How to Get a Job in Publishing Part 12

* Written or oral 'personality' test at one of your interviews Very hip a few years ago but perhaps seem to have gone out of fashion now. They're designed to see what kind of person you are and if you'd fit their team/culture.

* Drug test Big in the USA but yet to really catch on in Europe or Australia. Some drugs can be detected in your system a month after you use them. Some of these tests have been reported to have common false-positive so if you're not a drug user and you get a positive, be sure to push for a re-test.

* A test that doesn't look like a test Publishing is a hothouse and there will always be what appears to be an unreasonable aspect to the interviewing. As an editor or producer, you want someone who fits into the team, and the judgement is a mix of gut feeling, business, and personal dynamics. On one mag I ran, we started the interview for would-be journos in the office to check them out in daylight, then we took them down to the ineptly-named Golden Age pub (where it was always twilight) for the post-deadline lunch. If they mixed well with the small editorial and ad sales team, had a spark of writing talent, but also knew when to shut up, they had a chance.

(GUY ALLEN, PUBLISHER OF GUIDOMEDIA.COM, AUSTRALIA).

I have been on the board of The Artists Information Company (www.an.co.uk) for about ten years now, and as part of the personnel subcommittee, I help interview staff. For key positions we have developed a routine that has proved very successful: We organise a two-day interview, and this includes a presentation from each candidate and some on-the-spot exercises team tasks and workshop, and joint problem-solving within team delivery. But the key factor has become the dinner for all staff that we organise on the night between the interview days. We arrange a table in a local restaurant and move the candidates around every so often so that all have the chance to talk to them. We are a small team and so getting the right staff mix is vital.

Staff feedback the next day is always significant, and often reveals things that did not come out during the formal interview process. We are interested in their body language and how colleagues relate to each other, who was a good listener and who seemed to want to talk only to those interviewing. And by involving all staff we feel this encourages inclusion and team-building. (ALISON) A good recruitment process should as far as possible replicate the work environment. Most applicants do seem to like our interview process, and say they feel it is thorough and fair although some say they find it odd that they meet all the other candidates! The recruitment process we use means you have also started the induction process for the successful candidate. Staff turnover is not high.

(SU JONES, PUBLISHER, THE ARTISTS INFORMATION COMPANY).

Other types of interviews If you are interviewed by a recruitment agent rather than directly by the publisher, you can be certain there'll be a multi-stage process you'll go though to the publisher for at least one more interview. Recruitment company interviews tend to be a bit less specific partly because they don't know the job as well as the employer, so are homing in more on whether you'll fit in the company culture and partly because they probably want to check you out for other roles in other companies too. They are also more likely to get technical with formal personality testing and the like. For more on their processes, see Chapter 15 on using recruitment agents.

After you've sent off job applications you may well get an unexpected phone interview. This usually happens when you're in Woolworths buying birthday cards while babysitting your ten-year-old nephew, or in the middle of a chat with your current boss. Employers do this if they're a little bit interested in you and aren't quite sure whether to spend the time on bringing you in for interview. For them it's a quick way of narrowing down a long shortlist, or checking something on your CV. For you it's an opportunity to get in the door for an interview. Here's how to handle it: * There's nothing wrong with explaining that you can't talk, and making a time to call them back. This gives you an hour or a day to get your head together, to read the job ad again, to remember which version of your CV you sent in and feel in control.

* Give the conversation your full attention; look away from what is currently on screen or has just arrived in your inbox. Stand up (it helps your voice, as well as your concentration).

* Always carry a pen and paper so you can scribble down phone numbers and names. Have your diary with you so you can check interview times.

* Make sure you get their name and position again, this helps you feel more in control, and reminds you of which job you applied for.

* Answer their questions precisely and succinctly. If the discussion gets too long, or they ask for more detail, it might be an opportunity to say, 'That one's a long story maybe we should discuss it face to face. Would I be able to come in for a meeting?'

