Publishing industry burnout. Where do I go from here?

September 29, 2015 6:11 AM

I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Difficulty level: self-employment for the past decade, entrepreneur, 40something female.

I wrote a number of books for other publishers, and then started a publishing company of my own. It has been very successful compared to others of its size, with dozens of well-received titles in a specialty industry, but financially, it hasn't scaled well when it comes to take-home pay for me.

I've made decisions that will allow me to step away from its day to day operations and take a salaried job elsewhere. Now what? My job hunt is not going well. (Trust me when I say other positions in this specialty industry are not an option: they pay even worse or are even less reliable).

Pros:

* I have software industry experience and relevant certifications (CSPO, CSM, other agile-related training, studying for the PMP now).
* I'm multilingual and have worked/lived abroad.
* I am an excellent writer and editor, in addition to books I've done lots of magazine work, too.
* I learn fast: software, new systems, you name it.
* I'm an excellent teacher, presenter, trainer, you name it, with national & international experience.
* I have an impressive list of high-profile speaking gigs, TV appearances, etc but mostly linked to my (specialty) industry.
* I've got a 10-year track record of running popular and well-received public events.

Cons:

* Fat, female and fortysomething. Let's not pretend it isn't an issue in today's workplace, especially tech in my mid-sized, conservative, run-by-middle-managers midwestern city
* Perceived lack of seriousness in the industry niche I'm leaving. It's a billion-dollar industry, but unless you're part of it, you might think it's just for fun. It also skews heavily female.
* Lack of recent employment in software industry (though wholly up to date on it, due to my personal interests and spouse's employment)
* ???

I've been applying for content management, agile coaching and public affairs/writing/management-type jobs. Jobs take forever to get back to me, which I'm told is the new normal. Jobs that seem like shoo-ins for at least an interview turn me down out of hand.

Where can a writer/editor/social media/event organizer-type person look for a steady and well-paid job these days? Am I always going to have to work for myself in order to get a job?

I have gotten feedback during interviews 10+ years ago that my resume is "intimidating" (a lot of high-profile internships and fellowships during undergrad), but I can't help that I used to be much more put together academically! (I had planned to go into the diplomatic service earlier in life but that's no longer an option).

Thank you for any other ideas you can throw my way!

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (10 answers total)

Just a suggestion, and may not be the answer to all your questions, but generally I have found much higher success with referrals and through my network. Can you ask your husband for ideas on contacts in the tech industry? Also, look through Linkedin. You may be surprised by who you know.
posted by pando11 at 6:29 AM on September 29, 2015

Have you considered working for a publisher, rather than being a publisher? Your experience would lend itself to several jobs I can think of at a publisher - marketing, editorial, maybe even sales.
posted by lyssabee at 6:36 AM on September 29, 2015

This is more of general advice; but remember not to pigeon hole yourself and apply for jobs you want even if you don't think you've got the right checkboxes on your resume. That's their work to do not yours. The only things you should not be sending a resume in for are jobs you don't want to do, or honestly believe you can't do.

Also seconding pando11's suggestion of networking and hopping on linked in if you're not on it. You sound like a very talented individual with an impressive resume and you might even get a recruiter/head hunter contacting you. They love to use linked-in nowadays for that stuff.
posted by mayonnaises at 6:45 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Here is the thing I am re-realizing for the thousandth time, as I watch a friend do this: statistically, almost no one ever got a job through applying for it. I think this is truer as we get older. Also? The ageism starts earlier than I thought it did. :/

I think... that you are under-packaging and under-selling yourself? "Where can a writer/editor/social media/event organizer-type person look for a steady and well-paid job these days?" does not match up with what you are describing about yourself. Your background is actually small company CEO or big company senior VP, department head level. What you are saying here is "I founded and ran a successful startup in a complicated ecosystem." If you are going to look for jobs running events, that's fine, but you need to tailor this story to headhunters and corporate HR folks and the like.

So in general here I wonder what story you are telling other people and about yourself. And how you are telling them that story.

And also, I'm concerned that there's a bunch of post-college internship stuff on your resume still! Which should be clear, reduced, one page, and, you know, present you in a great light.

If you would like to talk to someone about this please drop me a note, my email is in my profile.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:46 AM on September 29, 2015 [11 favorites]

Your resume might need a bit of re-working, but I think you would be a kickass IT Business Analyst/Product Manager.

I'm a former BA and now manage a small team of senior and junior BAs. We work in a software shop that services a fairly niche industry that also happens to make a lot of money...consequently it's extremely difficult to find people who really excel in a BA role.

In my experience the lack of recent software development experience is a narrative challenge but absolutely not a deal breaker, because it turns out that the best folks for this kind of work are the ones who can do three things really really well:

- Learn new stuff, like, CONSTANTLY
- Communicate like a total boss
- Know how to run anything, from a conference call to a one-on-one interview to a group training

It's easy to find developers or other specialized skill sets. It's easy to find people managers and PMP-certified box-checkers. What's really HARD to find are people who can understand enough about all those things (code, managing people, managing time, managing message, managing products) to sit right in the thick of it all and keep everyone from killing each other or quitting altogether.

