Tag Archives: advice
Oxford Publishing Society: 21st Century Publishing Careers
On Thursday we attended the OPuS Event Careers in 21st century publishing at Oxford Brookes University. The event featured three speakers from a wide range of companies who talked through their own specific work experience path. The event aimed to answer questions on the ease of progressing and moving around in publishing, what key elements are needed to build your career and the possibility of finding success outside traditional publishing companies.
Ian Campsall, Product Manager for The Science Direct Article Page at Elsevier
Ian completed the Oxford Brookes MA as he wanted to change careers. He completed an internship at John Wiley and then applied for the position of Digital Publishing Executive at Wiley, he then moved into product management for mobile platforms. He is now Product Management for Elsevier working on The Science Direct Article page.
Aaron O’Dowling-Keane, Sales and Marketing Manager at Sherlock: The Game is Now
Aaron also studied the MA in Publishing at Oxford Brookes and completed internships at OUP and the International Labour Office in Geneva. Her first role in publishing was for a small African Publisher in Oxford, she then moved away from publishing into crowdfunding, then story led interactive games and is now a Sales and Marketing Manager for a Sherlock themed escape room.
Saskia Watts, Marketing Specialist, VitalSource (Ingram)
After completing her MA in Publishing at Oxford Brookes, Saskia worked for Lightening Source as a marketing coordinator and she is now a marketing specialist for Ingram Vital Source.
Here are some interesting tips from the evening:
• Take risks
• Technology is everything and digital skills are important
• Organisation is key
• Talk to your company about career development opportunities
• Soft skills are vital
• Feedback is a good thing, use constructive feedback to improve
• Recognise that publishing is all about collaboration
• Take Risks, if the role does not suit you and you are not happy move on
• Be curious and talk to everyone, get to know people from different places
• Try everything and do everything, volunteer at university events, join societies like OPuS, SYP
• Create the role that you want
• Adapt and be flexible and keep learning
Useful links:
Oxford Publishing Society, OPuS: http://oxfordpublishingsociety.org/
SYP (Society of Young Publishers): https://thesyp.org.uk/
Filed under Advice, Industry News & Events
B2B Job Focus: Market Reporters
Do you remember our article about B2B reporters? Today we will look at a specific category of journalists: Market Reporters!
Market Reporters
Market reporters (or Pricing/Price Reporters) are journalists with distinct duties. They assess commodities prices and write market commentaries and news on specific markets.
Commodities are substances or products that can be traded. Single commodities markets include metals (gold, zinc, steel), energy (fuel oil, natural gas) or agriculture (rice, wheat, corn).
Market reporters talk to trader and investors to establish a list of prices, either on a daily or weekly basis. They also need to develop solid relationship with commodity analysts, forecasters, financial planners and company CEOs and expand and maintain this network.
Investors rely on market reporters for information about what to buy, sell or hold. As their analysis has an impact on the stock market, these journalists can be influential. They need a great deal of diplomacy as well as resilience and communication skills.
Typical duties
Market reporters are expected to:
- Develop an expertise of their industry, build strong contacts within it and attend relevant conferences, meeting and events
- Assess prices and write commentaries and news about the industry
- Interview professionals and travel when required to attend meetings
- Keep up to date and report on foreign markets
- Have a good head for numbers and be meticulous with the data they collect
Background
Our clients are open to graduates with the following degrees:
- Journalism
- Finance
- Business
- Economics.
Of course, employers will expect you to have excellent writing and numerical skills. For senior positions, a relevant track record in the industry is necessary.
This article was the last of our series on B2B Job Focus, we hope you enjoyed it!
Filed under Advice
SYP Panel Help Aspiring Publishers to Kick-Start Their Career
In September, SYP London kindly hosted ‘Kick-Start Your Career: How to Succeed with your Job Search this Autumn’ for aspiring and entry level publishing candidates hoping to gain some career and work experience from established members of the industry. Speakers included our very own Associate Director Helen Speedy, who all brought their experiences and insights on how to build a successful career in publishing.
Did you miss the event? Perhaps you would like a recap! Helen Speedy shares her publishing career advice and experiences.
Explain your role and how you got there (approx. 5 mins each).
I am the Associate Director at Atwood Tate, a specialist publishing recruitment company based in Central London and Oxford. My job is to manage the Permanent team day-to day, who consist of seven consultants and an administrator, and make sure everybody is hitting their targets, having smooth relations with both clients and candidates and generally feeling happy. I am also the contact for senior publishing roles across the country, so a day can be talking through pipelines and business development with my team, or taking briefs from clients and sourcing appropriate candidates for the recruitment process.
