn’t think I was qualified,’ she said. ‘It’s because that, as a woman, I couldn’t speak to their target audience as well as a guy.’

Rozler eventually landed a position at Allworth Publishing, where she had previously interned during college, and has been there ever since.

The duo fielded questions from the enthusiastic assemblage of student journalists, eager to pick the speakers’ brains for tips to land jobs amidst skyrocketing competition.

The key to their success, agreed the twosome, is a combination of experience and determination. They penned articles together as editors of The Student Voice while at SU, and vouch for the value of the experience gained through student newspapers.

‘Working for the paper was the most important experience I had,’ said Lavinthal, who spoke of the immeasurable worth of a familiarity with a staff-like atmosphere. ‘If you can work for a student publication, do it.’

Internship experience, too, the authors agreed, is an important way to make connections.

‘The people you’ve worked for can vouch for your work, not just your personality or grades,’ said Lavinthal, who added, ‘When an employer you’ve interned for calls on your behalf, it makes you stand out.’

Alaina Kaczmarski, a sophomore magazine major, wanted to know other ways to highlight her application among the hundreds that employers will inevitably receive.

‘Mini-stalk the assistants,’ encouraged Lavinthal.

‘The editor in chief is not going to be the one opening the mail and reading your cover letter,’ she pointed out, and explained that the individual most likely to sort through applications is an assistant.

‘If you want to work for the beauty department, look up the assistant beauty editor,’ she said. ‘That person is more likely to be closer to your age and opening the mail.’

Lavinthal also told the group to break the mold in order to stand out.

‘E-mail your application, cover letter, rsums, everything,’ she said. ‘It’s not proper etiquette, but it’s quicker and easier on the employer.’

Once materials have been sent, Rozler said, aspiring employees should gently pester the coordinator.

‘I get a million e-mails a day,’ she said. ‘So it’s helpful and not irritating at all if I get several messages from the same person. It shows their interest and sparks mine.’

Since the person most likely to be sifting through applications is probably relatively young, the authors advised the bunch to adjust their tone accordingly.

‘Don’t get me wrong,’ laughed Lavinthal, ‘Don’t email the intern coordinator and be like, ‘What’s up, biotch!’, but don’t sound uptight either.’

Above all, the duo stressed, ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help.’ Lavinthal emphasized that everyone who is currently employed once longed for a job and received help from someone.

‘Most people practice good job karma,’ she said, noting, ‘Everyone knows what it’s like to be fresh out of college and desperate for work, and they’ll empathize with you.’

With a grin, she said to the group, ‘If we can do it, you guys can do it.’

Published on February 25, 2006 at 12:00 pm