One of my favorite candidates ever was a woman who had only one year of IT experience but 10 years of experience as a chef. At first I was super skeptical about her, but as soon as she started telling me about her skills and how what she learned as a chef (and particularly as a certified pastry chef and expert in breads) translated into a technical field I was totally convinced she could do the job.

You can learn new tech. You can be trained in the latest software Dev practices. What is much more difficult to train is the soft skill stuff: how to talk to people, how to cater your message to your audience, how to guide a seemingly disparate group of stakeholders into mutual consensus on a plan.

Someone who has demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to run her own shit would be very intriguing to me. *

IT pays well at the moment, and even if you had to start at a lower salary as a "junior" BA to get your foot in the door somewhere I think you could do very well. One issue you might want to consider are whether you want to work in a place that likely skews male and 25-35. Not all places will be like this, but it does occur often.

This kind of role can also be very demanding and stressful, so if you don't like high stakes situations where the App must be ready right-fucking-now then you may not enjoy this kind of role.

*Coincidentally I am currently hiring for a junior BA role in Dallas...the job is posted over on MeFi Jobs if you're interested...

Not to toot my own horn but I'm a pretty good resume writer. If you are interested in interviewing for these kinds of roles, send me your resume in. PM and I'd be happy to help you re-work it from an IT BA/PM perspective.
posted by Doleful Creature at 6:51 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I work for a marketing tech company, and your experience sounds very much like the types of people we hire here all the time. Writing skills, yes. Tech skills (to go with our platform solutions), yes. Events, yes. So maybe marketing tech?
posted by xingcat at 6:54 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Seconding RJ Reynolds. It's easy to overlook the fact that leadership itself is a specialised set of skills - finding opportunities, motivating people, closing deals, developing a future pipeline, hiring and firing and on and on. Seems from what you're saying you have all of that, and companies hire for it.

So perhaps the way to frame your story is that you are a seasoned leader coming from running your own business, looking to succeed in a new domain. You could look for mid-level management jobs in a big company or senior management jobs in a smaller company. (Big companies tend to look for people with big company experience for senior jobs in my experience, but you could work your way up quickly.)

Also, something harsh that has proven true for me: companies greatly undervalue good communication and writing skills. These things will stand to you later and help you succeed, but they won't get you through the door. Lead your pitch with your leadership and tech skills.

Re tech skills, can you build something now to show what you can do? An app, a working prototype, anything - just something to show you can do it. Buildings things trumps qualifications and courses every time in the tech industry. This would also show you are a quick learner, rather than you having to say that.

Good luck!
posted by StephenF at 7:55 AM on September 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

There are tons of industries which are focused mostly or exclusively upon the women's market: clothes and shoes, food, leisure travel, kids stuff, health services, household goods, household services, etc. There are a lot of industries that are trying to increase the focus on women in marketing: car sales most importantly, but several others as well. I would look at marketing, promotional planning, and content / social media / publishing related to those industries. Use your network and networking tools to meet the companies in your (geographic) market doing those things, and market yourself as a content manager and producer with a proven track record of connecting to women in an area women care about.

I would NOT focus on individual-contributor tech jobs unless you see something VERY close to the last full-time tech job you had. It is hard to change functions in tech. It is hard to get a non-executive job in your 40s. It is hard to re-enter tech from time away. Combining all three of these at once seems extremely unlikely to succeed.
posted by MattD at 9:05 AM on September 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I look at his and I wonder, if you paid yourself better and took more downtime, would you be able to reinvest emotionally, creatively in your own business? Or if it is too much stand alone, would a profitable partnership, or diverse business venture make things more interesting and ultimately stable? Sometimes more is awful and then sometimes more is like transitioning from a pogo stick to a three legged stool. Having your own business is remarkable and pleasurable if you retool to consider yourself.
posted by Oyéah at 9:08 AM on September 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Look into selling your business or finding an investment partner who will have an idea to exploit your portfolio. Having a business while looking for a job is difficult, knowing from my own experience supporting a business I started through two different jobs while trying to find a merger to get the company off my hands. I can also totally relate to owning a business that does not bring ROI. If the events I am assuming are your bread and butter are failing, it could be sign of the times for your industry and a reason to sell up to someone who can add new energy.
I do not apply for jobs anymore. I found that the only way to beat HR and recruiters is to approach people directly. It takes an average of eight calls to get someone to take action. If you can contact the people at company's you would actually like to work with and know exactly what you want to pitch and what your expectations are, this is a good strategy but definitely can be stressful. Be very upfront and center about owning a business and discuss what this actually means. I would look at whether the business might break through the 'nonsense' of your industry if it were a non-profit and were able to put the social issues you consider not discussed directly into the table. Event attendants are also 50% more likely to buy a membership into a non-profit than a company, statistically. Flatly, it will be very hard to escape this structure unless you are willing to leave it behind completely, which is the worst idea.
posted by parmanparman at 1:19 PM on September 29, 2015