* Finish with a query or two about the role, a request for a meeting, or ask what the process is from here. If you get a chance, mention how keen you are to work for their company and always thank them for calling. Ask them for an interview they might say they'll call you back when they've decided who they will be interviewing, but it's good to show initiative. This phone call shows they're interested in you don't let them get away.

* And finally, don't beat yourself up if you think you screwed it up you probably didn't, and even if you did, it gives you a reminder to be better prepared next time.

If this idea of a phone call out of the blue freaks you out, we suggest you a) practise with friends beforehand, b) always, always offer to call back at a better time, or c) don't put your mobile number on your CV.

What if you don't get the job?

You may write it down to experience, but if it was one you really wanted, it's not a bad idea to write back thanking them for interviewing you, saying that you are disappointed and hope they will keep in touch should events not work out as expected. If it doesn't work out with their first choice, they may come back to you; or they may pa.s.s your CV on internally and you get a second bite (perhaps even for a job role that might suit you better than the one you applied for in the first place).

My first job in publishing was as Rights and International Sales Exec for McGraw-Hill Education. I was referred on having applied for another position, in the Marketing department; however senior management felt that my experience and interests were better suited to the Rights and International sales role.

(AMY BLOWER, RIGHTS SALES MANAGER, PEARSON EDUCATION, UK).

My first job was for a Marketing Co-ordinator at Pergamon Press, which became Maxwell Macmillan Publishing within weeks of starting there. It was in response to an advertis.e.m.e.nt placed in the Sydney Morning Herald and while I had a wonderful interview with the Sales Manager, I didn't get the job. The universe aligned three months later when the show-pony they hired went globetrotting. Thankfully, the Sales Manager had kept my details on file, asked if I was still interested, and I started a few weeks later. I worked with him for four years and still speak of him as my finest industry mentor. (RACHAEL MCDIARMID, JAMES BENNETT, AUSTRALIA) But don't keep reminding them how sad you are not to have got the job you could start to sound like you are stalking them: Do follow up the interview if you're really interested in the position. By follow-up, a quick e-mail is sufficient but not weeks of e-mail, phone and mail correspondence I once received weekly motivational business cards from one applicant even after he was advised he was unsuccessful. Disturbing. (RACHAEL MCDIARMID, JAMES BENNETT, AUSTRALIA) More reading.

Lees, Job Interviews: Top Answers to Tough Questions, McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Amos, Handling Tough Job Interviews: Be Prepared, Perform Well, Get the Job, How To Books Ltd, 2004 Jay, Brilliant Interview: What Employers Want to Hear and How to Say It, Prentice-Hall, 2005 www.job-interview.net.

www.jobinterviewquestions.org.

Chapter Seventeen.

How to handle a job offer.

You've given a great interview, because you followed all the advice in the previous chapter. Or perhaps for whatever reason it didn't work out quite so well maybe because the interviewer was even more nervous than you were, or maybe because they just weren't very experienced or very good at it. However the interview has gone, there will now be an awkward pause of anything up to a week or more while you wait, quite possibly in agony (depending on your circ.u.mstances) for the interviewer to let you know whether they want to hear from you again.

Meanwhile, as discussed before, do send a card or a letter or an email to thank them for the interview and refer to something that was said during the interview. Beyond that, we recommend that you try and put this whole thing to the back of your mind and get on with further job applications. Don't put all your eggs in one proverbial. Not only will you avoid losing a whole week, you'll also find something to do with all that nervous energy, and distract yourself from just wondering, wondering, wondering ...

And now, perhaps when you least expect it (see previous chapter: always have a pen and paper with you!), you get the call for a second interview. As we said earlier, there's no need to vary the routine: be polite, be interested, listen hard, don't b.u.mp into the furniture, don't beg but don't overstate your value either.

Once again there's no other option but to wait (and send a thank you). Eventually it comes: The Letter. Your fingers may shake a little as you slit it open to reveal the job offer!

