Upcoming content, sections & features on this site

Though the posts here on JobsForEnglishMajors.com have been light as of late, that is changing as I’m planning a series of articles, features and tips on how recent graduates, mid-career professionals as well as anyone else with an English degree can pursue their dream job. What I plan on providing readers here is a combination of practical, tool- and tip-related items as well as explanations of the different kinds of jobs those with a writing, editing and journalism-related background do — what they’re like every day, the kinds of challenges people in these jobs encounter, and how to successfully seek them out.

In the meantime, here’s a rundown of the kinds of content I’ll be providing on this site, to give you a hint of what’s to come:

Job Categories & Descriptions

Aside from working for a news outlet, an advertising agency or within the corporate communications department of a large company, many people who hold writing-related jobs can’t easily describe what they do. For example, interactive copywriters and Web content strategists — what kinds of writing do they do, what does “content strategy” mean, and how does one find a job like these? We’ll provide articles with in-depth detail on the universe of jobs available to those with English degrees, including:

• Where to look for different categories of jobs
• The skills & experience needed for each
• What employers look for in job candidates for these jobs
• The pitfalls & challenges associated with each day-to-day

Current News & Events

I’ll scour both online and offline sources on a daily basis for news and trends relevant to our audience, from a wide variety of sources. Just like you, I want to know the latest about the industry I work in, so I’ll be sure to keep readers here up to date with the latest on the interactive agency industry as well as the media & journalism field. But I’ll also look for news and trend information on areas far afield from these, to bring you updates on the kinds of projects and work being done in different industry verticals, layoff news and hiring news.

Recommended Sites to Check Out

From time to time, I come across websites that I never knew existed that prove to be a great help to me in my job search. Indeed.com is a perfect example of such a site, one that approaches the job search process in a much different way than the major job sites like Monster, CareerBuilder and HotJobs. I’ll also bring great articles on job searching to the front of this blog, as well as other recommended sites, articles and blogs that I feel would be helpful to readers here.

Career Books & Resource Reviews

While most readers of this site will probably have read What Color is Your Parachute? at some point in their adult lives, there are a host of other published books that are more targeted toward job seekers in the marketing, media, advertising and journalism fields. I’ll profile both printed and online resources for readers, noting what’s good (and what’s lacking) about each, with links to find each resource at your local bookstore.

Interviews with Professional Writers, Editors, Communications Specialists & Others

I look forward to speaking with and interviewing professionals in a range of fields who can share with readers here how they used their education and background with an English degree to build their careers — the paths they followed,  the obstacles they faced, how they overcame them, and what it took to overcome them. I, like readers here, want to seek out and talk to those who’ve made successful transitions to the business world to use their degrees, and to find out what lessons they’ve learned that can make us all more successful.

Applying for the Job: What to Send, What to Leave Out

As you browse the Web and network with your friends and peers in your job search, invariably you’ll be asked to provide samples of your writing or your thinking and approach to a prospective employer. Many job applicants, however, draw a blank when they’re asked to do this, either because they feel they don’t have any samples worth sending or they don’t have any samples at all to send, especially for new college graduates. I’ll post here the kinds of writing samples you should send for different kinds of jobs — for example, editors will want to see samples that are quite different from those that a creative director at an advertising agency would like to see. I’ll also talk about what not to send, to prevent readers from sending anything that might make them put less than their best foot forward in the job application process.

Onward and Upward, Toward All of Our Career Goals

I’d like to thank each and every person who’s visited this site so far, and to make sure you know that this blog will be a much richer resource going forward than it has been to date. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it when I first registered the domain name, so it unfortunately laid fallow for many months, with no updates or posts. It was only recently, when I learned it was beginning to get traffic thanks to the domain name of the site, that I realized what a resource it could be for people like myself who are in the midst of the job search process in what is certainly an extraordinary time in our economy. Or at least, we hope it’s extraordinary!

So, for readers who might be looking for a sign of credibility for this site, know that I’m going through the same process that you’re going through — as a mid-career professional, I’m now once again on the search for a job, and so I’ll be following all the steps that I recommend to you. You’ll know that they are tested, because they’ll be tested on me. You’ll also know that the advice and information I provide is delivered from the perspective of someone who knows what you’re going through, as I expect this process will take some time. However, I know that at the end of it lies the achievement of a great goal, and I wish you all well as you take this journey with me.