I got my first job through talking to one of the speakers at the Oxford Brookes Careers Day towards the end of my MA, who gave me the contact details of someone looking for an Office Junior.
How do I get my first job in publishing?
There are a number of ways to get your first publishing job, and it’s worth trying a few to give yourself the best possible chance.
- MA (plus work experience and networking)
- Work experience placements that could lead to your first job
- Through an agency – temping can lead to perm or to getting that work experience you needed but being paid properly along the way (also perm)
- Networking events are a great way to build up your contacts and make a good impression before you’ve even made an application!
- Proactive volunteering/personal work are also worth considering to boost your CV and stand out from the crowd. It is a lot easier to prove your interest in children’s illustrated fiction if your social media, blogging or volunteering backs you up!
What advice would you give your younger self, when you were just starting out?
Be more confident and don’t always assume that there are people better qualified than you.
What do you regret doing in your career?
I don’t have any regrets really. That may sound a bit complacent, but I have the philosophy that you make the right decision at the time and there is no point looking back. There are various points in my career when I could have taken a different path and I have turned down jobs and also taken roles that didn’t quite turn out to be what I thought. I remind myself that I made those decisions and they felt like the right choice at the time. As long as you feel in control and you are happy with your decision at that time, you should not have any regrets. The only lasting regret I have is not calling out a bully, but I was young and in the junior position, so I forgive myself and it has given me the strength to help others confront difficult situations and not be scared to do so myself.
Associate Director Helen Speedy (second from left) after speaking on the panel
What’s the best career advice you’ve heard?
- In terms of CV advice, make sure it shows the difference you made and the impact you’ve had, not just a list of your duties
- If you’ve got lots of voluntary experience, internships and temp roles, try categorising rather than listing chronologically – tell a story and make sure the facts support the narrative.
How do you know if you should go for a role or not?
- Can you tick 70-80% of the boxes (usually nobody has it all!)
- Is it located in a sensible place for you to commute to?
- Does picturing yourself in the role make you feel excited?
- Do you think it would give you opportunities to learn?
- What do you know about the company culture and how that would suit you?
- If you’re not sure, try to have a conversation (with recruiter or name on advert)
Is it off-putting for employers if you apply for lots of different positions at the same company?
It depends on the size of company. It can be off-putting if it looks you are applying for anything and there is no real effort on any of the applications. HR will begin to wonder how can you be truly that interested in so many different roles with different skillsets! If there are different roles that catch your eye, find out if they will refer you if their role isn’t suitable. In a small company,you may get referred internally (I did for my first job and ended up with a better job than the one I applied for!)
Want to hear more about the SYP?
The Society of Young Publishers is a membership body for aspiring publishers and current candidates in the first ten years of their career. With branches in London, Oxford, South-West, North, Ireland and Scotland; the SYP is the biggest membership organisation in the publishing industry. For more details and to sign up, go to https://thesyp.org.uk/membership-signup.
Filed under Advice, Industry News & Events, Industry Voices
Industry Spotlight: Marketing and Publicity
Welcome to Atwood Tate’s industry spotlight series, where we go behind the scenes of each of our recruitment desks to give you the scoop on working with Atwood Tate. This week, Olivia returns, focusing on Marketing and Publicity roles.
Marketing
What do Marketers in publishing do?
Marketers are responsible for promoting a publisher’s products or services to their target audience, whether that be to individual consumers (B2C) or other businesses (B2B). Marketing can broadly be split into traditional (e.g. print advertisements, newsletters, flyers, brochures) and digital (e.g. social media, email, websites, paid search, SEO). The majority of marketing roles in publishing combine the two or are digital focused, so it’s advisable to keep your digital skills up to date.
Marketers have many different channels and techniques at their disposal and roles will vary depending on the nature of the product or service and target audience. For example, if you are marketing books to teachers you are likely to produce a lot of visually appealing marketing collateral and do a lot of direct mail campaigns. On the other hand, if you are marketing a medical journal to doctors you will likely target them with intellectually stimulating email campaigns.
Do you need a marketing qualification to work in marketing?
Absolutely not. It’s something employers might find desirable but a lot of people start out in an entry level role and build up from there. Some people choose a qualification once they’ve built up some experience and decided on an area to specialise in. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM) both provide qualifications which can be studied for alongside a full-time job. Your employer may even cover the cost of the course.
Where can a marketing job take me?
Marketing is great in that the skills and knowledge you develop are very transferable and will be useful for so many employers and different industries. There are a wealth of marketing roles in publishing. Some people choose to stay in one area of publishing for most of their career while others move around different sectors, which is possible to do, especially if you have particular skills or a specialism which is in high demand.