Fan-b.l.o.o.d.y-tastic! You absolute legend. All your hard work and all that research and shoe-polishing has paid off. Now what? You should of course celebrate the moment, in however extravagant and debauched a fashion as feels excessive and disproportionate. Whatever happens from this point on, it's always far better to have options than not.

Still, there's actually a little thinking to do before you rock up to the office on a Monday morning at an impressively early time. The most important, and really in one sense the only question, to ask yourself is this: Do you want this job?

Don't be silly of course you do! That's why you applied in the first place. Hang on a second, though. If you're in any way typical you'll have applied for plenty of jobs, some of which you know you didn't really want. Question is, is this one of them?

How do you tell? Elsewhere we talked about the less-than-perfect job, which you take because it helps you on your way to your goal, even if it doesn't directly take you to it. So the first thing to do is to think hard about all the pluses and negatives of this role, by which we mean: 1. What's the role like?

How well do you fit what they're after? More importantly, how well does it fit what you're after? Go back to Chapter 10 for further thoughts on this.

2. What's the company culture like?

Will you enjoy working with this mob? Is it somewhere you can get to? Anything much more than an hour each way is going to kill you, or at least kill your enthusiasm, pretty quick. Be honest with yourself about all the positives and negatives, because it is an awful feeling to realise only months or even weeks into your new job that you've made a horrible mistake that you could have avoided if only you'd given it more thought.

3. What's your new boss like?

Tough one the question, we mean, not the boss (we hope). Presumably you've met them at least once, so at a bare minimum you'll know what they look like and how they talk to you. But remember the interview is a very artificial environment, for both of you. What were the subtle or not-so-subtle clues you picked up? Did they spend too much time talking and not enough time listening? Did they really listen to your answers? Did they, as someone who once interviewed Steve did, show all the signs of being ma.s.sively overworked, stressed-out and clinically depressed?

4. What's the pay like?

Publishing doesn't pay very well, especially at the starter's end. Can you survive on this? It might seem like a lot of money if you say it quickly, but take out the tax (actually you can rely on the government to do that for you), the rent, the food, the transport to get to work, the cost of some decent clothes to wear once you get there and suddenly it doesn't look like such a huge stash.

5. What else is on offer?

If you're seriously job hunting, you'll almost certainly have a few irons in the fire at any one time including this job, which you may or may not want, and a couple of other jobs which you definitely don't want, and another job which you like the sound of but you've only done one interview, and your absolute dream job which has only just been advertised and you've sent in your CV but not heard anything yet ... you get the picture.

So how to balance up a firm job offer with a job that's OK, say, with a potential job offer sometime in the future with your dream job?

If you've been job hunting for months, and this is your first firm offer, and you're basically happy with what's on offer, you'd probably be best advised to take this job. On the other hand if you've only just started job hunting, this is the first offer through your door and you're basically not that keen, think seriously before leaping into it you don't want to make a false start if you can help it or to get stuck for ages in a job you don't like.

Four key points here: * You're better off considering the job offer in hand without thinking about prospective other jobs that you might or might not get.

* There is nothing wrong with asking for 48 hours to think over the offer. This gives you some breathing s.p.a.ce to chat to people whose opinions you care about and hopefully make the right decision.

If you're quite far down the track (completed second interviews, say, and waiting for news) with another job that you think you'd like more, definitely give that company a call. 'I wanted to let you know that I've received a job offer with another company. I would really prefer to work with you as I mentioned when we met, your job sounds perfect for me but I need to let this other company know in the next 24 hours, so I am hoping you can tell me how your decision-making process is going.' This is fine, though don't mention the name of the company who has offered a job, or what the position is.

* Finally, never ever accept a job and keep job hunting with the idea of not taking up Job 1 if you get a better offer in the next few weeks. This is a horrible thing to do to the Job 1 people and will get you a terrible reputation in the publishing industry and it's a very small and insular industry, so you really don't want to do that.

