In The Spotlight: Delphine Chui
FiveByFive is pleased to announce the start of a new series wherein we will be speaking to a group of inspiring women with kick-ass careers. Our aim is to provide a glimpse into the realities of the working world in a variety of enviable industries, from people in the know. The subjects of these interviews are laying it all out on the table for you, charting the ups and downs of their journey so far and leaving behind some pearls of wisdom for anyone looking for their next big move. Ladies, the sky's the limit and we firmly believe it's never too late to find the holy grail: a job you love.
First unsuspecting volunteer is the lovely Delphine Chui. I think I'll let her introduce herself...
FiveByFive: Hey Delphine! Thanks for joining us. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do for a living?
DC: I'm an online journalist. I'm currently the Digital Features Editor at Marie Claire.
FiveByFive: And how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?
DC: I'm 28.
FiveByFive: Great. So how long have you been in the writing biz?
DC: Seven years! Basically since graduating university.
FiveByFive: How did you get started in the industry?
DC: My sixth-form English teacher suggested I apply for a journalism summer school aimed at state school students who didn’t have a step into the industry. I was too old for it at the time (by a year or so!) but the Young Journalists’ Academy took me on as an events assistant and I got to meet some incredible journalists there and ask for their advice. I always knew I wanted to get into lifestyle writing, but I managed to get a business card from a financial journalist at the Wall Street Journal and he put me in touch with their weekend supplement team, which ended up being my first “proper” newspaper internship. From there, I kept applying for work experience placements here, there and everywhere and did everything from working at the fashion cupboard at Company magazine to working youth events PR for the BBC!
FiveByFive: Wow! So did you need a degree or any particular qualifications to get your foot in the door?
DC: I did Anthropology at university, with a plan of taking a Journalism masters or postgraduate course later. I actually got a place on a lifestyle course at London College of Fashion but at the same time I was offered a short-term assistant role at GQ.co.uk. I decided to go for the job instead and have never looked back! There’s a lot to be said about learning on the job, I think.
FiveByFive: That's so true! What personal qualities would you say have helped you get to where you are today?
DC: Probably tenacity and organisational skills. I used to have a moodboard of all the magazines I wanted to work for when I was younger and it was a constant reminder of who I needed to chase or get in touch with.
FiveByFive: Gotta admire a gal who focuses on her goals! Whereabouts do you live? Do you have any favourite hotspots in London you would recommend to our readers?
DC: I live in South London and always have. I love all the restaurants near Bellenden Road in Peckham for real culinary menus with casual vibes (and price point). Artusi is great for Italian there. Crystal Palace Park is one of my favourite places in the world to just sit and meander around – and you can rent a boat near the dinosaurs! I also love The Great North Wood pub in West Norwood which is in a gorgeous Georgian building - and they’ve got organic wine!
FiveByFive: Yeah...we didn't even know that was a thing! What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a career in journalism?
DC: Stay current. Read everything from magazines, newspapers, websites to random writers on Medium.com. Find styles you like and come up with a list of dream publications you’d like to write for. Study them and keep trying to reach out to them. People are quite receptive if you ask them for a quick coffee and it’s good to get your face and name on people’s radars!
FiveByFive: Time for a confession. At the risk of sounding like a complete creeper, I’ve developed a bit of a girl crush on you over the years. You’ve got some serious Insta-game! Who or what would you say are your style inspirations?
DC: Ha, girl, I am the biggest girlcrusher (if that’s even a word?) out there. I love being inspired by other people’s styles, from everything from their home décor, to their wardrobe, to how they take their Instagram shots! Life is basically a giant Pinterest board these days… I am funnily enough currently on a year-long shopping ban so my inspiration is anything that can inspire me to use the clothes I already have in my wardrobe! I’m also trying to embrace more colour in my life – but ultimately? My style is all about comfort and that does sometimes mean my shoes are more sensible than stylish…
FiveByFive: You have such a multicultural background. Your bio says you are ½ Belgian and ½ Chinese. What are your favourite parts of your diverse roots?
