How to get a job in international relations: Jo Hills, Digital Content Editor

What does a job in international relations look like? How do I excel in interviews? What skills do I need to develop? In this new series of interviews with the International Affairs team, you'll find out.

In each interview, a member of the team will share insights into their job, tips for job applications, career trajectories and important skills to develop for a successful career in an academic journal or a think tank. In the fourth installment of the series, we’re hearing from Jo Hills (They/them), Digital Content Editor for International Affairs. 

What is a Digital Content Editor and what do you do on a day-to-day basis? 

My work mostly revolves around editing shorter form written pieces for the International Affairs (IA) blog and the Chatham House website, as well as reading lists and collections based on the journal’s archive. This often involves working with academics published in both IA and the wider discipline, in order to highlight key conclusions from their research in an accessible way and to a wider audience. This includes anyone from students, those with a general interest in politics and specific groups of policy-makers, activists and researchers.

What are the most important skills you use for your job as Digital Content Editor?

The ability to quickly read, process and identify key conclusions within a high volume of academic research is really important to do justice to someone’s work during the editing process. Being able to understand complex empirical and theoretical concepts and explain them in accessible language is also a big part of what I do.

Good focus and attention to detail are also essential given the ease with which small errors can slip past during an edit. Finding a good balance between the creativity of the editing process and respecting the core of an author’s argument is vital in strengthening someone’s work without being too overzealous with cuts and new suggestions. Beyond this, I think having a curiosity for work from across the field has been really helpful in the context of IA being a journal that aims to include work from the entire discipline of International Relations (IR).

What did you do before your job at International Affairs?

I joined the journal after completing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations at SOAS and a master's in International Relations theory at the London School of Economics (LSE). My higher education journey was interspersed with some time working at Tesco and at a call centre near where I live in Brighton.

I remember seeing the role pop up on the Chatham House website and thinking it looked great but that I probably wouldn’t stand a chance!

How did you find your current role and what was the application process like?

Having gained some experience in editing academic research at the LSE’s Millennium Journal of International Studies during my master’s, I knew I wanted to continue working in IR but wasn’t quite ready to commit to the single-topic focus that a PhD entails. So, I decided to look for work in social sciences publishing and the think tank world. I remember seeing the role pop up on the Chatham House website and thinking that it looked great but that I probably wouldn’t stand a chance!

How have previous experiences been useful to you in this job?

While I was doing my master's at LSE, I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time as a member of the editorial board of the Millennium. Here, I got direct exposure to the peer review process that most journals rely on. This really helped me see the daunting and often inaccessible world of research as less scary. It was also a useful experience for clarifying academic writing standards, as they exist in real life, beyond university marking schemes. Perhaps most importantly, I learned that (as boring as it sounds) I enjoyed editing academic work.

My time in customer service roles has also been vital. When editing someone else’s work you’re dealing with what can be the result of years of painstaking research. Hence, good communication skills are an absolute must.  

Do you work or study alongside your job? How do you manage that?

I’m currently midway through the process of submitting PhD applications alongside work, which is kind of challenging. Clearly differentiating between leave to pursue academic work and necessary leave to have a break is crucial to avoid the former completely absorbing the latter.

How did you adapt to the workplace after university?

Starting at IA two weeks before the UK’s first lockdown, and having never worked in a think tank environment, was daunting to say the least. I was lucky that, behind the intimidating idea of working for Chatham House, the teams at IA and in the communications department more broadly have been really friendly and supportive. Regularly checking in with colleagues really helped me get a sense of the workplace norms and meant that, where difficulties arose, I could learn from my colleagues rather than panicking in silence.

Is there anything about your job you find challenging?

Internalizing IA’s writing style to the point where I can identify at least the majority of the corrections needed within a given text has been a painstaking process. It was tricky at first and will probably never fully end (who’d have thought I’d care so much about the distinct uses of hyphens, en dashes and em dashes!).

What has been your favourite thing to work on during your time here?

Working on the Archive Collections for the journal's centenary this year has been a completely unique experience. Seeing International Relations change over the course of 100 years, month by month and article by article through the pages of IA, was absolutely fascinating and full of surprises.  

How do you deal with rejection?

Having a good support network is essential given how volatile a career in academia can be. I also think finding meaning beyond academic work, be it politically or just through hobbies, can be really helpful to put setbacks in perspective and to make them feel less like the end of the world.

No one starts life as a fully formed senior policy-maker, communications director or professor.

What is your top interview tip? 

I got caught in a torrential thunderstorm just before my interview, which meant I arrived looking like I’d swam there. This strangely made it a lot easier to answer the questions calmly, as I really thought that the weather had ended my chances and the pressure was off.

While going to job interviews dressed as a zombie extra from some kind of nautical horror film probably isn’t the best idea, I do think there is something to be said for trying to put less pressure on yourself at the interview. Do your research, prepare thoroughly beforehand and remember that, while interview techniques are helpful, you are there to respond flexibly to the questions asked based on your preparation. This is easier if you aren’t also being your own worst critic at the same time.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become an IR academic and/or work in an environment like a journal or a think tank?

I remember hearing from someone that working in academia is more like being a musician or actor: you really need to be passionate for it to be worth the job insecurity. So I guess choosing what you want to do because it interests you is usually a good idea.

More specifically, working to develop a clear idea of your own niche is really important given the diverse range of work within IR academia, publishing and policy-making. It’s worth putting in the time to identify what organizations and roles align with your interests, as well as what kind of work you feel suited to, and to tailor your applications accordingly.

Finally, I would say: do not rule yourself out. Universities, policy organizations and publishers can be really daunting to apply to, especially if you don’t have previous experience in the sector. Nonetheless, if you never try you’ll never know what’s possible. It’s also worth remembering that, as intimidating as these organizations are, everyone who works there will have been in your position at some point. No one starts life as a fully formed senior policy-maker, communications director or professor.

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More support for early career scholars

For further guidance on publishing and career advice, explore our Editor’s Desk series on our blog.  

If you’re an early career researcher (less than 7 years out of your PhD), why not submit to our Next Gen IR series? The series provides a platform for young scholars to share their research and get publishing experience. If you’re interested please email our Digital Content Editor Jo Hills at jhills@chathamhouse.org. 

The International Affairs team is aware that there are structural challenges that disadvantage some scholars in the IR discipline. If you’re an early career scholar under-represented in the field, please consider applying to our Early Career Diversity Initiative, which pairs participants with senior scholars to provide mentoring through the publishing process. 

How to get a job in international relations series

Krisztina Csortea - Managing Editor

Katie McCann - Intern

Andrew Dorman - Editor