Careers blog written by Kate Morris, Careers Consultant, Careers

Journalism is often the obvious choice for a career in writing, but there are other areas where a way with words is central to the role….

I recently met with some writing professionals who gave me some great insights into their careers and these are the key things I think you will be interested in.

Copy Writer:

What do they do?

Copy writers focus on the tone of the message, rather than the content. You could be composing tantalising menu descriptions, creating informative but engaging health & safety signage at a train station or sensitively wording redundancy letters…

Who would you work for?

• An agency, working for many different brands on many different projects.
• In-house, as the “voice” for a specific employer.
• Freelance.

Are there actually any jobs in this sector?

Yes, it’s a growing area as businesses are investing more money into the way their company “sounds”, rather than just the visuals of a brand.

Entry requirements?

Any degree, but must love words! You’ll need to show evidence of your writing skills, e.g.  press release for a student newspaper, a promotional flier, a website you’ve re-written. Ability to work to tight deadlines, listen to and adapt to feedback, good interpersonal skills for meeting and negotiating with clients.

Tips for getting in?

1. Create your own brand: make a website, develop a presence on twitter- show what you can do!
2. Get work experience! Ideally an internship as an actual copywriter. And/or you can start doing your own freelance work whilst your still at uni.

Resources:

• www.thewriter.com  (we’ve got a York grad working there and they have great work experience opportunities)
• http://quietroom.co.uk/
• http://adjobwall.com/tagged/Copywriter
• www.theadmission.co.uk/job-profiles/copywriter

Look put for part 2 about writing careers, where literary agent will be the subject.