Columnist Question:

This was the very first interview question I was asked during my very first job interview (it was at Cosmo!)—and I completely stumbled over my answer. I was a senior in college and desperate to find a job in publishing, so to be honest, I couldn’t think of much aside from writing cover letters that I’d done in recent memory. In many cases, editors want to know you have a life because you’ll be writing about life—fashion, beauty, travel, relationships, food, etc. Be ready to talk about your favorite restaurants, things you like to do with your friends on the weekends, etc. It’s meant to be a no-stress question—and on a human level, editors just want to see if you’d be a fun person to have around the office.