The SYP’s Annual Conference – Career Clinic

Posted on October 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

Publishing is one of the toughest industries to get into and trying to obtain an entry-level position requires more than a sparkling CV and a well written cover letter. At this year’s conference we’ve invited four industry recruitment consultants and HR professionals to hold mock interviews so you can come and practice your interview techniques and build your confidence. Below you will find the fictional list of entry-level publishing jobs you can apply for. Come by and give our expert panel the chance to hire you!

STM/Academic Publishing

Commercial Sales Administrator – Academic Publishing

If you have some publishing experience and are interested in working for a prestigious academic publisher, this could be an excellent opportunity for you.

A well-established publisher of academic journals is looking for a Commercial Sales Administrator to support the journal commercial sales team. You will support the commercial sales account managers by taking on the bulk of the administrative tasks to improve efficiency in the team reporting to the Head of Commercial Sales. Your main responsibilities will be: ensuring internal processes, workflows and interdepartmental communications run smoothly; liaising with clients/customers and suppliers to ensure best possible service and secure sales; processing invoicing and dealing with payment queries; coordinating sales requirements for promotional materials and administering the process with design and marketing; general admin duties including maintenance of the database and tracking page charges; support advertising sales efforts in developing business from STM journals, this part of the role is designed to encourage sales activity linked to these journals.

The successful candidates will be a graduate or equivalent with some knowledge of publishing or some relevant work experience. You will have a keen sense of quality customer service, a good eye for detail, excellent word processing and Excel skills, as well as a good understanding of the internet and email. You should have the ability to manage external and internal relationships and be able to work well under pressure, take responsibility and show initiative. Finally you will have excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as strong organisational and team-working skills. This is an excellent opportunity to join a friendly team in a unique business that offers support and good benefits, including company bonus, pension, permanent health and life assurance.

Digital Publishing Assistant – STM Publishing

Are you looking for your first step into digital publishing? Then this could be the ideal role for you! Our client is a leading supplier of environmental publications based in Central London and they are looking for a Digital Publishing Assistant to join their digital publishing team.

This is a fantastic role for a candidate looking for their first step into digital publishing. The main part of this role will be community managing the website; commissioning authors to contribute, developing contacts, maintaining the site, acting as first point of contact for any user queries, monitoring and updating the site blog, producing monthly email newsletters and updating the website help material and guidance.

You will also be responsible for promoting campaigns and developing digital marketing techniques, designing digital promotional materials using Adobe CS, support the Books Editor to optimize digital marketing process, advertising for events and providing digital and editorial support to editors and other members of the team.

The successful candidate will have some technical experience, a working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, CMS and confident in using websites and social media. An interest in environmental science is essential and a degree or equivalent would be advantageous.

Editorial Assistant – STM Publishing

Our client, a not-for-profit medical publisher based in Central London, is seeking an Editorial Assistant to assist in coordinating, editing, publishing, and providing editorial assistance in the publications of two journals and any supplements that may be associated with it.

The role will involve daily liaison with authors and editors, support to academic editors in the peer review process, assist in the organisation and attendance of twice yearly editorial meetings, assist with editorial preparation, copy-editing and production of publications. There would also be some assistance with other editorial projects, including input to web blog sites, e-interactive projects and online innovations.

The successful candidate will have solid experience within an STM publishing environment, a high level of grammar and rewriting skills and be an excellent communicator in order to provide advice to authors during the revision process, as well as liaise with editors, reviewers and editorial boards. You will be a positive, enthusiastic and pro-active individual excited about the prospect of working within a growing publications environment as well as showing a methodical and accurate approach to your work. You should be self-motivated, organised with good team working skills while having the flexibility to work effectively as part of a small team on your own initiative. A professional manner, as well as an ability to remain calm under pressure, prioritise and meet tight deadlines is essential. A science degree or equivalent would also be an advantage.

Marketing Assistant, Academic Publishing

Our client is a leading international publisher of journals, books and electronic media for academic, educational and professional markets. They are looking for an enthusiastic Marketing Assistant to join their busy books marketing team to provide support across the education and study skills set.

Key Duties:
– Assisting with briefing and production of marketing materials
– Management of author care
– Managing the book review process
– Updating information on the company’s website pages and internal systems
– General administration support

Essential Skills and Experience:
– Educated to degree level or equivalent
– Work experience within publishing and/or marketing
– Proven time management and organisational skills
– Excellent team work and communication skills
– Computer literate – particularly with Word and Excel.

