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Job Opportunities in Editorial

Who are we looking for?

PBP seeks qualified candidates at all experience levels.

1. Entry-level: Candidates must have a minimum of one or two years of writing experience, which may have been gained in college. Many of our editors came to PBP from daily newspapers, community weeklies and both trade and consumer magazines.
2. Intermediate-level: Candidates must have several years' experience and a track record of success in a previous writing or editing job.
3. Senior-level: In the past we've hired two types of senior candidates:
• Specialized journalists with a proven track record writing on a specific topic.
• Journalists with a strong background in the generalist press who feel they're ready to make the switch to specialized publishing and eventually assume leadership positions.

2007-2008 Editor Training Program

PBP Executives welcome the most recent class of outstanding college graduates who have fared well in their careers at PBP. Pictured are, from left to right: Sam Narisi from St. Joseph's University (BA, English) who writes about Information Technology and Human Resources; April DeGideo from New York University (BA, Journalism) who writes about Credit and Collections; Editorial Director Pieter VanBennekom; Ikea Hamilton from Cornell University (BA, English and Film) who covers Safety Compliance; Shane Borer from Villanova University (BA, English; MA, Theatre) who writes about financial management; and PBP's HR Director, Len Fesi.

What drives our recruiting process?

It takes three things to be successful at our company:

1. Superior reporting and writing skills. Many of our best young people have come from community newspapers. Others have done trade reporting. Our senior editors have come from top newspaper, wire service, magazine and broadcast companies. These include UPI, USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Legal Intelligencer, sports magazines, all-news radio stations and others.
2. Willingness to gain deep knowledge of a specific field. Almost all of our writers did not have such knowledge when they came to PBP. They did, however, come with a strong desire to learn.
3. Willingness to take on the unique challenges of the newsletter industry. Again, most of our people didn't know the newsletter business when they arrived. We stress to candidates repeatedly during the interview process that newsletters are unlike anything they've done before, that specialized publishing requires a new way of thinking, and that it's very challenging.

So what does it take to get hired at PBP?

Many of the editors we hire come only with strong journalism skills. But they have three other rare qualities:

1. A willingness to specialize. Not everyone wants that. Some people want to remain generalists. They're not for us.
2. A keen desire to learn the specialized publishing business.
3. A willingness to accept a high level of accountability. Mainstream journalists tend to get most of their feedback from other editors and writers. In our business the only feedback that matters is from readers. And we care less about what they say than what they do! That is, do they pay or don't they? That's the measure of our success at PBP. Our best writers are fascinated by the intellectual challenge of figuring out how to write "impact copy" that meets readers' needs and inspires them to pay high subscription fees for very targeted information.

What's different about our editorial approach?

Our editorial philosophy is driven by three core principles:

1. Fast read. We assume that our readers are extremely busy and will pay a high price for a publication that delivers a lot of value in a little space. We don't pretend to be a journal of record.
2. Actionability. It's not enough to merely provide information. Information is cheap. We have to tell people what it means and what they can do with it. That's how we justify our high prices.
3. Expert to expert. Our editors become experts in their fields. The in-depth knowledge they've gained allows them to write with perspective. That expert perspective is the value added we provide our readers. Again, that's what justifies the high price we charge.

What jobs do we offer at PBP?

1. Assistant Editors are the best and brightest recent college graduates in liberal arts or have a year or two of experience as reporters and writers. They are only hired if we believe they have the potential to become an Editor in Chief. They typically begin writing for two publications. Our goal is to give them exposure to different fields and see what they like and what they're good at. Eventually, they'll specialize in one field. As a rule, it takes at least a year to learn our business. A successful Assistant Editor could become an Editor in Chief in one to three years.
2. Senior Editors always write a publication when they join our company. That's the only way to learn the business. We hope that after a year or so, senior editors will know their field and understand the newsletter business. At that point, if they have management potential, we like to see them begin developing other writers and editing other publications in addition to writing their own.
3. Managing Editors are responsible for editing one, two or more publications. And they're responsible for developing our Junior and Assistant Editors. Our Managing Editors always continue to write their own publication (albeit with significant help from Assistant Editors).
4. Group Publishers manage an entire group of publications. Editors and Managing Editors report to them. At present we have five groups: Sales/Marketing, Financial Management, Regulatory/Compliance, HR/Employment Law and Non-profit Management. The Group Publisher has full responsibility for the financial performance of the publication group.

What kind of people fit in at PBP?

Some signs that editorial candidates are for us:

1. They're bright.
2. They have strong values.
3. They're eager to try something new and different.
4. They're eager to work in a high-performance, non-political environment
5. They're committed to continuous learning.
6. They're team players who thrive in a collegial environment.
7. They like accountability.

Who might not fit in?

Some signs that editorial candidates are not for us:

1. They lack reporting experience.
2. They want to edit and direct others but not write and report. The only way to learn our business is to write a newsletter - for at least a year.
3. They don't embrace mainstream business values (e.g., they feel conflicted about the profit motive, they see irreconcilable conflict between management and employees, etc.)
4. They're too academic. Our publications talk about day-to-day issues and reporters have to understand and write about the practical problems practitioners face every day. We're not for people who think giving basic, practical advice is beneath them
5. They don't take responsibility. We shy away from people whose instinct is to blame their past failures on former bosses, a bad economy, or anything else. We want people who've made mistakes and can show what they've learned from those mistakes.

To pursue these or other opportunities in Progressive Business Publications editorial programs, send your resume and a letter to:



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