When I first began looking for jobs in a new career track after deciding to leave academia, I maintained two sets of links that I checked weekly if not daily. One set linked to specific companies and organizations where I wanted to interview: local universities, small presses, and arts institutions as well as national media platforms with remote positions. Many of these institutions had dedicated web pages listing employment opportunities and instructions for applying. (It is very, very important to follow the instructions, even if the instructions are stupid.)
The other set of links was for job boards and aggregators, and I have shared those below. My link sets emerged out of my particular circumstances of living in Philadelphia and looking for work in arts and culture, but many of the links offer a broad range of opportunities. Perhaps you live in a city with its own job boards, or seek work in an industry with its own professional association.
American Association of University Presses: if you are specifically interested in working with university presses.
Association of Donor Relations Professionals: Many literary job hunters find themselves in fundraising or development, as there is a substantial writing component. Donor relations may entail communications, project management, grant-writing, event management, and more.
Bookjobs: You can narrow your search by department (Marketing, Rights, etc.), and there’s also a decent list of internships.
Good Food Jobs: This national site lists not only culinary and service jobs but opportunities in food magazines, brand marketing, food banks, and more.
Higher Education Recruitment Consortium: Higher ed administrative roles range from marketing and communications to recruiting and enrollment to research.
Idealist.org: Jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities in nonprofit, community-oriented organizations.
Indeed.com is an epic aggregator—you search by keyword and location, and it will turn up everything it finds. This can be an awful lot to sort through, but it’s also a great way to search by job responsibility and to find out where your ideal employers are posting. For example, I did a Philly-based search for “editorial assistant” and learned that a local academic publisher was posting their job openings to Careerbuilder.com. I searched for “food writer” on a whim and turned up some unlikely but interesting positions, like writing recipes for meal kit companies.
International Association of Business Communicators: What it sounds like.
Mediabistro: This site has its fair share of book publishing jobs, but also posts positions in magazines, television, and web content.
Philaculture: Many museums and cultural institutions have editorial departments—albeit small ones—for exhibit catalogs, description plates, blogs and social media, and more. But even jobs that don’t deal directly with writing and editing can offer valuable organizational and communications experience. The Philadelphia Greater Cultural Alliance has a great job bank that advertises positions in museums, universities, community organizations, and more. Other major cities likely have their own arts and culture job banks.
Publisher’s Lunch: everything from editorial to sales, receptionist to director.
Words of Mouth is a newsletter sharing opportunities for professional and creative development across design, the arts, education, information, and the built environment.
Ask A Manager asked her commenters to round up some of their favorite niche job boards as well.
Last updated: June 2023
Sara Davis 