Our Graduate Recruitment Scheme is the best known, and longest running scheme in the UK Publishing Industry and has, over the years, produced a string of distinguished alumni. As well as occupying positions on the Main and Divisional Boards of the Macmillan Group, previous Macmillan Graduate Recruits may be found in senior positions in many other leading publishers.

Who are we looking for?

How does the Scheme work?

How do I apply?

Who are we looking for?

We seek to take on people who, we believe, have the potential to become future senior managers of the Macmillan Group. This means that we are looking for more than just a love of books (although that is essential) or a wish to be an editor. The people that we will recruit for this scheme are those who can convince us that they have the desire and the motivation to engage in the business of publishing - whether that be as editors, marketeers, sales people or in some other aspect of our operations. Applicants for the Scheme should therefore be open minded about both the type of job that they would be prepared to accept from us, and the location in which they would work; it is common for Graduate Recruits to be based at our offices in Basingstoke and not unknown for us to require them to spend a period of time overseas, or to travel abroad in the course of their jobs.

People who succeed in publishing are adaptable, curious and adventurous. What they have in common is that they are excited by ideas: marketing ideas, editorial ideas, financial ideas, probably by all three at once. They are bold enough to submit their ideas to the discipline of commercial scrutiny. They are patient and tough enough to manipulate situations and people so that the ideas that survive are successfully realised. They are stimulated by having too much to do and, usually, too little time in which to do it, and they have the stamina to cope with that.

It goes without saying that we will be looking for a keen interest in, and knowledge of, both Macmillan and the Publishing Industry, and an understanding of the enormous changes being brought about by electronic content delivery. There are many sources of information online, including the website of which these pages are a part. You will also get useful information from the websites of The Bookseller and the Publishing Training Centre  at Book House, amongst others.

We have no strong preference as to academic disciplines: a degree in English is neither qualification nor disqualification. We are always keen to see applications from scientists, social scientists or those with a particular aptitude for numeracy. Above all, we are looking for determination, ambition, adaptability and a proven ability to make things happen.

How does the scheme work?

The principle behind the Scheme is that people will learn about our business most quickly and effectively by doing a real job, with real responsibilities - it is not the kind of scheme where you will spend a few months in a variety of departments. Once we have identified the people to whom we would like to offer jobs (usually by the end of April) we start to look for suitable vacancies to offer them. Although these jobs vary enormously in their nature, they have a few key things in common:

• They are real jobs - not supernumerary positions invented for the Scheme.
• They have clearly defined individual responsibilities and accountabilities - we will be able to judge, from early on, how effective a contribution you are making.
• They will, by their nature, allow you some wider insight into how the business works, and why publishing decisions are made. This tends to mean that Sales, Marketing and (less often) Editorial/Commissioning jobs are those most commonly offered.
• They will stretch your abilities and allow you to demonstrate your potential - typically they will be more responsible jobs than those normally offered to new Graduates.
• The job offered to you will be governed by a mixture of factors, including: (a) our evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses; (b) your preferred areas of interest and (c) actual vacancies available at the time.

You should expect to spend your first 2 years with us learning about the business and discovering, for yourself, in which direction your ambitions lie. At the same time, we will be monitoring your progress closely and deciding, for ourselves, what your strengths and weaknesses are. There is no inherent career advantage, within Macmillan, in being a Graduate Recruit - the Scheme is primarily aimed at offering a first chance to a few talented people - but we are a meritocracy and, if our judgement of you turns out to be correct, we will want to make the best use of your abilities, as we do with all our people.

How do I apply?

If what you have read here has aroused your interest, we want to hear from you.

This is how to apply:

1. Write to:
   
   James Richardson
   Group Personnel Director
   Macmillan Publishers Limited
   Brunel Road
   Houndmills
   Basingstoke
   RG21 6XS
   
2. Enclose a Standard Application Form, available from this website: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/old/student_services/accentre/careers/e-library/applicationskills/saf-blank.doc giving full details of your academic and extra curricular activities and experience, and also whether you are interested primarily in Book or Journal publishing.
   
3. Supplement this form, if you find it necessary, with a short covering letter explaining your reasons for wishing to enter publishing.
   
4. Applications should be received by us no later than 31 December 2008 for those wishing to join the scheme in September 2009.

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