1. Tell me which blogs do you read?
You're looking for a writer who's committed to keeping his or her skills sharp, and that includes reading some of the better blogs on the subject of content creation.Two that come to mind are ProBlogger and CopyBlogger, but any marketing- or content-focused blog would be an acceptable answer.
2. Tell me why did you choose content writing as a career?
This one is pretty easy. Because I always felt writing is in my bones J I am an Engineering graduate and understandably this was a standard question in all interviews. I gave the same reply in all interviews and it worked just fine.
From this question you would be able to judge the type of articles that they are 'interested' to write. Then you would be able to allocate specific contents to such persons depending on their interests. But sometimes, there are writers who do manage to write a variety of topics. This would mean that they have habit of reading and gathering information. Based on the type of contents that you are interested to display, you need to be careful in selecting writers. By reading the articles you would be getting to know on how much depth they are involved in the related subject. Besides, getting writers for writing technical related subjects needs to be based on their technical writing skills and their education qualification.
This will help to know whether the writer is having ideas to incorporate and bring out new thoughts. Based on the skill or talent you would need to know how you hire another writer who would be supportive. Or if the writer is happy to write contents on the subject being given, then you would need to make choice based on the type of work assignments or type of work to be executed example whether marketing or web site contents. Some writers do have lot of ideas and thoughts but they may not know what is the requirement in the market and will be willing to adapt themselves. Such writers are sometimes preferred as they will be willing to change according to the situation and write contents to suit the trend.
5. Tell me what are some good ways to get other people to link to your content?
☛ Why it's important to ask this: The candidate may understand Google ranks content based on inbound links, but they also need to know how to accumulate inbound links.
☛ What to look for: A good content marketer knows how to get links by producing great link worthy content, and promoting it in a clever manner. Here are some good responses to the questions:
☛ I interview influencers, not only because they have good things to say, but because they promote the resulting content to a large audience as well-and some of those people will end up linking back to my interview.
☛ I include content others can reuse. For example, I may create a quick infographic that other bloggers may want to curate or include in their own posts, with a link back to mine.
☛ I write long form content so I have the most comprehensive and authoritative post on a particular subject, which tempts others to link to me as the reference source.
6. Tell me how do you kick off a project with a new client?
What you're looking for here is listening. A good content writer will spend time with the client to get a feel for the brand's personality as well as the needs of its target audience.
7. Do you know how does Google rank content?
Why it's important to ask this: I am always surprised by how few marketers at any level understand how Google really ranks content. Though you're not interviewing for an SEO position, content marketing is intrinsically tied to search engine optimization; everyone should know the basics when creating content.
What to look for: You don't need a candidate to know the PageRank formula, but rather the basic premise behind Google's ranking algorithm, along with other auxiliary factors that help with SEO. For example, many naive marketers think Google ranks content largely on meta tags and keyword stuffing. In reality, Google primarily ranks content on inbound links, and the authority of the sites doing the linking. It's a bonus if a candidate can mention other contributing factors such as the text of the hyperlink, the title tag, keywords in the URL, and others.
8. Explain which style guide do you prefer to go by?
What you're listening for here is either the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook or theChicago Manual of Style. I'd even accept the Yahoo! Style Guide as a runner-up.
9. Explain how you went about the process to get such articles done?
It will help to know what techniques the writer has used and what were the various websites referred. Also it will tell whether the articles were thoroughly read through before writing. Getting to write the appropriate content for the subject requires a step by step process. Some articles are to be written in sequential way and from the writers perspective you would come to know about the way he/she underwent to get the desired content. This will help in making your selection of writers.
10. Tell us what do you enjoy about writing?
Why it's important to ask this: Content marketing is a lot more than writing; however, I consider this talent to be a foundational element of a superstar content marketer. You have to love what you do.
What to look out for: Look for indicators that they have a passion for writing. Understand what drives their passion, what outlets they've used to express this passion, and what personal benefits they get out of creating content.
11. Tell me how do you know if your content has performed well or not?
☛ Mediocre Response:
☛ Usually I just know if it's done well or not.
☛ Great Response:
☛ I look at Google Analytics after a few days to see how many page views it has received.
☛ I search on Google for the target keyword I was optimizing for to see if it ranked in the first page.
☛ I look at the Twitter counter on the post to see how many tweets cite this post.
12. Explain about the best book you've read recently?
The best writers love to read, and not just blogs and e-zines. On my list of acceptable answers would be any marketing or general business book, as well as any book that shows your writer is a well-rounded individual.
13. Explain what was/is the profile in your previous/present company?
This question is relevant only for candidates with previous content writing experience. If you have written on variety of topics then it will be definitely better than having written just one type of content as most companies want writers for all types of writing jobs and not just one or two. Still, hardcore technical writers will not be expected to have a wide writing range except for their own domain. For others it's advantageous to present yourself as generic content writer and not specialized unless the job demands so; for instance, travel writing job. Apart from the writing part also mention other associated responsibilities like, finding keywords, URL suggestion, title tags, page layout decisions, content selection, handling a team, editing etc.