OK, let's a.s.sume that your new job gets a tick on all these issues. That leaves the issue of money and other conditions and the possibility of negotiating.

Negotiation to get a better deal for you What happens now, whether you like it or not, is now a process of negotiation. You've had a job offer, remember, and if you accept it as it is, then that's how you've chosen to play your side of the negotiation. In effect, your employer has said that they'd like to employ you, and that they propose to pay you X, have you start on Y date, and offer you Z conditions. How do you feel about that? Are you happy to accept? But saying a straight-out 'Yes' is not your only option and we're not talking about just saying 'No', either.

If there is anything at all that you'd like to improve about the job and conditions, now is the time to bring it up. They think you're the best person for the job, and they've offered you the job with their standard conditions; in most cases, if there's something you'd like a bit different, it won't be a big deal for them to tweak the contract for you, so don't agonise over it just ask.

Think about: * Salary base and package (bonuses): see below.

* Length of probation period, if any: they want you to be on six months' probation, you think three months sounds better.

* Job t.i.tle: they want you to be Marketing a.s.sistant, you prefer the sound of Marketing Executive.

* Start date: most places won't have a problem with you starting a week or two after they'd hoped though if there's a conference or other fixed-date event that you're needed for, you may have to be flexible. We strongly advise taking at least a week between the end of your old job and the start of the new to clear your head, by the way.

* Holidays and leave for study: it's unlikely you'll get more holiday than is standard, though if you've got a trip to Italy booked for summer, you should be able to get enough holiday time advanced to cover yourself. Most employers won't have any problems with you using your holiday time in dribs and drabs to support your study, and some will have programmes to give you time off for professional advancement without dipping into your holiday time and may even help you pay for it.

* Flexible hours: unless your new employer has a stated commitment to having staff work flexibly, you may well have more success at this once you've been in the job a year or two and proven yourself. Always worth asking though and as with any negotiation, if you can offer them some benefit it will go down better: working 8.15am to 4.30pm instead of 9am to 5pm, for example, actually nets them more work time from you, and helps you avoid the worst of the traffic.

In this discussion on how to negotiate, we'll use the example of salary negotiation, which lots of people find very hard to do but can really pay off in the long run! The same basic principles apply for any offer negotiation prior to your accepting the job.

I would encourage people to have the courage to negotiate a good salary. If an employer thinks you're the right person for the job, they'll be willing to consider giving you more than just award rates. Having said that, be wary of those who do not receive your attempts to negotiate a better pay deal very well. Consider if this means they will appreciate you in the job. Remember that a job interview is a two-way street; treat it as an opportunity for you to work out if the company/job is right for you.

(RUTH JELLEY, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, SWINBURNE INTERNATIONAL, AUSTRALIA).

Here's how to negotiate for better pay or conditions. Certainly if it's a sales position, it's hard to see how you wouldn't negotiate for better pay. Would you want someone working for you in a sales position who didn't push for more? Of course, that's not to say you'll get better pay but if you don't ask, you won't get (and if you do ask, you still may not get).

Before we get into that, though, here's one very, very good reason why you should go to a lot of trouble about this now: most of the things you can improve a bit, even slightly, will have a big impact over the course of your time with this company. If it's flexible working hours, for example, the hours you choose will make you happier and enjoy your job more and be a better employee. If you improve your salary, it's not as small an amount of money as it looks. After all, the salary you earn at this company for as long as you're there will be determined largely by two things, your performance (which will be brilliant), and your starting salary (which probably won't). Next year's salary will be this year's, plus any increase and/or bonus you get. And when you get promoted, the increase will again largely be determined by the starting point which is what you're fighting for.

And here's how you get your better conditions, using salary negotiation as the example: Negotiation: Part I.

