But if you have aspirations of working for a publisher, fortunately, there are several things that you can do with your resume to ensure that you stand out. The most important part of any resume is communicating to the employer that your skills match their needs, according to Nick Corcodilos’ book Resume Blasphemy. At the very core, jobs in publishing often mean balancing editorial, or content-focused, priorities with marketing goals. Publishers understand the importance of both sides of the coin because even if they have the best book in the world to sell, it does them no good if they can't market it. Conversely, their marketing techniques may be spot on, but customers won't respond if the book or magazine isn't relevant.
There are numerous jobs available at a publishing firms. Editorial assistants handle administrative tasks, such as filing submissions and scheduling appointments, as well as light editing and copy work. Assistant editors may edit larger bodies of works and fact check while still supporting managing editors by working with printers and layout teams to ensure the quality of the finished work. Managing editors work with marketers to develop publicity campaigns, but their main priority is ensuring the editorial integrity of a project and making sure it has the correct voice. Acquisitions editors work to find new projects for the publisher to work on. The editorial process also requires proofreaders, legal experts, designers, desktop publishers, salespeople, Internet specialists, and a team of marketers and copy editors to complete a single project, as well as many others.
Of course, each publishing firm has a specific personality and set of core values that it upholds, and each seeks different characteristics in prospective employees. According to www.bookjobs.com, there are more than 10 different kinds of publishing houses.
Job seekers frequently ignore one of their most valuable assets when it comes to creating resumes and cover letters, and that is the job post itself. Pay specific attention to the language that the company uses in its posting. Is it looking for an "enthusiastic team player" or "someone who works well without direct supervision" or someone who reports to several different people versus one supervisor”? Use any key words and phrases from the post in both your resume and cover letter. People often feel intimidated when formulating a resume, but that needn't be the case. While it's true that a recessionary economy means that more people are competing for less jobs, frequently, less is more when it comes to what you want to include in your credentials. Keep your cover letter close to five paragraphs in length and ensure that your resume fits on one page. The human resources professionals who first scan your credentials will thank you for the brevity.
The easiest way to decide what should go on your resume is to pretend that you only have 60 seconds to tell a prospective employer why they should hire you. Those points should be the basis of your cover letter. The cover letter provides a more in-depth review of your personal qualifications and characteristics, as well as telling the prospective publisher how you heard about the job and why you are applying. Then, pretend you only have 30 seconds to tell someone about what you have done on a daily, weekly, or quarterly basis at your most recent positions, as well as a 30-second summation of your education and training. Those points should serve as the basis for your resume entries.
Remember to put the most relevant information at the top of your resume. If you are just graduating from school and have little professional experience, it's likely that your education will be the most relevant to a publisher. However, if you've been in the industry for several years and have solid experience in your favor, put that at the top and keep your education toward the bottom.
Don't assume that the publisher will know what your acronyms or abbreviations stand for. For instance, if you are familiar with Associated Press style, be sure to write out “Associated Press style” instead of "AP." Remember, too, that you need not include every job you've ever held on your resume, but be prepared to explain any gaps in employment history or unemployment. In How to Handle a Gap in Your Job History, Cynthia Wright says that it's important to remember that just because you're not working doesn't mean you can't stay busy. Volunteering experience can be immensely valuable to potential employers. And just because your previous experience may not be in the publishing field does not mean that it didn't impart to you other skills or talents that publishers will find desirable. For instance, if you worked as a restaurant server, that might show that you have strong time management and personal interaction skills, as well as an ability to multi-task. If you spent several months working with a temp agency, it shows that you are adaptable and can quickly learn new skills. Every experience has value, but the trick is relating it back to the publisher's needs.
One of the most dire mistakes prospective employees can make is not personalizing resumes and cover letters. You should never, ever send the same resume and cover letter to different jobs, and make sure you address your cover letter to an actual person. Even if the job posting does not provide the necessary information, call the company and ask the operator for the name of the person to whom you should address the letter. If they cannot provide that information, ask for the name of the human resources director as a safe default. There's generally no reason you have to settle for a boring and impersonal "To Whom It May Concern."
While it's always important to maintain the highest spelling and grammar quality on your resume and cover letter, remember it counts doubly for publishing firms that spend much of their efforts on proofreading and analyzing content. A single misplaced comma could cost you a job, so remember that one of your most valuable tools can be another set of eyes.
Whenever possible in both your resume and cover letter, quantify your contributions and illustrate your value in dollar amounts. Especially in a recession, publishers want to see how much money you can make or save them. Bullets like, "Implemented a new web-hosting software that saved the company $41,000 annually" or "Created an advertising campaign that generated $102,000 in quarterly revenue" can be extremely compelling.
Make it as easy as possible for a prospective employer to contact you by putting your contact information on both your cover letter and resume pages. Don't make the mistake of assuming that someone will review both of the documents so that it's okay to put your contact information on just one of the sheets. Also keep in mind that the pages could get separated; imagine if a publisher wanted to hire you but simply couldn't find the way to get in touch with you!
Remember to use the same format for both your cover letter and resume. Consistency does matter — even little things like consistently formatting your dates of employment or abbreviating state names versus writing them out in full. These small touches will ensure that your resume and cover letter will get noticed above all others.
