Finding circulation recruits

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Oct, 1989 by Michael Garry

"Nobody says, 'I want to be a circulation director when I grow up,' " laments circulation consultant E. Daniel Capell. Unlike lawyers and doctors, circulators don't prepare to go into their profession -they decide to enter circulation usually after completing their formal education, and even after being in the job market for a while. Many who enter the field are unaware of its potential -that they maybe on a career track leading to the publisher's chair.

That doesn't make it easy for circulation director's at either consumer or business titles to find and train competent people to handle circulation functions and ultimately become circulation managers and directors themselves. And yet the demand for circulation talent continues to rise as the complexity of the field grows and as circulation approaches-and even surpassesadvertising as a revenue generator.

Of course, in a business as small and insular as publishing, word of mouth plays a major role in filling staffing needs. Often, managers need look no further than their own families or circle of friends- or those of their staffs. "It's an incestuous business," says Susan Allyn, circulation head at Bon Appetit.

Aside from personal contacts, or just raiding the competition, where do you find solid, entry-level people? Gralla Publications is one of a relative handful of publishing companies that recruits at universities. The recruitment, largely intended to attract beginning editors, occasionally lands someone interested in circulation. Based in New York City, Gralla also advertises in three sections of The New York Times classified section: publishing, college graduates and general business. Those ads sometimes lure beginners in the retail industry to magazine publishing. "The ideal candidate" for assistant circulation director, Gralla's entry-level circulation spot, "is a college graduate who has a liberal arts degree, did well in school, has been out in the marketplace for one to one and one-half years, and has supervised at least five people," says James Fischer, corporate circulation director at Gralla. No circulation experience is required.

"Entry-level jobs are the most difficult ones to fill because there are a lot of unglamorous tasks," says Martha Pattley, circulation director at another New York business publisher, LebharFriedman, Inc. Some entry-level positions are filled by stellar performers in the secretarial, clerical or in-house fulfillment ranks. Even service vendors are a source of employees. Sometimes, she notes, newspaper ads attract people at other publishing firms "who have had a touch of circulation experience but can't move up any further.'.' Pattley also gets many referrals. Once hired, entrylevel employees often become fidgety to progress, she adds. "A lot want promotions overnight," she says. "They're six steps ahead of you."

People get into circulation in a haphazard manner," says Gerry Burdick, circulation director at Bill Publications. Burdick himself spent years in data processing management outside the publishing industry before becoming a circulation director at Bill. "A person doesn't need to have worked in circulation if his background is conducive to doing what we do," he says. Burdick, who at press time was seeking someone to handle auditing and quality control, would prefer audit bureau experience, but will accept a "self-starter who can pick up a manual and apply it." Eschewing newspaper ads, he relies on personal referrals as well as industry associations.

Where does Time Warner look for circulation talent? In the mailbox, for starters, where thousands of unsolicited resumes pour in yearly"If we can accommodate them, we do" says David Nachbar, a manager of human resources. The company also recruits on the campuses of top MBA schools, focusing on students who have a marketing concentration. (The stock market crash has apparently piqued MBA students' interest in steadier, countercyclical industries like publishing.)

The entry-level circulation spot at Time Warner is assistant marketing manager; responsibilities usually start with insert cards. From there, anything is possible, says Nachbar, including jobs outside circulation. "We transfer circulators to other areas, like advertising or production, more than anybody else in the business," he says. This flexibility attracts many young people interested in publishing but uncertain as to their exact career path. "If their interests change, we can accommodate them to a certain degree," says Nachbar.

Consumer magazine companies like Meredith and Rodale, based far from the publishing mainstream in Iowa and Pennsylvania, respectively, are forced to find and develop talented entry-level people.

Rodale, working with alumni of local colleges such as Lehigh University, invites busloads of students to visit all of its publishing operations. "We can't wait for them," says, Robert Kaslik, director of circulation. "We have to sell Rodale."

Meredith hires freshly minted MBAs and puts them through a training program in editorial, advertising, circulation and production. Clem Sevde, circulation director, recently made one of the MBA trainees assistant circulation manager. Sevde also hires from Meredith's financial analysis group, where he finds "good numbers people," and from the company's book operation, a source of direct mail talent. Apart from the MBAs, circulation applicants at Meredith need some work experience. "There are no true entry-level people," he says.