The Early Career Scholarly Publishing Professional: A Case Study

By Andrea Rahkola
Production Editor, American Academy of Neurology
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-rahkola/
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9133-3163

Take Home Points:

Introduction

I have regularly heard from friends and colleagues that “there are no opportunities for growth” in their current company, or that a company “gave a lowball offer” after a series of grueling interviews. Some say, “job hopping is the easiest way to quickly make more money.” But is jumping between roles and companies the best way to develop financial security and overall career fulfillment? The answer to this question is highly subjective, but the effort required to achieve the same goal is not. During my time at one company, I have developed a plethora of behaviors that, through intentional actions, have advanced my role at the right time, increased my earning potential, and kept me self-assured about my chosen career.

Case

I came to the field of scholarly publishing as a temp-agency employee in my first post-undergraduate job. I had prepared for a career in publishing, but knew nothing of the scholarly world and its importance to the advancement of science. In this first role, I covered work for a full-time employee on leave. Lucky for me, the publications department at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) was growing with the launch of their first fully open-access journal. I was retained and offered a full-time position after nine months. I negotiated the offered full-time salary up to the same rate that I was being paid by the temp agency; soon enough, I was on the standard track of an Editorial Assistant.

As I neared my one-year anniversary with the AAN, the department was growing again. We launched a fourth journal and needed to hire someone to help edit figures. I have always enjoyed art and design, so I printed my most prized designs from my portfolio and handed them to my supervisor. I still recall my supervisor exclaiming in disbelief that she didn’t know of my graphic-design skills. I was promoted to an Editorial Associate, took on several hours of figure editing, and handed off some of my editorial work to the new hires.

In my third year in scholarly publishing, I started to feel unchallenged in my day-to-day editorial work. I had become intrigued by the scholarly publishing industry, but other forms of publishing continued to pique by interest. I wanted something new, something exciting, something fulfilling. I began to look for my next chapter, and was surprised when my direct supervisor, and a person I call my mentor to this day, offered me the Production Editor role of a retiring colleague. I was hesitant. Some of the responsibilities assigned to the role didn’t excite me and others intimidated me, but I had gained the confidence to take them on with the encouragement and support of my mentor over the last 3 years. I took the time to muse on what I would want to do in that role, including some of the editing I was already handling in my current role. I returned to my supervisor’s office and went out on a limb: I proposed shifting the responsibilities of the Production Editor, building the role to be the one I desired. The AAN took some time to consider my proposal, but they accepted. I happily returned to being challenged and excited by my work.

After several years of continued growth, the AAN journals team required restructuring to better balance growing responsibilities. A new three-armed hierarchy was created: editorial, production, and digital. To pull all journals’ production responsibilities under one arm required a new role, a Production Coordinator, that would report to me. I was excited about taking on a supervisory role, but I had to learn a lot on the job.

My years in production had taught me the importance of documentation—editor’s style choices, precedents, and turnaround time tracking—and I used it to my advantage. After my position was switched from an hourly non-exempt rate to an annual exempt salary, the end-of-year documentation I had been keeping on my hours work and my pay received indicated that I was making less money, due to my new exempt-from-overtime status, than the year prior. It was an oversight on everyone’s part; we had all agreed on the initial salary offer. I brought my concern to the attention of my supervisor. It took a year, as budget cycles do, but my pay was raised.

In my time as a manager, I advocated not only for my own career progression but also that of my employees and the business/organization. I successfully developed and presented arguments for the creation of two new direct-report positions and the promotion of an existing direct-report position. Again, the lesson of documentation provided the necessary time-and-money data to “speak the language” of the business, meet the needs of the organization, and support the interests of my employees.

Discussion

In the first decade of my career I learned a lot, grew more than I knew was possible, and found fulfillment. In review, there are four key behaviors that helped me along the way: (1) self-advocacy; (2) maintaining knowledge of roles and responsibilities; (3) exploration of career trajectories; and (4) tracking the industry pulse.

Self-Advocacy

We must be our own advocates. Upkeeping a living record of my skills and achievements, from an unabridged curriculum vitae to a brimming project portfolio, ensured I had evidence of my skills at my disposal. I made use of my recorded achievements at opportune times, but making the record accessible, via a professional website or LinkedIn, can argue a case continuously and in absence of action. Similarly, there is a need to advertise what we have to offer; this can be done by volunteering for interesting projects at work (even if it’s outside of purview), being active in the professional community (e.g. chairing a society committee), and suggesting projects that benefit the employer and self-interests. Most importantly, advocate with superiors by “managing up”. Management is not a one-way street; it is a relationship based on mutual interests. Managing up not only allows us to ensure our voices and interests are heard by those who have the power or position to assist us in getting where we want to go, but that we understand the complexities of the environment in which we aim to grow.

Maintaining Knowledge of Roles and Responsibilities

No one knows the work we do better than ourselves, so we will be the first to know when change and recognition are in order. However, the need for change and recognition cannot simply be requested. Instead, arguments and proposals with indicative data are essential. The most useful tool is a job description. When a company is hiring for a position, they will create a job description. Keeping a record of that job description, reviewing it regularly, and marking it up with revisions can illustrate when a promotion may be in order (i.e. when responsibilities have so drastically changed that the original job description can no longer be used to re-hire for the role). Similarly, keeping a record of wage/salary changes and identifying trends therein can assist with making arguments for change. In addition, or in the absence, of a job description and wage history, knowing who is hiring for a similar role, at your company and elsewhere, can help make the argument for a wage/salary market adjustment.

Exploration of Career Trajectories

We are responsible for our own careers, and we must put in the work to get where we want to go. Sometimes employers provide opportunities through benefits and trainings. We can view each required training and benefit as a learning opportunity that can help us pursue future opportunities. Watching job boards and saving copies of job descriptions that are of interest will help in targeting the next career steps. Do most of the interesting jobs require a certain type of experience or a higher level of education? If so, begin to explore those experiences and the possibility of pursuing a higher degree. Networking also exposes us to different jobs, companies, and niche industries; keeping track of contacts can help us learn from their career changes and successes. Similarly, establishing mentorships provides an opportunity to hear the career story of another and gets a friend in our corner. Throughout all this exploration is the undercurrent of continuous learning. Through conferences, webinars, certificates, and advanced degrees, there is always more to learn and new perspectives to apply that can shape a career trajectory.

Tracking the Industry Pulse

Among all our career-oriented efforts, we must keep in mind that the industry is in constant flux. Influence from outside and inside scholarly publishing impacts what opportunities we can pursue. When our economy is in recession, companies will question, “How do we do this work cheaper?” On the other hand, during booms and bubbles, companies ask, “How do we make the most of this?” The answers to these questions reduce or increase jobs, and reduce or increase pay. Further, the advancement of technology in scholarly publishing continues to affect roles and responsibilities, from replacing manual jobs to creating jobs that manage automated systems. Surrounding all of this is the influential geopolitical environment. Sometimes, there are geopolitical “windows of opportunity” that provide a boost in opportunity; other times, there are impenetrable roadblocks. By watching, listening, and waiting, we can target the right time to take a chance rather than let the pulse take us by surprise.

Conclusion

I have been lucky in my career, but I’ve also been intentional. The behaviors that led me to a sense of career fulfillment are quintessential and reproducible. I hope my case study helps others feel less lost and alone in their career progression; that they have perception and control. Where a “low ball offer” was once given is now a foot in the door, and where “no opportunities for growth” exist, there are now windows to seize and business proposals to suggest.