As there are so many marketing roles there are lots of opportunities for career progression and chances to move into management positions or very specialised roles.
Publicity/PR
What do Publicists in publishing do?
Publicists are responsible for managing relationships with authors and dealing with their agents. Their job is to secure press coverage for books in the print, broadcast and online media so they are expected to build strong press relationships. They are also responsible for organising and attending events with authors, such as book launches and signings, interviews, author tours and appearances at literary festivals. Publicists need to stay informed about new trends and developments in their area of publishing and they often attend editorial meetings and contribute to pitches for new acquisitions.
Is PR all about parties and schmoozing with authors?
Yes, you might get the chance to work with high-profile and celebrity authors. You may also work with new and debut authors, which can be just as exciting and rewarding. Regardless of author list, there’s a lot of hard work and relationship building which goes into making any campaign successful.
Do you need a big network of media contacts?
Initially no. In junior roles you will be assisting PR Managers with their campaigns and general admin. As time goes on, you will start to build up a network of contacts. If you are working on particular titles, this may become quite specialised. For example, if you’re working with cookery authors, you will build up contacts with cookery magazines and food bloggers.
What skills do you need to succeed in marketing and publicity?
Marketing and publicity roles are closely linked and require similar skill sets. Anyone who wants to succeed in one of these roles needs superb communication and relationship building skills. They are busy jobs so excellent organisation skills are also essential. Creativity is also important. Some publishers work with small budgets, so you have to be innovative and resourceful to come up with new and inventive ideas. Keeping up to date with trends in the market is also key.
Marketers in particular often need to have strong copywriting skills and a good eye for detail. Photoshop and InDesign experience is a plus, especially if working in a collateral heavy role. Software skills are important as there are marketing programs you will be expected to use, such as CRM, email, social media, marketing automation software and analytics tools. There are a wealth of programs which do different things so it’s good if you can pick them up quickly. Video and audio content creation skills are increasingly desired in publishing, especially when working with online products.
If you are looking for a job in Marketing or Publicity, get in touch with Olivia at Olivia@atwoodtate.co.uk.
Filed under Advice, Industry Spotlight
B2B Job Focus: Sub-Editors
In a previous post, we described different career paths available to B2B reporters. In this article, we explore the significant part played by sub-editors/copy-editors in the editing process!
Sub-editors / Copy-editors
Sub-editors who work for newspapers and magazines are often called copy-editors (or subs). Their role is to process the copy that will appear in their publication. They must ensure that it is accurate, free of mistakes, makes sense and reads well.
Sub-editors often sit in/next to the production team. They do not write articles, but they edit the work of others to “house-style” and adhere to word counts. They also write headlines, standfirsts, captions and summaries. Their duties may include laying out pages too.
Typical tasks
- correcting spelling or grammar/typographical errors
- writing headlines, abstracts and captions
- checking the article’s accuracy and spotting potential legal problems
- cutting or editing copy to fit on the page
- liaising with reporters and editors
- laying out pages
Sub-editors need to be meticulous and ready to edit heavily if necessary. They are more often than not the crafty hands turning articles into compelling stories. They need to be very organised and able to work to tight deadlines.
Many sub-editors trained as journalists before moving on to this position. Unfortunately a lot of publishers outsourced their sub-editing/production function in the last decade and journalists and editors often have to fill in for sub-editors as they don’t have the in-house staff required. And the line is sometimes very thin between these positions.
Career Path
The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Society of Editors and the Publishing Training Centre offer preliminary accredited qualifications or copy-editing courses by distance learning. Graduates with relevant qualifications, such as a degree in English, media or publishing are also considered. The career path for a sub-editor includes being promoted to senior and potentially chief sub-editor or production editor. Their main role is to supervise a team of sub-editors and oversee the whole production process, making sure the magazine is delivered on time and to schedule.
Next week, we will be entering the fascinating world of Market Reporters!
Is our career advice helping you in your job search? Do let us know via our social media channels!
Filed under Advice
B2B Job Focus: Deputy Editors/Editors
Are you a section editor who wants to climb up the career ladder? Today we’ll introduce you to Deputy Editors & Editors!
Deputy Editors/Editors
Deputy Editors are second-in-command within the publication. When the Editor is away, the deputy Editor deputises for them.
Depending on the publication’s size and structure, the role of the Deputy Editor may vary: you can have the same duties as a section Editor’s or assist Editors with their workload. Deputy Editors are usually less involved in hands-on writing and focus more on editing the work of other journalists, assisting the Editor with workflow management and mentoring/managing more junior members of staff. On top of solid writing skills, you will need excellent communication and organisation skills.
