Want Anne Hathaway’s job in ‘Devil Wears Prada’? Vogue editor Anna Wintour is looking for a new assistant

Heads up, fans of “The Devil Wears Prada”: If you’ve always dreamed of working for the intimidating fashion editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) — if so, are you a masochist? — here’s the closest chance to it you’ll get.

Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, recently issued a posting for an assistant to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue and whom the character of Priestly is widely believed to be based on.

Glancing at the job description for the role, it bears a striking resemblance to the duties of Priestly’s totally green assistant Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) in the hit 2006 film.

“The successful candidate will be extremely organized, efficient, deadline-oriented, and able to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced, matrixed, digital media environment,” reads the job description. “This is a tremendous opportunity for an ambitious, business-savvy professional who is passionate about culture, fashion, digital media, and content.”

Among their primary responsibilities, of which there are no fewer than 12, the successful candidate must “demonstrate emotional intelligence, judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in all matters.” The job also calls for someone who can “anticipate problems and help avert them.”

Like Andy, Wintour’s new assistant will likely have to fetch Wintour’s coffee each morning and try not to forget the slew of directives she rattles off to her assistants, often without any background information (if the movie is to be believed).

Candidates must have a college degree and one to two years of internship and work experience, along with “confidence, enthusiasm, and a can-do attitude balanced by humility and a willingness to learn.”

The job, based in New York City and working out of the One World Trade Center, pays between US$60,000 to $80,000.

It’s a similar role to the one once held by American writer Lauren Weisberger, who wrote the bestselling 2003 novel “The Devil Wears Prada,” which was turned into a film of the same name and, more recently, a musical. (Since Weisberger’s stint at the publication from 1999 to 2000, Wintour has added the title of Condé Nast global chief content officer to her list of duties.)

Other assistants have spoke candidly about working with the notorious editor. Laurie Schechter, one of Wintour’s first assistants, shared how she lost eight pounds on her first two weeks on the job. Another former assistant, Meredith Asplundh, said she was told to never leave her desk, even to use the washroom, unless another assistant was present.

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