Career
Freelance work
Throughout/ongoing
Freelance writing, editing and proofreading
Assistant Editor, Guides Global
January 2015 – December 2018
A resource for anyone who wants to live, work or do business in a country that isn’t their own.
Populated with in-depth guides written by experts based in the countries in question (edited in-house); video interviews with the authors; news and guides by our in-house team.
- Writing general guides aimed at expats and international business people
- Editing specialised legal and tax guides
- Sub-editing, proofreading etc.
- Filming and editing interviews with lawyers and accountants
- Social media
- SEO
- Google Adsense and Amazon associates
- Design tweaks/other backend tasks (WordPress)
- Graphic design (business cards, leaflets etc.)
- Organising speakers for the international stage at the Property Investor Show
- Running some of the panel sessions
- Helping to edit and proofread a book: How Things Really Work in Turkey
International Property Reporter, OPP*
June 2012 – December 2014
A B2B magazine and news website for the international property industry.
Overseas Property Professionals (OPP) was focused on connecting international property professionals with the latest information & networking opportunities.
The magazine featured articles on everything from property market reports, to the latest trends in marketing and tech, to immigration & visa laws.
- Writing news stories for the website
- Writing news and features for the hard-copy magazine (my focus was tech, law and ‘green’ news)
- Liaising with columnists and other writers
- Sub-editing, proofreading etc.
- Helping the marketing department with press releases and ad copy
*OPP was sold to another company, whose focus is not on editorial. The current website reflects this change.
Editorial Assistant, Land Rover Monthly
May 2007 – July 2008
A consumer magazine for fans of Land Rovers. Included news, features, columns and classifieds.
- Writing features and events reviews
- Liaising with columnists and clubs
- Interviews with Land Rover owners
- Sub-editing, proofreading etc.
- Digitally archiving old magazines
- Updating website
Skills
Editorial
- News writing: quick stories and more thorough, research-heavy pieces
- Features writing
- Interviews: both in-person and over the phone
- Sub-editing: headlines, stand-firsts, captions etc.
- Proofreading
- Content management
Software/IT
- MS Office: chiefly Word & Excel (including macros, functions etc.)
- Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator
- Coding: a working knowledge of CSS & HTML
- Web development: Visual
- Video: PowerDirector, Da Vinci Resolve
- Audio: AudioDirector, Audacity
- Misc: GNU Image Manipulator
Other
- Google Analytics, Adsense and Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools)
- Social media for business, including hub software (Hootsuite, Buffer)
- Basic graphic design
- SEO knowledge
Traits
- Able (and pleased) to take initiative on projects and stories
- Happy to work to more specific/detailed instructions when required
- Skilled at finding an angle tilted towards a specific audience
- Good at getting information out of interview subjects (politely!)
- Excellent at editing to shorten copy without losing clarity
- Self-motivated and organised – although generally pleased to be flexible with my schedule
- Communicative and cheerful
- Focused on transparency and accuracy in my work