HarperCollins Publishers tell stories for everyone. Their authors, who make that happen, are the core and heart of their business, and we’re proud to publish many from around the world, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Yiyun. To tell those stories, HarperCollins Publishers need their business to represent as many people as possible: people like you.
HarperCollins Publishers were the first Publisher back in 2011 to work closely with Creative Access, to provide internship opportunities for young people from BAME backgrounds. In 2016, they launched their own BAME (black, Asian and non-white minority ethnic) traineeship, the first of its kind in the publishing industry. they launched it because they are committed to diversity and inclusivity and wanted to lead the way in shaking up the industry. Their current business does not reflect the wider society as much as they think it should. Diversity is central to success as a business, apart from being the right thing to do, they also want to reach the wider consumer market and therefore they are taking positive action to address this. After another successful traineeship in 2017, they’ve decided to do it again for the third year as the talent they employ has been exceptional. 
This year’s recruitment process will feature many opportunities for you to demonstrate your creativeness, ambition and passion for their books. They are not going to judge you purely based on a CV and covering letter, they want to get to know you face-to-face.
The successful candidates will be hired to undertake a twelve-month rotational traineeship around the business in London, with a choice to develop in a wide range of teams from publicity, marketing and editorial, to production, strategy and audio. they give our trainees a mentor, plenty of training and loads of support. They want to create a pipeline of exceptional talent, so even if you’re not successful this time around, you may be invited to apply for other junior roles around the business.
Now, onto what you need and don’t need to apply:
Here’s what you don’t need:
A degree.
Previous publishing experience.
Here’s what you do need:
A passion for storytelling in all its all forms.
An innovative and commercial approach.
An eagerness to throw yourself into all areas our business.
Potential to learn.
A BIG bookshelf… you’ll need it!
Here’s how you apply:
Stage 1
The first stage is a video application. You have the chance to shine, to show who you are in more detail than a CV and cover letter could tell.
You’ll need your CV to hand, a quiet room and a device with a camera and internet access. Think about the following questions before you film your video application:
If you were to pitch a business idea for HarperCollins to the Executive Board, what would it be? (Say it in 90 seconds)
What’s the next book you’d like to see HarperCollins publish? Please explain what the book would be about. (Say it in 90 seconds)
They’re going to ask you to tell us a bit about yourselves too, so start thinking about your USP (unique selling point) now.
Don’t worry if you’re not quite ready yet, you’ve got until the 19th April 2018 to finish filming.
See the rest of the details of the application here.
