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Job-seeking in publishing

Many recent graduates and other women interested in breaking into the industry join Women in Publishing to make informal contacts with people to whom they can speak frankly, and ask advice of, in confidence.

Vacancies can also be advertised inexpensively in WiPlash, or via our email network. See our news pages for the latest vacancies.

First steps for finding a job in publishing

Look for jobs in:

o The Guardian (Mondays, Creative & Media section, repeated in Saturday Guardian)

o The Bookseller (every Friday; available in reference section of public libraries)

o on the internet: useful sites include www.guardianunlimited.co.uk and www.thebookseller.com/careerfocus


Register your CV with www.bookcareers.com and with the specialist publishing recruitment agencies:

o Meridian, 12 Southwick Mews, London W2 1JG, tel. 020 7402 6633
o Judy Fisher Associates, 7 Swallow Street, London W1R 7HD,
tel. 020 7437 2277, www.judyfisher.co.uk
o JFL (Judy Farquharson Ltd), 27 Beak Street, London W1F 9RU,
tel. 020 7009 3504, www.jflrecruit.com
o Inspired Selection (London), 3rd floor, Grosvenor Gardens House, 35-37 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W OBS, tel. 020 7953 4060, www.inspiredselection.co.uk
o Inspired Selection (Oxford and other areas), Clarendon Enterprise Centre, Clarendon House, 52 Cornmarket Street, Oxford OX1 3HJ, tel. (01865) 304090, www.inspiredselection.co.uk
o Career Moves, Sutherland house, 5-6 Argyle Street, London W1
o Intelligent Resources, London Fruit and Wool Exchange, Brushfield Street, London E1 6EP
o Isis Recruitment Consultancy, 2nd floor, Clarendon House, 52 Cornmarket Street, Oxford OX1 3HJ, tel. 01865 304090
o Astron Ltd, 1 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DJ
Contacts: Colin Ancliffe, Deborah Rea Email reception@goastron.com
tel. 020 7763 7144 (for second jobs, not first-timers)

Find out about the publishing house to which you are applying:

o check it out in The Writers' Handbook or Writers' and Artists' Yearbook to find out what sort of publishing it does
o look at its website: find out how big the company is, how many employees it has, how long it has been in operation, whether its ownership has recently changed, and who its main competitors are
o if it operates within the UK trade, check out some of its titles in bookshops



. . . about publishing in general:

o read The Bookseller
o attend WiP meetings as often as you can and read the meeting reports afterwards in WiPlash
o get some work experience in a publishing house and use your time there to ask about everything that goes on
o try to get to book fairs and other publishing-related events
o join a reading group - even if you aren't going to be working in mainstream trade publishing, it will tell you a lot about what readers think



. . . about the job itself:

o read the job description and person specification carefully and work out where your experience/skills/aptitudes match the requirements
o write these points down and take the notes with you, just in case you 'freeze' at the interview (it happens!).



At the interview:

o smile, and be enthusiastic
o have some questions ready that you can ask the interviewer
o ask questions that go beyond the job itself, to indicate your interest in publishing as a whole
o be enthusiastic
o never assume the interviewer has fully registered everything you put in your CV and covering letter: be ready to talk about some of the points (even if you've never had a job before and are only talking about your interests or your activities while in full-time education) in more detail
o be enthusiastic
o if the salary is too low, avoid getting into discussions about salary until you've actually been offered the job: your new employers will only consider whether they can be flexible when they're committed to you.

Finally, be patient. You are probably up against heavy competition, so don't take rejection personally. Keep doing the right things and eventually you will achieve your goal.


Good luck!

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© Women in Publishing 2006. 'Job seeking in publishing' compiled by Gill Rowley. Website designed and maintained by Women in Publishing. Hosting by Cornwell Internet. Images courtesy of www.freeimages.co.uk. Women in Publishing logo by Dandi Palmer.