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Conde Nast gets Nasty Boasting some of the world's trendiest magazines and led by some of New York's hottest writers and editors, Conde Nast is the epitome of the rarefied New York world of fashion publishing. In addition to its flagship magazine Vogue, Conde Nast also publishes Vanity Fair, Glamour, Self, Traveler, Bride's and Architectural Digest. Conde Nast is owned by S. I. Newhouse's Advance Publications, the publishing conglomerate that owns the largest privately-held empire newspaper chain. Conde Nast's presence is not limited to New York, however. As leaders of the world's foremost fashion magazines, the company's globe-trotting editors have established outposts at London, Paris, Milan, and other fashion capitals. Conde Nast's Glamour is the publisher's real cash cow. The beauty/fashion/career/sex lifestyle magazine has reached a paid circulation of 2.1 million (second among women's magazines to Hearst's Cosmopolitan), with profits reportedly in the eight digits. Despite leading circulation figures, Conde Nast hasn't always been profitable. However, since Steve Florio took over as CEO of Conde Nast in 1994, the extravagant salaries and too-good-to-be-true perks for Conde Nast's pampered employees have been drastically cut back. These moves proved to be a boon for Conde Nast's bottom line: in 1996, the magazine empire produced its first profit in years - an estimated $100 million. Conde Nast has recently been busy moving outside of the fashion world. In 1997, the company launched two new magazines -- Conde Nast's Sports for Women and Conde Nast's House & Garden (both magazines have had sluggish sales so far). In January 1998, Nast spent a reported $5 million to buy out a competitor to the Sports for Women, a magazine started by tennis legend Billie Jean King called Women's Sport + Fitness to protect its high-profile women sports launch. In February 1998, highbrow magazine The New Yorker, owned by S.I. Newhouse, was folded into the Conde Nast umbrella. Conde Nast has also ventured into the Information Age, recently agreeing to buy high tech mag Wired for $85 million. In its first new magazine launch since Women's Sport & Fitness, Conde Nast introduced Lucky, a shopping magazine about shoes, in early 2000. The hundreds of shoes featured in the periodical are accompanied with a price tag and phone number or Web site where the shoes be purchased. Shuffling the deck In November 1999 one of Conde Nast's executive vice presidents, Catherine Viscardi Johnson, was forced to resign after a series of flaps with chairman S.I. Newhouse over company policy. This prompted a high-level shuffling of personnel that appears to have left the company on sturdier footing. A publishing giant to contend with The company is indeed sturdier, thanks to Advance Publications' acquisition of Fairchild Publishing (Jane, W, Women's Wear Daily) from Walt Disney in 1999. Now the only two fashion magazines in the country not run by the company are Harper's Bazaar and Elle. Production of W magazine is being shifted to Conde Nast, though for now, most other management should remain the same. Conde Nast is also working to get ahead in the Internet world. Its site, CondeNet, consolidates its magzines into different categories in order to attract a broader audience. Epicurious.com draws from Bon Appetit and Gourmet, while phys.com presents material from Self and Women's Sport & Fitness. Style.net should be coming soon, supplementing the categorical exception, Vogue.com. The sites, however, are run by Advance Publications' Internet group and not by the magazines themselves, which has raised some controversy among editors. Conde Nast's 17 publications have moved to a brand-spanking-new skyscraper (the first in New York since 1992) at 4 Times Square, complete with a cafeteria designed by the famed Frank Gehry, no less. What more would you expect from the fashionable publishing empire?
Conde Nast's brutal hiring techniques are legendary. "We often keep you hanging," admits a member of the magazine giant's human resources staff. "If we like you, we might call you in for several interviews in the course of a year -- but you might not get any of the jobs." In fact, the human resources department will not even say which jobs are available at any given time, though it does list some openings on selected Internet job boards. For those who can snag an interview, the process is "more relaxed" than many competitors, though one technical interview is possible. One insider reports, "I had one technical interview, but I had more casual conversations with my potential manager, with an editor I would be working closely with, and with someone from human resources." That contact says the company looks for a high-energy people-person, who is "truly interested in working for Conde Nast." The best way to get a job at one of Conde Nast's high-profile magazines is to have a personal connection or make them through a temporary position, which sometimes leads to permanent employment. The firm also sometimes posts advertisements on web pages. The company recently started an employee referral program, in which current employees can receive a sum of money if they refer a candidate that eventually gets hired. However, one contact reports, "Our human resources department is very important, so if you want an interview, start there instead of contacting publishers or ad directors directly." At the new site, CondeNet (www.condenet.com), an online resume can be filled out for positions at the various sites, such as Epicurious (for food), Concierge (for travel), Swoon (for the twentysomething dating scene), Phys (for health and fitness), and Vogue.com. On the CondeNet homepage, click on jobs@CondeNet to find out more. Do not send resumes through email! CondeNast's homepage (www.condenet.com/condenast/), says the company will discard all electronic queries. Instead, try mailing a paper resume and cover letter to: The Conde Nast Publications, 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036. Make sure ATTN: Human Resources is clearly marked on the envelope.
Stilletos and tube tops are not a rare sight at the Conde Nast offices, where many employees seem to have stepped right out of the fashion magazines they produce. One insider notes that employees at Conde Nast are "just a bit more glamorous" than the rest of the "workers of the world." Writers and editors are on top of the "latest trends in fashion before they even become trends." Some also have the opportunity to travel in the "hippest European circles" and to meet the "up-and-coming geniuses in publishing, fashion, and everything else." Says one insider with Nast's New Media division (Conde Net): "the people are young and fun to work with." Employees say that the work schedule is "quite demanding," since they are trying both to "work hard and play hard -- without looking like either takes real effort." Another reports, "Since we hire the best, the corporate culture is very competitive. There is real pressure to perform." Consequently, although the standard hours at Conde Nast are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., "people tend to put in extra hours." One employee reports, "Work hours are 9 to 5, but we all work more than that - it's 6:30pm on Sunday, and I'm in the office." However, one insider in the London office reports a more relaxed schedule, though holiday rush times still apply. "The benefits as far as healthcare and vacation and all that are top notch," says one employee. However, the company's legendary perks, such as free lunch for editorial assistants, have been reportedly cut back since Steve Florio took over as CEO. As for diversity issues, says another insider: "It seems the vast majority of employees are women -- so I guess women are treated just fine." Another notes, "Publishing used to be a male dominated field, but not, especially at Conde Nast, it's more women, many of our publishers and editors are women." The company culture requires that employees "be in a certain frame of dress, mind, and attitude." For those who cannot -- or will not -- conform to their colleagues' "chichi code," watch out: there's a reason they are sometimes called "Conde Nasties." Says one employee: "I have seen some nasty politics on occasion."
Human Resources 4 Times Square1 New York NY 10036
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