Upgrade Your Resume
Searching for a publishing job can be hard, and having a strong resume is an important part of the process, as it allows you to stand out from other candidates. During our May 2025 event, Upgrade Your Resume, recruiters Ayesha Richardson (Penguin Random House) and Amanda Bendel (Hachette) shared some of their top resume tips with the Young Publishers Association and gave an inside look into the hiring process.
The Hiring Process
When a new role opens up, there’s typically a kickoff meeting with the hiring manager to learn more about the position and what skills they’re looking for in a candidate. Based on that, the job description is created and posted.
Each opening can get up to 500+ applicants, and recruiters start looking through resumes as they come in, making pools of candidates that they think would be the best fit. It depends on the role, but there could be somewhere around 25 top candidates in one pool, and another 10-15 candidates in a backup pool if those in the top pool are weeded out.
During the January 22 cover letter event, Amanda mentioned that they do use AI tools in the hiring process. Sometimes keywords can be used to help narrow down candidates, so it can be good to include keywords that you see in the job description on your resume. Also, it doesn’t hinder your chances to apply to multiple roles at once, as long as your application is tailored to each role.
Positive Resume Attributes
When it comes to your resume, make sure that it showcases your skills. Ayesha Richardson, Recruiter at Penguin Random House, offered the advice to “think about work experience as work accomplishments… You did X to accomplish Y.”
For each bullet point, think about the goal of the task, and consider including data to demonstrate your accomplishments. By doing this, you are showing your skills instead of telling them. If you don’t have direct work experience in publishing because you recently graduated or are making a career switch, exhibit your transferable skills.
Some other great resume tips are:
Make your resume consistent, organized, and clean
Mention that you’re willing to relocate if you live in a different location than where the job is
Have your cover letter be an extension of your resume where you go deeper into your specific job responsibilities
Keep your resume to one page
What NOT To Do On Your Resume
It’s easy for recruiters to say no to a resume because of the level of competition. Something as simple as a formatting error could be the reason you lose out on a role, so make sure to upload your resume as a PDF to avoid some of those formatting issues.
Additional things to avoid on your resume:
Avoid crazy visuals, even if you are applying for a design role
Refrain from including headshots or a GPA
As Hachette Human Resources Manager Amanda Bendel advised, “Simple is very professional.”
The Importance of Networking
Recruiters look at every resume, so it’s not necessary to have a referral to get them to see your application. Referrals can be good, but they’ll only get you so far. Since publishing is such a niche industry, everybody knows everybody, so there are a lot of referrals. What’s more important is to have strong application materials that demonstrate your skills.
Overall Resume Advice
At the end of the day, remember that recruiting is subjective. What one recruiter prefers, another might dislike. There can be a lot of conflicting advice out there, so use your best judgment. Also, try not to take rejections personally. They can be hard, but publishing is a competitive industry that’s difficult to break into.
However, perseverance is rewarded, and motivation is a valuable resource. So focus on creating the best application materials you can, and keep applying. If you do that, things will work out eventually. And in the meantime, take care of yourself and know that the Young Publishers Association is here to support you along the way!
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Mallory Stock is a content marketer who specializes in creating social media and written content. She loves both reading and writing books, and hopes to get a marketing role in the publishing industry. In her free time, you can find her meditating or attempting some sort of craft.