Here is a summary of what the role typically involves:
- Edit and proofread the work of writers
- Manage and assign articles (and sometimes write them)
- Oversee the publication’s content to maintain quality and accuracy
- Organise copy editing and production processes
- Mentor or manage junior members of the team
Some publications may use the job title Assistant Editor instead, while other companies both have a deputy Editor and an assistant Editor. Assistant Editors’ main duty is to support the Editor, sometimes by performing a similar role as a section Editor. It’s confusing, we know!
Most deputy Editors have a solid background as a Reporter/Senior Reporter with a keen interest in the editing process. A degree in journalism or in a subject related to the publication (for example, a law degree to work for a law publication) can also be an asset. The next step for a deputy Editor is to become Editor!
Editors
Editors are responsible for the publication’s smooth delivery and more importantly for its Editorial strategy and commercial success. They need to ensure that the content published is accurate and compelling as well as meeting the audience’s needs. Editors act as the face of the publication, and as a result they may be required to attend events and conferences related to their industry. They need to be commercially aware and keeping up-to-date with market trends. They might also be involved in the launch or development of events associated to their publication as events now represent a large part of some publishers’ revenues.
Editors are expected to:
- Plan, coordinate and revise content for publication
- Manage Editorial workflow and monitor the printing process to ensure deadlines are met
- Establish and monitor budgets
- Be aware of market trends and identify new opportunities for new products
- Review story ideas and suggest new ones
- Act as the main point of contact between Editorial team and other departments
- Work with sales and marketing teams to raise brand awareness
- Work with events team to develop/launch new events or provide events content
- Attend industry events and chair panels
- Manage and develop Editorial team, recruiting staff and conducting appraisals
Editors’ responsibilities can be very broad especially if you are working on a small publication. Editors work closely with the sales, marketing and production teams as well as writers to produce a quality publication.
As we mentioned before, job titles vary enormously from a company to another. A step up from Editor would be Managing Editor and/or Editor-in-Chief.
Extensive experience is usually necessary to become an Editor, as we explained in our previous articles on B2B journalism and Section Editors. So if you are an ambitious graduate, you’ll have to get some relevant experience before applying for such a position!
Is our career advice helping you in your job search? Do let us know via our social media channels!
Filed under Advice
B2B Job Focus: Digital / Online / Web Editor
Are you a journalist or a section editor who wants to climb up the career ladder? In a previous post, Atwood Tate introduced you to the world of Section Editors. Today we’ll focus on Digital/Online/Web Editors!
Digital / Online / Web Editor
Web editor positions (also known as Digital or Online editors) developed as online publishing was spreading across publishing. It is now a rare thing for a publication to have a print version only but not so peculiar to have digital only titles! Web editors are responsible for creating content tailored for online publication. This includes a wide range of material from text to videos and podcasts. Web editors create and develop editorial guidelines to attract and increase online audience.
Web editors’ responsibilities include:
- producing appealing content for the publication’s website, app, etc.
- liaising with in-house team members and clients to adapt digital content
- ensuring that search engine optimisation (SEO) is effective
- overseeing the online publication’s layout (text, images, videos…)
- developing and monitoring online communities
- monitoring online messages boards and social media
Web editors act as the main point of contact with technical staff. They need to collaborate with several professionals (web developers, writers, photographers, web designers, the marketing team…) to enhance the website’s visibility. They also monitor online traffic to measure popularity and find new ways to make content attractive.
Required Skills
Not surprisingly, web editors should have strong IT skills. An excellent knowledge of desktop publishing and photo imaging packages like Photoshop and InDesign is necessary to work as a web editor. They must also be familiar with SEO and content management systems. They still need to have strong editorial skills though as this is ultimately an editorial position! And employers value creative candidates who can anticipate the next trade or burning topic within their industry.
Career Background
There is no particular route to become a web editor although a strong body of experience is often required. Many web editors have worked as journalists, and have solid knowledge of online publishing. Some digital editors move into editorial team management, but once again the career paths for this role are pretty flexible. With the boom of online publishing, many companies hired web editors and new graduates are all expected to be familiar with online publishing. It seems that this function is nowadays more and more engrained in Editor roles as onlube publishing has become inevitable and it is probable that this specific function will merge totally in an Editor role.
You can find relevant Digital/Online/Web Editor jobs here: www.atwoodtate.co.uk
Inspired by the different careers in B2B publishing and thinking about new opportunities? We are running a contest to receive a personalised CV surgery session with Karine, our Lead B2B Consultant, to make sure you are the best applicant you can be! Apply here between midnight 20th August and 11.59pm 2nd September to secure your chance!
