As I am drawing to the end of my Publishing Media degree it is time to start looking for a job within the publishing industry. But where do you start!??

 First I have to pick an area that interests me the most: This is easier said than done.. I am extremely lucky that my course has provided me with such a clear look into each department and has given me skills that can be used across them all!!

 At the moment I am most drawn to the marketing department, however I would like to spend time developing my design skills and possibly going into that area at a later date. Something that has been made clear to me is that it is better to apply for a range of jobs and hope that you are selected - from there it is much easier to change paths from within the industry especially on more competitive teams. 

 The second thing is to ensure that you have some experience: Publishers love it when you have worked within the industry before.. This is common for most industries but seems to be the most prevalent within publishing? Not sure why!! This is perhaps what my CV is missing the most but it is about shaping what I have learnt on my course and ensuring that it is clear I have worked on projects that are similar to those in a real publishing environment. 

 Thirdly, networking: I feel like I’ve said this with them all but this is the most important.. If you have already had the briefest conversation with someone and then meet them again in an interview they will hopefully remember you! (As long as it was a good first impression!!) If they are not someone that is going to be interviewing they might just be able to let you know that there will be a new job advertised soon.

 Finally, tailoring your CV: As I mentioned at the start one of the things that any people do when they are applying for publishing jobs is to apply for a variety of roles. If you are doing this you need to ensure that your CV is specialised to each role and company. This is even more important if you are applying for jobs in the same company!! For example, Penguin Random House likes it when in your professional statement you mention the job role and company. This just highlights to them that you have read the advertisement and aren’t using the same CV for everything.  

A great place to start and get any help is SYP - click here to find out more

Fingers crossed it doesn’t take too long to find a job in publishing after graduation!! If you are also applying good luck!!