DC: I think it helped me understand how different we all are when it comes to culture, personalities and even preferences. It also made me endlessly curious about other parts of the world, namely their traditional practices and their food. I LOVE Chinese food and Belgians make the best chips. (Sorry France.)
FiveByFive: Do you ever just write for fun nowadays or is it too much like hard work?
DC: Funnily enough, I really regret not having a blog – and my argument always was that after a day writing, I’d be too tired to write in the evening. I think I forgot how much I enjoy writing just for myself. I’m trying to be better at it.
FiveByFive: You’ve worked your way up from Intern to Editor. What do you think has been the biggest learning curve in your career?
DC: The best piece of advice anyone ever gave me was that sometimes to move up, you have to move out. I’ve moved around a lot to get different experience but I always made sure to leave places on good terms as the magazine journalism world is a small one!
FiveByFive: That is great advice! What‘s your go-to interview technique? Do you use shorthand, voice recorders or are you ‘old-fashioned’ and opt for a trusty pen and paper?
DC: I use a Dictaphone and I tend to just try and forget about it and build a rapport. You tend to get much better answers if you have a conversation with someone rather than an interrogation. I always have a guideline of what I want to ask but if we go off-topic, I like to see where that takes me, too.
FiveByFive: You have an incredible CV for someone so young. It reads like a veritable who’s who of leading consumer magazines; Stylist, Grazia, Glamour, Asos, Marie Claire... How do you prepare yourself for such fast-paced, demanding and competitive environments?
DC: I think the best thing to remember is that nowhere is as scary or overwhelming as you think it’s going to be. Ultimately, people want to have a cohesive and fun team so it’s important to see your employers as people and not just terrifying editor types! If you work hard, it’ll be recognised.
FiveByFive: Amen Sister! You’ve also been with GQ, Ask Men and Men’s Health. Would you say there are any glaring disparities between male and female focused publications?
DC: I’ve only ever worked at the GQ office, the rest I freelanced for remotely, but is there a difference? Yes! Hugely. I was the only woman on the team when I was at GQ and now I work exclusively with women. The dynamic is different, yes, but the overall goal is the same: to produce entertaining content for our readers – I’d be lying if I said men and women didn’t have different managing styles.
FiveByFive: OK spill. What's the most nervous you've ever been in a work situation?
DC: I think I’m probably always a bit nervous! I’m quite a worried person TBH so maybe the key situation for me was when I was at a magazine that closed down and we were all made redundant. I remember feeling really hopeless at the time but it ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me, as it pushed me to move out of my comfort zone and try something new!
FiveByFive: Who are you inviting to your dream dinner party? (Can be real or fictional, dead or alive)
DC: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. My sister and I are obsessed with him, ha. He’s got amazing energy and could probably lift up the entire dinner table with his pinky finger. I’d also want someone who would push the agenda and talk about real shit like the founder of School For Justice (who train former child sex workers into being lawyers) or Amal Clooney. And, I’d want Helen Mirren because she’s brilliant. I’d also want a load of dogs – just because.
FiveByFive: Fair enough! If we took a peek at your desk, what would we be most likely to find? A) An iPad and designer handbag, B) A vintage typewriter and messy notebook, C) Countless overdue post-it notes and four empty Starbucks containers or D) A plush toy and photos of your friends and family?
DC: My desk is always a mess! I usually have a stack of books, perfume, rings, hand cream, lip balm, a notebook, pens and snacks. I don’t actually drink coffee (I aspire to but just don’t like the taste!) so I usually just have a big bottle of water too.
FiveByFive: No coffee? Can't compute. Moving swiftly on. What would be the moment you know you’ve made it? What’s the dream?
DC: This sounds so millennial and lame but the morning I woke up verified on Twitter felt like a big moment for me! So the tech geek in me would say getting verified on Instagram and Facebook – but to be honest, every time I see my byline, it’s always a reminder of how far I’ve come.