Filed under Advice, Company News
B2B Job Focus: Section Editors
Thinking of a career in B2B journalism? Atwood Tate is here to help! In a previous post we introduced you to the wonderful world of B2B publishing. Let’s continue our closer look at the different editorial career paths of B2B publishing with Section Editors!
Section Editors
Becoming a section editor is one of the career paths available to reporters/senior reporters interested in editing or getting some managerial experience. Section Editors can focus on a particular type of content like news or features. They could also specialise in a particular topic such as fashion, games or technology.
Section editors are responsible for overseeing the content of their part of the publication. They commission articles for their sections and work independently with their team of journalists (if the publication is big enough for them to have a team). They ensure that their section is of quality, up-to-date with the industry’s latest developments, and informative.
The duties associated with this role include:
- scheduling content for their section of the magazine/website commissioning/writing articles
- supervising freelance writers to ensure they hit deadlines and potentially managing in-house reporters.
- editing, proofreading and subbing copy
Section editors may write some content for the publication but their main duty is to supervise writers and guarantee that deadlines and quality standards are met.
Our clients expect candidates to have solid experience as senior reporters to apply for a section editor position. They are looking for reporters with good proofreading and subbing skills as well as the ability to manage a team and to plan content for the section of the magazine.
The natural progression for section editors is to move on to a deputy editor position and then an editor role. No specific qualification is required to become a section editor but a journalism degree can be a bonus as previously stated in our Reporter focus.
Next week, we will be looking at the typical job description and career path for a Digital/Online/Web Editor position!
Is our career advice helping you in your job search? Do let us know via our social media channels!
Inspired by the different careers in B2B publishing and thinking about new opportunities? We are running a contest to receive a personalised CV surgery session with Karine, our Lead B2B Consultant, to make sure you are the best applicant you can be! Apply here between midnight 20th August and 11.59pm 2nd September to secure your chance!
Filed under Company News
What happens to my CV?
Introduction
If you’ve never worked with a recruitment agency, it might be difficult to know what the different stages actually mean. Does registering with us automatically mean you’ve applied for a job? How will I know what the details are? Lead Recruitment Consultant Karine Nicpon explains.
Applying for role via a job board (Guardian/Gorkana/Bookseller) or via our website
Applying through a job board or through our website doesn’t send your application directly to the client. Instead, it is reviewed for suitability by the consultant, based on a full client brief (required skills, experience and salary expectations.)
If we think you are suitable, we send full details: name and website of the client, job description, salary, and any other relevant information. This is when you can decide how interested you are.
If everything still looks rosy, great! It’s time to send us a tailored CV and cover letter for us to send to the client. The process to your shiny new job begins!
Unfortunately, if we don’t think your skills and experience match what the client is expecting, we won’t proceed with your application. The client hasn’t seen your CV, as we only send over a personalised application with your permission. If you haven’t heard from us, you are welcome to apply for other jobs that we may have available or request to be added to our database for future opportunities.
Registering with us via our website/E-mailing us your CV
When you send us your CV by e-mail, one of our administrators reviews it for relevant experience. If we can help, we invite you in for a registration meeting. If there isn’t enough relevant experience, we have a range of temp and freelance roles to build up your experience. Many temps move into permanent roles, so don’t be disheartened! If your CV is strong but not publishing focused, we send you a reply acknowledging your experience.
Registering your CV via our website is similar: fill in a form with your preferences, which is reviewed against current vacancies to see if we can help. If we can, we invite you in for a registration meeting to discuss your needs and start the job search process!
If we can’t help you, we will let you know so you aren’t left hanging.
Automatic job alerts
Once we have added you to our database, we activate your job alerts (unless you tell us not to!). These are instant alerts to our new vacancies so that you are always aware of the jobs we have. While these come up with a consultant’s email address, they are sent by our IT system based on your preferences, not by the consultants themselves. Receiving a job alert is not a guarantee that your application will be progressed!
If you don’t like the sound of a job you can delete it but, if you do, you can apply via our website for your CV to be reviewed by our consultants. One thing to remember: our alerts are not matched by salary, so please don’t be alarmed or offended if you receive something that seems too high or low for your experience! If you feel you are receiving too many alerts, you can ask to switch them off or edit your preferences directly by logging into your profile.
Contacting the team
Our team are always happy to hear from new and existing candidates. If you would like to get in touch, there are a few options:
- Contact our main office on 0203 574 4420 or info@atwoodtate.co.uk
- Connect with our team on LinkedIn
- Follow us on social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or right here on our blog
Filed under Advice, Company News
