07/08/2024
🌟 APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN 🌟
We are seeking editors, marketing impresarios and creatives.
The Oxford Review of Books is an alert and vibrant publication. We review literature and discuss politics, art, science, football (you name it!) with a multidisciplinary mindset. We hope to keep a finger on the cultural pulse and all we ask is that you bring enthusiasm, curiosity and high standards to the ORB.
There are roles and opportunities to suit all levels of experience. Editorial staff and editors are encouraged to write for the magazine and are not excluded from working for other publications. Applications are open to all Oxford students of all years. For the majority of roles, applications will close on Monday 26th August at 11.59 PM but please note that applications for Creative Director close on 18th August at 11.59 PM.
Thank you for taking the time to apply to the ORB. We are so excited to read your applications! Please send any questions, large or small, to [email protected].
Roles available:
- Editorial Team
- Editor
- Commissioning Editors
- Digital Commissioning Editors
- Staff Writers
Marketing and Advertising Team
- Marketing and Advertising Team Members
Events Team
- Events Director
- Events Team Members
Art Team
- Creative Director
- Artists
Prospective applicants are encouraged to browse through previous issues of the ORB and look at the official website (www.the-orb.org) for a feel of the ORB's style and audience. All staff members are welcome to sit in on editorial masterclasses and meetings regardless of which team they are on if they so wish. Each position lasts a term, so there are plenty of opportunities to move forward into editorial roles from other areas of the paper and vice versa in the future. All roles include some work through September.
Candidates may apply for more than one role, and should state clearly in the email and cover letter which roles they would like to apply for. Please attach all the required supporting materials. Please note that for the editing task, you should download the Google doc as a Word file or PDF before inserting your edits and email it to us with the rest of your application. Please do not insert edits on the Google Doc itself.
If you have any questions, please message one of our social media platforms or email us at [email protected].
- Editor
This is a role more suitable for applicants with prior editorial experience (though not necessarily at the ORB). Editors need to be not only competent and confident when overseeing a piece’s progression from print to publication but also must have wider ideas about the trajectory of the ORB, including how best to expand the publication’s reach and deciding on its future editorial direction. Editors will be working closely with Commissioning Editors and the Editors-in-Chief. They will need to be organised and enthusiastic.
Requirements:
Applicants should send a CV and writing sample to [email protected], with a brief paragraph about their plans for the ORB’s development. They should also edit the following piece of writing: Editing Task. Please put the CV and a writing sample in a single Word document, headed with your name, degree, and year of study.
If there is a high volume of applications, interviews with the Editors-in-Chief may be held in due course.
- Commissioning Editors
Commissioning Editors are the first editorial eyes on every piece in our print issue. They need to be attentive and organised, with a strong instinct for argument and an even stronger aversion to lazy writing. Commissioning Editors weigh in on the pitches submitted to decide what would work best for the print issue. As Commissioning Editors will be working closely with the writers throughout the editorial process, they will also need to be proactive and communicative.
Requirements:
Applicants should send a CV and writing sample to [email protected]. They should also edit the following piece of writing: Editing Task. Please put the CV and a writing sample in a single Word document, headed with your name, degree, and year of study.
- Digital Commissioning Editors
Digital Commissioning Editors will work under the Digital Editor to commission and edit pieces for the website. As the first editorial eyes on digital pieces, they need to be attentive to current affairs and publish timely pieces while ensuring the quality of our pieces is not compromised. This is a role encouraging those with less experience to get involved in the ORB.
Requirements:
Applicants should send a brief cover letter outlining why they want to get involved and any previous experience to [email protected]. They should also edit the following piece of writing: Editing Task.
- Staff Writers
It is expected that this position will be executed alongside your main ORB role. A Staff Writer should write confidently, thoughtfully, and flexibly. You will need to be able to work with reliable speed. You will be commissioned to write reviews, letters, and articles. This is an opportunity to expand your professional experience as a writer.
Requirements:
Applicants should, alongside their main application, attach three writing examples that they feel demonstrates the above qualities. If applicable, please state where and when the pieces were published.
- Events
Events team members are responsible for the organisation and ex*****on of ORB events. You will work in tandem with the Marketing, Business and Art teams. Team members will lead talks, poetry readings, art events, and socials.
Requirements:
Applicants for the events team should send a CV to [email protected], and a brief cover letter outlining any experience in organising events, as well as specific ideas they have for the ORB.
- Marketing and Advertising team
Applicants for Marketing are responsible for marketing the current issue, ORB events, and all published pieces on ORB’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter handles as well as distributing issues to shops and colleges and contacting potential benefactors, patrons. They should be proactive in finding advertisement opportunities. They should have a good idea of the ORB’s image and a plan to grow the magazine’s following.
Requirements:
Please send a CV and brief cover letter explaining why you’re qualified for the role to [email protected] including any social media handles you may have managed in the past/your own as well as any ideas you have to improve ORB Marketing.
- Creative Director
The Creative Director is in charge of recruiting a talented team of artists for the print magazine and social media illustrations. They are in charge of setting deadlines for artwork and ultimately responsible for how the final magazine looks. They create cover art for the magazine. The CD creates 4/5 cover options for each issue, some of these can be made by the art team, and at the end the best is picked.
The CD also designs the magazine. Some InDesign experience is helpful, but not necessary, as the CD helps Editors-in-Chief with designing page spreads, for example where the art is positioned.
They will also liaise with the event / marketing team to make sure events are advertised on time and organise a termly ‘Art Event’. Previous examples include the ORB ValenZine, or the ORB lino printing workshop. They will also set a style guide (font, colours etc.) which artists can follow for social media illustrations.
A very important role is running our Art Prize, sponsored by Sotheby's. The Art Prize judges are selected by LUX, but the CD is responsible for picking some judges based in Oxford. This also includes advertising the art prize, both online and in person and creating a shortlist of artworks to then send to Art Prize judges.
Please note that you will receive guidance and support from the previous Creative Director, now Deputy CD. This ensures a smooth handover.
Experience in magazine work is not necessary but preferred. The position is open for one term, but there is scope to stay on for longer and the application is open to Oxford students of all years.
Requirements:
Applicants should send a CV and portfolio of their drawings and illustrations to [email protected]. Portfolios should not contain more than 10 pieces of work. We accept both digital artwork and scans of sketches/paintings. Please also include information about any relevant experience and any ideas you have for illustrations or for artistic events during term time.
Please note that the deadline for Creative Director applications is 18th August at 11.59pm. If there is a high volume of applications, interviews may be held in due course.
- Artist team
Applicants could work on either magazine and/or social media artwork.
Magazine artists will produce artwork which will be published in our magazine and on our website. We are looking for artists who work in all mediums, including but not limited to painters, drawers, photographers, graphic designers, and filmmakers. There is a minimum contribution of one artwork for the upcoming Winter issue during term time, but there is scope to be involved with more (both on magazine and social media). They will be in regular communication with the Creative Director.
Social media artists are responsible for producing artwork and graphics for the social media, for example to promote events. They should be able to follow the brand typography, general colour scheme, and design guidelines. You will be supported by the Creative Director in this. Technical experience with platforms such as Indesign, Canva or Adobe Express etc.; (whatever you use!) is preferred.
Requirements:
To apply please send in a portfolio of no more than 10 pieces of work to [email protected] answer the following questions:
-> What experience or skills do you have that make you suitable for this role? (100 words max)
-> Would you prefer making graphics for the magazine or the social media? Or both?
-> Have you got any creative ideas for the magazine / social media?
[Art and Graphics by Federica Pescini]
