Six reasons to come to #PRHJobHack

In July, we launched our very first Job Hack in Birmingham. This was a day of creative, interactive workshops aimed at 18-24 year olds where we had the opportunity to wax lyrical about all things publishing and jobs. And what a day it was.

We wanted to reach those who have a passion for storytelling and a curiosity for what’s going on in the world, wherever they might be, and even if they hadn’t considered a career in publishing before.

We put them in the seat of a marketer, an editor, and a digital producer to give them a real taste of the creative and digital challenges we face, as well as giving them a whistle-stop tour of the publishing process. If you’re curious about what we got up to, hop on over to Storify.

Job Hack Birmingham was the first of its kind, but not the last.

This autumn, we’ll be travelling the country with Job Hack hitting Glasgow on 14^th October, before heading to Yorkshire, the South-West and the North (details TBC)… and maybe even London early next year.

To apply for Glasgow, head to our application page on Go Think Big before the deadline closes on 20^th September.

If the prospect of Penguin M&Ms isn’t enough to entice you, here are six more reasons to come to Job Hack:

1.We’ll demystify publishing.

What do you think of when you think of publishing? Sitting in a dusty room correcting grammar?

We know that publishing can be a bit of a mystery – and how to get a job in it potentially more so.  Beyond producing books, what we’re really about is bringing stories and new ideas to as many people as possible, and there are so many different parts you can play in the process.  Perhaps in areas you haven’t even thought about – like events, consumer and digital, audio, or insight…

2. We won’t do death by PowerPoint or give you generic CV tips.

You’ll get to flex your creativity and think of new ideas and hooks – just as you would in the business. Through the workshops, you’ll have a chance to roll up your sleeves and really see what the different departments get up to.

How about rewriting the blurb for Assassin’s Creed for a middle aged non-fiction reader? Or thinking about how to best publicise a debut novelist?

You’ll even get the chance to sit on the other side of a job application and become a recruiter with a job advert, CVs and cover letters to assess. Who will you put forward and why?

3. You’ll hear all about our opportunities

 And there are a lot of them: work experience, internships, our entry level roles, The Scheme… Come try us on for size.

4. You don’t have to have a degree to come along or apply for our roles.

We’re more interested in your strengths and potential and we need a wide range of skills in our business, whether that’s data analytics, influencing, good commercial sense, creativity, gift of the gab, social media wizardry.

5. There’s some pretty awesome swag. (And more surprises along the way…)

 At Job Hack Birmingham, we gave away audiobooks, a chance to get feedback on a practice interview, unpublished proofs and classic Penguin totes. (It wouldn’t be a publishing event without them).

… Who knows what #PRHJobHack Glasgow has up its sleeves?

6. We’re story-tellers at heart.

…is a roundabout way of saying that we love talking about ourselves and our books.

You’ll meet some exceptionally passionate people and have a chance to ask questions in an informal environment.

There’ll be speed networking so you can quiz those from across the business, and find out what their roles really mean and how they got to where they are.

We’re not the only people who’ll be excited to chat to you – you’ll get to exchange ideas and brainstorm with your peers and make some new contacts. JobHack Birmingham ended with one group going off to catch Pokémon together…

Tempted? To apply for Glasgow, head to our application page on Go Think Big before the deadline closes on 20^th September or follow us on Twitter (@PRHCareersUK) to find out when future JobHacks will be announced.

But don’t just take our word about JobHack. Have a look at what people had to say below or check out these blogs written about the day.

“I absolutely loved how interactive the tasks were so we could learn so much more about the industry”

“I came in not knowing much of the big picture and this has really explained what publishing is about. I have come away excited about roles I didn’t even know existed.”

“I really enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere and the fact that we could ask the staff about their individual roles. It was thoroughly enjoyable to work in teams and face challenges that are still relevant now.”

“One of the most entrancing events I have ever attended”