Ask for it. Yes, it really is as simple as that though in fact there's a little game of skill involved. Firstly, call the person who's made the job offer, thank them very much and ask to see them. Don't say why, and if they ask if you'd like to accept the job, you can say, 'I'd love to accept the job [which is true if they up the salary!], but I do need to see you for just a few minutes at a time of your convenience if that's possible.'

By not specifying why you want to see them, you're keeping your cards close to your chest. It's always much easier to negotiate in person and much harder to say 'No' in person (which is in your favour). How can they not see you? It may well be another issue altogether for all they know.

Now, when you're sitting down with them, tell them how excited and grateful you are to be offered the position, and pick out a couple of things about the role that you're particularly keen on perhaps like this: 'Thanks, Anne, for offering me this role. As you know I'm really committed to working in publishing, so this is a great opportunity for me. I love the way the department works and the way you've set it up.'

Then, if you're able, leave it at that. There now ensues a slight pause, which invites Anne, of course, to make the response, perhaps with a slightly raised eyebrow: 'But ... ?'

To which your response might go something like this: 'Yes, but ... [A tiny sigh would come in handy here.] There is a little problem, which I'm sure between us we can overcome, and it's this. You did make it clear at the interview that the salary range on offer was X to Y, and to be honest I was rather expecting to see an offer closer to Y than to X '

and this is the key bit. You can't just say you were hoping for more. Well, you can, but good luck to you in getting it. The really critical thing is having the reason, right up front, and a d.a.m.ned good one, too ...

'... expecting to see an offer closer to Y than to X, because of my experience. I do have a postgraduate degree in publishing, and as you know I have done a very relevant internship with a highly regarded publisher, so as I say I was thrilled to get the job offer and just a little disappointed the salary wasn't a little more.'

If you think this sounds as if you're putting the entire job offer at risk, think again. For one thing, Anne's already decided that you are the very best person for the job not the cheapest, but the best. She wants to see you in that chair, performing that role, and she's convinced herself that you're the best person for the job. She's a woman of fine judgement and discernment. She must be: she picked you.

For another thing, she may well have some room to play with here. In many organisations she can always find a bit more cash perhaps even a lot more cash. She's not going to just spray it about, but if you make a good case and make it clear that you are serious about it and not just trying it on, she's got to balance the risk that she's going to lose you for the sake of what in the bigger scheme of things is not a whole heap of money.

For a third and final thing, she'll admire you for it. It proves you know your worth, and it makes it very clear that you're not going to get rolled.

Now, her response is likely to be more or less standard, whatever the true situation. Even if she's fully intending to give you more just for asking, she's unlikely to tell you that straight up. In all probability, you'll hear something very much like this: 'Hmm ... I do take your point, and of course I was very impressed with your CV and your performance at the interview(s) otherwise we wouldn't have offered you the job. However, the offer we made was one we thought about very seriously, and we think it's a fair reflection of your experience. After all, this is your first job and you don't have a great deal of directly relevant experience, unlike some of the other candidates.'

She said that last bit, of course, just to remind you in a subtle way that you're not the only fish in the sea, and that there were other good candidates. OK, so this is absolutely standard. Veiled threats and a blank refusal even to consider what you're saying. So you just give up right now, yes? Actually, no.

Notice that what she hasn't said is that there is definitely no more money and that under no circ.u.mstances will the offer be increased, over her dead body and may G.o.d strike her dead. If she does explicitly say that, then perhaps it may be time to move on to the second part of this discussion. You need to use your own judgement here, and try and work out whether she's just giving you a bit of resistance for form's sake (which is what it sounds like to us), or to make sure when she does offer you more you don't keep pushing, or to make it clear who's boss, or because she honestly and truly isn't going to go any further.

So, having decided that you haven't yet hit the wall, you could come back like this: 'I do see your point [don't call it an argument, or you'll turn it into one]. That said, I really, really do want to work for you, and I'm a.s.suming that you've offered me the job because you want me to work for you, and that in fact I'm the best candidate for the job. Would you be able to increase the offer at all?'

