How to Find Printing Industry Jobs
The printing industry has grown vastly since the introduction of the first printing press over 500 years ago, largely due to the increase in the number of books that are published each year. It is currently estimated that over 172,000 new books are published each year in the United States--Source: Goldfarb, Jeff. "Bookish Britain overtakes America as top publisher" Reuters Entertainment, May 10, 2006. While there are only six major book publishers, there are over 86,000 small publishing houses. So there is clearly a large demand for printing services and in turn, a need for printing industry professionals.
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Instructions
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Decide what areas you are willing to relocate to for your new printing industry job. Most printers are located in the Midwest--Illinois and Michigan--because it is a convenient hub for outgoing shipments. Determine what type of printing job you would be best fitted for. Will you want to work in shipping and receiving, help customers as a pre-press employee, who designs and does file preparation, operate the printing machines, or bring in new customers as a printing sales representative?
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Edit your resume and cover letter to speak specifically to the type of job you are seeking. Be extremely detailed about your experience in the industry, if any, and include references from other printing companies.
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Subscribe to Print Solutions magazine, which is published by the Print Services & Distribution Association. Search for jobs listed and read the articles to become more familiar with the minds of print industry professionals. This will help you immensely in any future interviews.
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Go to the Printing Industries Association, Inc. website and click on "Employment." Visit Printing Industry Exchange online, click on "Classified Ads" and then "Jobs/Employment." Scan their current list of printing industry jobs to see if any match your qualifications.
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View the Aeonix list of book printers and Book Market's list of the Top 101 Book Printers. Scan each list and narrow it down based on the location of each printer. Visit the web pages of each of your choices and click the "About Us" link to find out what they are about. Analyze each web page to gauge the company's level of professionalism. For example, if the links are broken, or words are misspelled, this may not be a solid company.
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Narrow your list down to about 15 possible printing companies you would like more information about. Call each one to ask about their job openings, requirements and application process. Be sure to inquire at the top printers, including BookMasters and Malloy Book Printers.
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Submit your printing industry resume and cover letter to each printing company that claims it is hiring or may be hiring in the near future. Send your resume through the printing company's online application system and mail a physical copy, via Fedex, to their human resources department to help your application stand out. Many printing companies are small operations, so there is a good chance that they'll notice and appreciate this extra effort.
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Tips & Warnings
The printing industry is competitive, so if you have key industry information that could help the company grow and defeat its competition in bidding, be sure to mention that without giving up too many details in your cover letter or email.