This post provides administrative and general marketing support across educational lists, ensuring the smooth running of marketing processes within the team. This is a fantastic role for a candidate with strong communication and organisational skills looking for their first role within a marketing and publishing environment.

Assistant Production Editor

A well respected independent publisher of academic and technical journals based in Central London is looking for an Assistant Production Editor to join their Journal’s production team. You will be responsible for overseeing the timely, efficient and accurate publication of a short list of speciality titles.

Your main duties within this role will be to initiate the production process and manage the manuscripts and issues through this process; manage submissions; liaise internally during the production process to ensure all information is accurate and available; produce and check proof documents; compile running sheets and maintain print, bind, offprint and eprint orders; responsible for newsletter administration; provide general administrative support to the team.

With previous experience in a journal production role the successful candidate will be flexible, incredibly organised, and have an excellent eye for detail. You will be a proactive individual with outstanding interpersonal skills and top notch verbal and written communication skills. Concerning IT skills you must be technically adept with a working knowledge of MS Office and Acrobat.

Trade Publishing

Sales Executive/ Support Co-ordinator

A leading trade publisher based in Central London is looking to appoint a Sales Executive to join their busy sales team selling fiction, non-fiction, children’s and reference titles. Responsibilities include: supporting 2 key account directors, reporting on sales figures, creating presentations, preparing sales kits, creating mock-ups as well as contributing to backlist retailer promotions.

The successful candidate will have sales support experience ideally gained within sales and publishing environment, you will be highly motivated, with excellent communication skills. This is a great opportunity to develop your career in publishing sales and learn how to manage accounts.

Junior Designer

A leading independent trade publisher based in Central London is looking to appoint a Junior Designer to join their team producing high quality illustrated books on food and drink, health, mind, body and spirit. Key responsibilities include: designing innovative and creative jackets and presentation materials and managing assigned design projects from brief to print. The successful candidate will have proven design experience within illustrated publishing and excellent InDesign and Quark skills. You will be highly motivated, with the ability to produce commercially appealing designs and juggle a varied workload to deadline and budget. This is an excellent opportunity to build your design career within illustrated book publishing and develop new skills.

Marketing Assistant

A leading trade publisher based in Central London is looking to appoint a Marketing Assistant to join their busy marketing team. You will be working across fiction and non-fiction campaigns assisting the Marketing Manager with both online and traditional campaigns. Responsibilities include: writing AI copy, putting together packs for sales meetings, creating sales presentations, coordinating proof mailings, assisting with book signings, contributing to online and social media platforms.

The successful candidate will have some marketing experience ideally gained within a book publishing environment; you will be highly motivated, with excellent communication and writing skills. This is a great opportunity to develop your career in publishing and learn how to manage and execute campaigns.

Production Assistant

We have an excellent opportunity for a Production Assisant to join a busy production team, working to produce special sales and customized publishing projects.　

This position will give the successful candidate a unique opportunity to develop and broaden their production and commercial skills. This small friendly team works closely with our global sales colleagues to produce exciting formats and editions to fulfil customer briefs, or niche market opportunities. You will be involved in the development, negotiation, creation and delivery of product for various global markets across both Adult and Children’s lists. You will assist with projects from conception to delivery including costing, sourcing, scheduling, quality control, as well as general administration.

The ideal candidate will have solid experience of establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with both internal and external colleagues, as well as proven working knowledge of databases and data entry. You will be organised and able to prioritise in an efficient manner and will have a proactive approach with a keen desire to learn and to share.

Editorial Assistant

A leading London publishing house is looking for an Editorial Assistant to join their busy team, on a permanent basis, to supporting the non-fiction editorial team.

Key responsibilities will include: Checking artwork, proofs and digital releases to ensure high quality copy and accuracy, ensuring text and photos meet copyright/permission requirements, updating spreadsheets and databases where appropriate, and liaising with other departments in the publishing house, as well as authors where necessary.

The successful candidate will have solid editorial skills including copyediting and proofreading with solid organisational skills and the ability to monitor and oversee schedules on projects. You should have a good understanding of the publishing process and be able to manage your time effectively in order to meet tight deadlines.

Choose which role you want to prepare for and then come along to our Career’s Clinic at our Annual Conference and try out your interviewing skills on our recruitment consultants and HR professionals!