FiveByFive: Over the years you must have interviewed countless celebrities and influencers. What would you say have been some of the highlights and why?
DC: I did in-car interviews during fashion week once and opened a bottle of champagne to serve up a glass to model Leomie Anderson and it spilt EVERYWHERE so that’s a highlight that always stays in my mind because it was actually hilarious and made for good viewing. Other celebrities’ I’ve been inspired by probably include Jon Hamm from Mad Men who had a pretty rough time growing up and was so inspiring. Plus, he told me at the end of the interview that he’d really enjoyed it and thought my questions were really thought provoking! He even called me by my name which I admit made me swoon.
FiveByFive: Yum. How do you strike up a rapport with your interview subjects? Do you have any top tips to make them feel at ease?
DC: I think there’s an element of not making them feel on the spot. Start off with an easy ice-breaker and don’t be afraid to talk about yourself a little too so it feels more like a two-way thing and not just like you’re talking at them.
FiveByFive: A two-way thing with Jon Hamm? Sign me up! How socially savvy are you? Are we talking Casual Instagrammer, Periodic Tweeter, Serial Snapchatter or Devoted Vlogger?
DC: I try to Instagram once every other day during the working week, I always do it first thing to try and catch people when they’re waking up/commuting. I don’t use Snapchat as much anymore now with Instagram stories but I still love their filters. Tweets tend to be an explosion of thoughts or cute dog memes and I’ve never done vlogging, but have thought about maybe starting one!
FiveByFive: If you could pen your debut novel, what would it be called?
DC: If I knew this, I’d be writing it! I’ve always loved the idea of writing a novel so watch this space…
FiveByFive: OK, how about the name of your autobiography?
DC: ‘I’m more productive when my hair’s up’
FiveByFive: So true! Quick change of tone. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing women in the workplace today?
DC: Honestly, I think it’s women not collaborating more. Coming from a pretty much women-only sphere, I’ve found that there can be amazing collaboration and mentorship but also a lot of competitiveness and passive aggression which I think if we rose above, we’d be a lot stronger. I’ve never had to fight for my place in a man’s world because I’ve only ever worked in journalism which is a predominantly female-led space so I can’t speak on that perspective, but as a woman who looks younger than I am, I find that we are always judged by our appearance and that’s a real shame. Judge me by my talent and merit instead!
FiveByFive: Here here! Can you tell us the most cringe moment of your career to date and how did you deal with it?
DC: Ha! Probably when I took my mum to a work event and the PR talked to her as if she was the journalist and I got ID’ed! I was 25 at the time!! I just laughed it off. That’s all you can ever really do in life really!
FiveByFive: Can you tell us about the best trip you ever took?
DC: I went to a work trip years ago with Virgin and they flew me business class which was a dream in itself. It was incredible to go around Canada and see Vancouver and Victoria. We packed a lot into the few days we had. We even rode on a seaplane that fit eight people in! Those trips are usually jam-packed and exhausting but really worth it.
FiveByFive: If you could go back in time and give yourself an important piece of advice, what would it be?
DC: Worry less! Have more fun! And stay out later! I think I was a bit too sensible and safe at the beginning of my career.
FiveByFive: If you weren’t a journalist, what would you be in another life?
DC: Something to do with dogs! I had an interview for Battersea Dog’s Home years ago to work in their communications team but I didn’t go for it back then as still wanted to pursue journalism so maybe that was my sliding doors moment…
FiveByFive: And finally, what's your death row meal choice?
DC: I genuinely love food so I’d ask for a dim sum cart, tapas and some Middle Eastern mezze. All vegetarian, though.
FiveByFive: Thanks so much for your time! :) x
You can follow Delphine and keep up to date with all things fashion, travel and dogs on Instagram @delphinechui and Twitter. Check out some of her amazing work on her website too.
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