When Dan joined the Cognitive team as Assistant Editor, he came packed with two years’ experience working in magazine production, which he quickly came to learn was his main journalistic passion. But it was only after working at another B2B publication that he realised business writing was his true niche.
 
“I’ve always been interested in journalism, magazines in particular, since my first bit of work experience,” he said. “But after working at another B2B magazine on an internship I got a real taste for it, so when I saw this job I applied straight away.”
 
His previous track record in magazine work did help him settle in, but Dan pins most of the smooth transition down to the Cognitive team itself. “Everyone gets on really well, which I think is really important since you spend more time at work than you do with your friends or family,” he continued. “It’s also nice working for a small, family-run company rather than a big corporation – and I’ve worked for a few of them in my time!”
 
Despite joining the Editorial team just a few months ago, Dan has already compiled a brilliant portfolio of published pieces and acquired a wealth of interviewing experience that would be hard to match anywhere else.
 
“So far, interviewing the local government Ombudsman and seeing Jeremy Hunt at the Confed18 conference were the highlights of my time here,” he explained. “Another accomplishment was the mental health feature I’ve written for NHE. That included a lot of information from the panel debates at Confed18, such as talks from Mind’s CEO Paul Farmer, but generally, mental health is something I feel very strongly about.”
 
As well as accumulating a lot of experience in a short period of time, Dan has also grown professionally by having to overcome a few personal challenges that forced him to develop his leadership skills from the very early days. During his second week at Cognitive, the editor had a week-long annual leave booked in and left Dan in charge of running the three news websites, the Digital Journalists, and the magazine production schedule.
 
“It was a little nerve-racking at first, but I just got on with it and it all went smoothly,” he explained. “I had people I could call, including the Editor, but ended up getting on all right and commissioned plenty of stories.”
 
Going forward, what does he hope to get out of his time here? “As far as the job goes, I’m very happy where I am – we’ll see what comes my way in the future!”

​Nathan came to Cognitive after spending three years in the recruitment industry. He was looking for an ambitious change of scenery: the chance to dictate what he earns, being able to liaise with clientele, and promote and sell the largest health publication in the UK. With his first deal close to be sealed, and more in the pipeline, Nathan is taking to the industry like a duck to water. So what’s his highlight about working for Cognitive so far?
 
“I love the idea that in this industry that work is a quick turnaround,” Nathan said. “there’s always business and it’s not something you have to work on for months and months. Business decisions are made on a daily basis.”
 
At Cognitive staff members have their own portfolio, and their own clientele. With 240,000 readers for National Health Executive and a wealth of industry connections, Nathan feels confident collaborating with potential clients in the office and in the events industry. Nathan experienced his first healthcare event at NHS Confed 18 last week: “Confed 18 has been one of the highlights for me so far,” he said. “I love face-to-face interaction with people, plus it gives us a good chance to immerse ourselves in the industry.”
 
Chatting it up with major players in the healthcare sector is a great experience— but what if the product you’re selling is no good? Nathan said NHE does not have that problem. “The quality of our magazines are great— after talking with other publications, their readership is declining because of the quality of the magazines and the content inside them,” Nathan noted. “Comparing our magazine and online publications against competitors then it makes us feel confident knowing that we have the biggest audience.”

Nathan’s peak, however, was becoming the Cavell Nurses’ Trust ‘Bop-It’ champion at NHS Confed! To join the team at Cognitive— and maybe bag yourself your very own Bop-It championship trophy — click here 
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It’s never easy being the new guy at the office. But NHE’s new sales member James Forrest has taken to his new role at Cognitive Publishing in Manchester with ease. With previous experience in sales in financial services, but a rookie to the publishing industry, James is finding his feet with industry contacts and has just secured his first deal with more in the pipeline. So, what is it that attracted James to join the NHE team?

Making the decision to move up from London to Manchester for the role, James said it was the independence and industry connections that got his attention. He said: “Look at the likes of people we have worked with in the past—they speak for themselves. We have BMW advertising with us, so we’re doing something right. We feel like we have a lot of independence in what we do—at the end of the day, the best thing about the job you can make as much money as you want as long as you work towards it.”

The decision to join the sales team has proved fruitful for James: after securing his first sale with Qube Learning, James has learnt to be patient with current and future clients, and the sales will come. “I’m looking to be buying a house in the next year, and this job is perfect for that because it’s one of the only roles where you can genuinely write your own paycheck,” James said. “Everyone comes to work to earn money, so depending on how much work you put in, it determines what you actually get out of it.”

Having a dedicated and passionate readership helps, too. As the UK’s biggest health publication, James is confident in selling National Health Executive because of the quality of the magazine, its online counterpart, and its loyal following on social media, where NHE gives informative and balanced insight and analysis every day. “The readership speaks for itself,” James continued, “240,000 readers online, in the publication and across social media for NHE alone, with almost half a million readers for PSE and NHE combined. Without a shadow of a doubt, that makes my job easier and it makes us more confident.”

It sounds like business is booming— but how’s life in the office? “Everyone is really nice and on the ball— no one takes themselves too seriously,” James said. “It’s very chilled out, so it’s a great environment. It’s a very family-orientated place, where you can have a laugh and a joke as long as you get the work done.”
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James’ story is one of many at Cognitive who have joined on and gone from strength to strength. To apply to work at Cognitive, click here: Jobs