And here's a big secret that even she may not know: you want her to name the figure. The reason is, research in negotiations of every kind over the past 30 years has shown that the person who first names the figure tends to lose. No, we don't know why, and nor does anyone else. But it's true. So if you can get her to come up with even a nominal increase of just a few hundred or perhaps a thousand, then immediately you're on the way. You've now established the principle that she'll pay more for you than she originally said she would: it's now just a case of how much more. And even if you don't go any further than this, you've still got some free money, which can't be bad. So, get her to suggest something if you can. If she absolutely won't name a figure (perhaps she's read this book), then you'll have to, of course. But if you're going to, make it worth your while. Go big, and then she'll take advantage of the fact that you've named the price and pin you back.

From here it's just a case of haggling. She's named a price, ideally; so you suggest she double it. She refuses, so between the two of you, you end up with something more than her original revised offer, and less than the ridiculous figure you knew you were never going to get anyway.

However, it doesn't stop there, because there's a second part.

Negotiation: Part 2.

You've done beautifully. You've got yourself some extra free money, which will be paid you not just this year but every year you're at the company, and you've actually increased your future employer's respect for you even before you started working for her. Hurrah for you.

Now on to the soft benefits. Soft benefits are everything that isn't cold, hard, guaranteed cash. It might be sales commission or performance bonus, it might be terms and conditions such as annual leave loading, annual leave, the date of your next (first) salary review, or anything else at all that you know the company uses as incentives for its staff. And one way to bridge from the first part to the second is like this: 'I see you're a great negotiator. I did have my heart set on Y salary, but I can tell I'm not going to win that one. Ah well, at least you can say I tried ...'

Flattery will get you everywhere, with luck. It's a fact of human nature that however outrageously we're flattered, we very rarely pick up on it. We almost always a.s.sume that the other person is wise and observant. (Observe someone telling your mum that you must be her younger sister and see what we mean.) 'There was just one more thing I wanted to ask about, and that was the performance bonus/annual leave package you mentioned at the interview. I note that it only kicks in after six months' service, and I was a little disappointed by that. I do understand that of course there's a need for a probationary period, but I'd have thought that three months might be fairer, and I wondered if you had any thoughts on that?'

Or perhaps it's the first salary review, promised after a year, which you can ask to be after six months (she'll agree to this, because it costs her nothing and she's getting tired, and at the same time make a mental note to herself not to increase your salary at that point. But that's another negotiation, and at least you've brought forward the discussion).

By now you should get the picture. Be polite but firm, know your own worth, keep your head, make her name the price first and be a little brave (but know when to fold).

We've spent a fair bit of time on this, largely because it's not often you get the opportunity to start a new job and ask for what you want, and also because hardly anyone does it early in their career, and everyone always does later on (and gets away with it). After all, we do speak as publishing folk who have between us employed well over a hundred people. Please note there is a big fat gamble in here. We are fairly sure that you won't upset your employer or lose the job offer, provided you negotiate respectfully and with a playful smile playing about your lips; in almost every case, the worst that can happen is they'll say 'no'. But there is an ever-so-slight chance that this might go horribly wrong. So tread carefully, and if you're thrilled with what's on offer consider simply accepting happily.

Responding to the job offer.

Whether you negotiate for better salary or conditions or not, you'll eventually have to respond to the job offer itself, and the tip here is to respond in as close to the fashion the job is offered as you can. If they're happy to offer it to you by e-mail, then an e-mail response is fine (be sure to request their confirmation that your acceptance has been received). If they write to you on company letterhead, with a formal contract attached requesting your signature, then naturally you'll fill it out, make a photocopy and return it, attached to a covering letter. Again, ask for confirmation that they've received it.

Then, polish up your shoes and dust off your work clothes (and get some in, if all you have is one set of interview gear): you're on your way!.

Chapter Eighteen.

How to get an international