14. Tell me why do you want to work here?
I wanted to move to an institution like this that prioritises good teaching practice and dedicated pastoral care of students. I believe I can offer this because of [x and y examples of experience from your previous career].
15. Tell me do you know something about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Although content writers aren't supposed to know much about SEO but if they do it's a added bonus because writing and SEO go hand-in-hand and website popularity depends on the right balance between the two and not just one of them. Obviously if you have mentioned SEO as one of your skills then be prepared for some searching SEO questions from the interviewer. Even if you mention SEO as a separate skill as distinct from SEO content writing, mention it after your writing skill and not before that. But handle all SEO related questions with tact. If the interviewer just has some basic SEO knowledge then you can convince him/her quite easily by talking about on-page and off-page optimization but if the interviewer has in depth knowledge then you will need more than just SEO basics. So it's advisable to state upfront your comfort level with all things SEO.
16. Tell us what content marketing blogs do you read?
Why it's important to ask this: Is the candidate really interested in content marketing? Do they take personal initiative to educate themselves and grow as a content marketer? Or will they only grow solely through your mentorship on the job?
What to look out for: See if they mention specific blogs. If they just say, "you know, all of them," or "the usual ones," they are likely not reading any.
17. Explain after you have published your content, how do you promote it?
☛ Mediocre Responses:
☛ I publish my content on WordPress, and then tweet it out as well.
☛ Great Responses:
☛ I publish the post on our blog using WordPress.
☛ I then schedule a minimum of four tweets at different times of the day in HootSuite.
☛ I email coworkers to retweet and share my post as well.
☛ I ask the demand generation team to include it in the next email newsletter to our database.
18. Tell me which professional organizations do you belong to?
A good writer views his or her work as a business, one that is worth investing in-and part of that investment involves joining professional organizations. They offer the opportunity to keep up with trends, sharpen skills, and benefit from interaction with other professionals. And a good writer will find a way to come up with the annual dues.
19. Explain some reference of your previous work?
Keep in handy a pen drive containing your best write ups. Yes, you need to be selective; we all know the nonsense we write in the early days of our content writing career and even when we just don't feel like proof reading some write up, so skip such stuff. It's always advisable to show a wide variety of write-ups like blogs, articles, home page and on different topics. Also if the write-up is under your name it's even better for sake of authenticity. But as we know copywriting signifies that the identity of the actual writer is not disclosed so I'll suggest another way to prove your credentials. Post some articles on varied topics like technology, travel, tourism etc on article submission sites like Hubpages, Ezine, Buksia and so on. I did that and it paid off in a big way. Writers looking for a career in web journalism should have posted related articles on some online magazines or current affairs sites.
20. Tell me what courses could you offer to teach?
You want to seem keen and flexible and show that you are happy to fit in with the department's teaching requirements but they also want to hear about new courses that you would like to offer. In order to answer this question you need to look at the department's current undergraduate curriculum. That way you can be sure the courses you have invented will fit in with what they offer now. So if the department already has a course on Nazi Germany, do not propose to offer a new one. You have to be careful here: do not let your creativity run away with you. If you do get the job, your new colleagues might say 'I loved that course you proposed in your interview, can you run it next year?'
21. Basic Content Writer Interview Questions?
☛ What are your current writing projects?
☛ How do you manage deadlines and priorities?
☛ How much do you write about our industry?
☛ How do you handle writing about "boring" topics?
☛ How do you capture a brand's voice?
☛ What is your experience with community management and social media?
☛ What are some of your favorite social media tools?
☛ What is your experience with analytics, metrics and tracking content success?
☛ How do you make content SEO-friendly?
☛ What is your approach to keyword research?
☛ What is your experience in technical writing?
☛ How do you research a target audience?
☛ What is your experience with non-text content (images, infographics, etc.)?
☛ Are you familiar with the Penguin and Hummingbird algorithm updates? How did they affect your content strategy?
☛ What do you know about our company?
22. Role-specific Academic Writers Interview 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?
23. Operational Academic Writers Interview 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?
24. Tell us how would you contribute to the administration of the department?
Here they want you to talk about your past admin experience if you have any, and to show your enthusiasm for this side of things! Fake it if you have to. Pretending that you are desperate to become the new admissions officer will help you to get the job if that's what they are looking for. If you have experience of running your own courses, managing an entire programme, or doing a specific administrative task then mention that. If you can, give an example of a contribution or innovation that you instituted in that role. If you are at the very start of your career then simply show even more enthusiasm and emphasise the transferable skills that are vital in these roles, i.e. being efficient, well-organised and a good communicator.
25. Provide your resume and qualifications details for Academic Writers:
It is imperative to know about the basic qualification of the person you intend to hire. If he/she is a graduate in English literature don't be too happy about it because they might not be able to write creative contents. Read through their resume and find out if they have been involved in writing or editing their work related documents. Sometimes this skill will help to know that they would be accurate in pinpointing grammatical errors. Besides, they would have an eye for reading each sentence word by word. Anyway, it is best if the writer is a graduate and has worked for few years.
