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Educating America Whether they are the products of a private or public education, students everywhere are reared on a steady diet of Houghton Mifflin textbooks. The company began in 1832 when John Allen and William D. Ticknor bought the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston. When the partnership dissolved, Ticknor tried again with James T. Fields; the pair went on to become American publishing legends by selling classic works by authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Mark Twain. Ticknor and Fields began working with Henry Houghton's Riverside Press in 1852; by 1880 the two firms merged into a partnership called Houghton, Mifflin & Company. The company established an Education Department early in its history, but the department did not begin to dominate the company until the baby boom swelled the number of students at all levels of schooling. Now textbooks and other educational material account for 90 percent of the company's sales. Testing the Textbook Houghton Mifflin went on a buying spree during the 1980s and 1990s, acquiring Rand McNally's education unit, McDougal, Little & Company, and D.C. Heath. As a result, Houghton Mifflin incurred short-term debts and saw frequent turnover in its top management. However, the company's recent performance suggests that Houghton Mifflin has successfully absorbed Heath and is heading into a more stable period. As evidence of the this stability, Houghton Mifflin recently acquired two companies to beef up its divisions. Virtual Learning Technologies is to become part of HM's Riverside Publishing, an academic and clinical assessment unit based in Illinois. With VLT's educational Internet testing expertise, Riverside can now tackle the growing Web-based K-12 testing market. HM's other acquisition, Sunburst Communications, represents the company's desire to merge publishing with software. HM Interactive merged with the communications company to form Sunburst Technology and offers such CD-ROM specials as the Curious George software series, the LIttle Planet Literary Series, and A to Zap! Despite the flurry of foreign takeovers in recent years, Houghton officials say the company is "not for sale." The current CEO, Nader Darehshori, plans to make HMco a $1 billion company by the year 2000. In 1999, sales hit $920 million, so it appears the company is on its way.
Houghton Mifflin lists current job openings on its employment Web page, located at www.hmco.corporate.com/hr.jobpostings.html. Resumes and cover letters can be emailed to jobs@hmco.com, mailed to the Human Resources department at the above address or faxed to (617)351-1106. Applicants can also submit inquiries via e-mail to ir@hmco.com. One editor gives encouraging advice: "Ignore the requirements listed in the job posting. Houghton Miffilin tries to get the best candidates, and so it often puts what seem to be insurmountably high requirements into their job listings." Houghton Mifflin favors candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in book publishing, academic achievement, superior verbal and writing skills, and computer proficiency. "Most of the recent college graduates that work for Houghton Mifflin begin as freelancers," a source says. "They are put on six-month contracts, and eventually - hopefully - are hired." Says another: "Make sure that the Human Resources people know that you are willing to accept contract work." Expect two or three interviews before being offered a full-time position. "Interviewing basically comes down to an initial interview with the HR rep, before you move on to the next phase, an interview with the hiring manager." The second ("real") interview varies widely: "I've known friends who interviewed with a manager in a local restaurant over a couple of beers, and managers who made an interview into the Spanish Inquisition." A word of caution: "I have not seen a lot of cross-department shifting, though so if you are interested in Trade books, don't accept a job in School or College division, because you might never transfer laterally."
Houghton Mifflin employees enjoy the challenge of meeting the company's mission to "create the best educational products possible" while "simultaneously boosting the bottom line." Says an employee: "My experience has found the company very professional in every way." The publishing company is described as an "excellent place to work because the work is very carefully done" with "deadlines are on the order of years." Headquarters is "a brand-new building, built in 1992," in "Copley Square, right near the famous Boston Library." Many employees "simply hop on the subway to get to work," a "big bonus." Sources say that the company attracts a "diverse mix" of "well-educated," "intellectual" "young - most under 40" and "social" employees. "It's nice to be surrounded by people who have senses of humor and who also respect the life of the mind." One insider praises a "family friendly atmosphere, where moms bring in their kids on their days off." Another notes that "the majority of employees are women - over 65 percent." Employees also laud a pay scale that is "better than most in the industry" and their hours, which is flexible - and reasonable. "No one cares very much what time you start or end your day as long as you get the weekly 37.5 hours in," a source says. Another few added perks -- overtime, and, at one branch office, an "unofficial" scheme where "you work an extra half hour a day for 3 weeks and get every third Friday off in summer." The benefits and perks at Houghton Mifflin are also top-notch: a 401(k) program, health, dental, a credit union, pension plan, and a discount on books. "Dress is conservative," and "in investor relations, ultraconservative," but "in divisions like sales and marketing, you can relax a bit, and every Friday is casual." While Houghton Mifflin's Boston headquarters is outside the "publishing hub" of New York, employees comment that the company's "worldwide prestige" gives them the ability to work on "exciting," "high-profile" projects, including books that fall outside the company's emphasis on education. "Excellence is expected; creativity is rewarded," one contact says. "It's nice to be surrounded by people who have senses of humor and also respect the life of the mind." Another contact notes: "The best indicator of satisfaction is that employee turnover is very, very low." Yet another indicator - employees call their employer "Mother Houghton," a mark of affection for this independent publisher.
Arthur S. Battle, Jr. Human Resources (617) 351-1106
Book publisher More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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