Content Writer interview questions and answers
This Content Writer interview profile brings together a snapshot of what to look for in candidates with a balanced sample of suitable interview questions.
Content Writer Interview Questions
In interviewing for a content writer there are three main skills that need assessing: researching, writing and editing. An obvious weakness in any of these areas will undermine the effectiveness of the others.
The best candidates will have a portfolio of content that showcases their ability to write across a variety of topics and in a number of different styles. It’s reasonable to expect them to be familiar with one of the standard style guides, ranging from tomes like the Chicago Manual of Style to its slimmer and livelier counterpart from the Economist. Many of the better candidates will have a background in published journalism, a personal blog or experience in copy-writing.
As well as writing, strong candidates should have a grounding in search engine optimization (SEO) and an awareness of the basic concepts of content marketing.
In assessing a writer there is no substitute for a written assignment. The best brief would include an original text that closely resembles work they would be asked to produce, together with a rewrite of a dummy text to assess the candidate’s editing skills. It’s worth including a short but challenging assignment to gauge a prospect’s capacity to undertake timely and relevant research, as well as summarize the results.
Operational questions
- There can be a considerable amount of repetitive work — how would you stay motivated?
- How do you maintain attention to detail?
- How do you approach proof-reading material?
- What would you expect from us as your employer to keep you motivated?
- Tell us how your background and experience makes you a fit for this role?
- What do you know about this company?
- Who are our customers are and where are they located?
- Where would you ideally see yourself a year from now and in three years from now?
Role-specific questions
- Why do we invest in producing content that we give away for free?
- How do you think people discover our content?
- What’s the importance of voice for a brand?
- How would you go about giving voice to a brand?
- If I told you you need to make 50 pieces of content per week what would you say?
- How many pieces of content do you think you could deliver in a week?
- How would you go about prioritizing one piece of content over another?
- What new content would you recommend for our marketing operation?
- How do you go about improving SEO for content?
- What’s the value of an infographic?