1. Tell me what are your strengths and weaknesses as Editor?
Talk about strengths that will be useful in the job and about weaknesses that are irrelevant to the job. But I'd advise against say you're too hardworking, for example, as a weakness, as it just sounds creepy.
2. Tell me can you work under pressure?
Give an example. This shows that you can work to deadlines.
3. What do you dislike as Editor?
I can't say I dislike anything, but my least favorite part is the administrative work. I hate paperwork with a passion. And meetings. If it becomes monotonous, I don't enjoy it.
4. Tell me where do you see yourself in five years as Editor?
Again this is about researching the job and knowing the career structure. You have to be realistic, so avoid saying you expect to be the managing director as this just sounds arrogant.
5. Explain me what do you know about our company?
I do not know more than that but what I can say is that the crossword puzzles are much harder when compared to the other leading newspapers.
6. Tell me how do you follow major news stories?
This gives you a a chance to demonstrate your awareness of television and radio news and of current affairs programmes.
7. Explain me what books/magazines/newspapers do you enjoy reading?
I enjoy reading my Toastmasters magazines for inspiration and newspapers so that I can know what is happening in the country.
8. Tell me what do you think of the state of British journalism?
This offers you an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the industry, touch on the importance of freedom of the press etc.
9. Tell us what is most challenging about what you do?
The whole thing is challenging. You have to look out for the overall future of the newspaper, how it is perceived in the community, you have to look out for your staff. But the most challenging is getting people to reach their potential.
10. Tell me what is your greatest achievement as Editor?
Make it relevant to the job. Identify the skills they are looking for and match them to the achievement. There's no point saying it was spending the night up a mountain in Wales with three friends if you don't say how that experience is going to help you do the job.
Before the interview sit down with a pen and paper and jot down your achievements and their relevance to the job.
11. Tell me what do you like most about being an editor?
Being an editor means you get to help people with their writing, and I like to read other people's work. I also just like helping people improve on what they already have.
12. Explain yourself in two minutes?
Allows the selector to see if you can provide detailed, interesting and concise information. Think about skills and abilities you've acquired that apply to journalism and practice describing these.
13. Tell me how do you make money/or how are you compensated as Editor?
$42,000 in salary, plus health insurance, a matched 401K, dental, vision, the usual benefits. I also get a two-week vacation, and will get three when I have been there for three years.
14. Tell me what are your interests as Editor?
This could help the interviewer check if you have an interest in current affairs, people, places and events. It could also help the interviewer establish what types of assignments you might be able to deal with.
15. Tell me did you work with ABC person?
The magazine industry is a small industry. If you did work with X person, again, KIP (Keep It Positive). Even if you hated X person. Even if he/she made you cry into your Michael Kors tote bag every day. Even if the editor interviewing you says nasty things, just KIP. “Yes, we did work together! I learned a lot by working with her.” Next question!
16. Tell me what is your ideal company culture?
Anything which helps the community in a positive way x.
17. Tell me how much money do you make starting out?
Most newspaper reporters have to be willing to take low salaries. I started out at $26,000, went on to $35,000. But I was fortunate. Our entry-level reporters here make $22,000. With hard work, they can move up rather quickly. I want to hire people who want to move up, and will reward those who do. The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know.
18. Tell me how would you get a local story?
Most local papers don't want to upset people. It's important to show your credentials, explain why you want to write a story and say where it will go in the paper. If the story is about a death, you could ask for a photo of their loved one. Most people are happy to talk, but if not give them your card and encourage them to contact you if they change their mind.
19. Tell me how do you feel about working weekends and some evenings?
If you are going into journalism for a 9-5 job, then you are daft.
Every newsroom is different, but at some point you will have to work weekends and some evenings, because most news isn't planned.
Say you are flexible and more than happy to swap sunbathing in the garden at short notice to go and cover an exciting story.
Nod along.
Give examples of when you have done this in the past at university in work, and you will be well away.
20. Tell me which story in your portfolio are you most proud of?
A pretty straight-forward question, but now that you know editors like to ask it, think back through your list of clips and use the time to talk about something that sounds really impressive. Maybe it was an investigative piece you wrote for your school's newspaper, or maybe you interviewed someone really inspiring for your blog. Talk it up! Here, editors really just want to see that you're passionate about your work.
21. Tell me how do you prioritize when you have multiple deadlines to meet?
I list in order from the most important to least important.
22. Tell me what would your previous supervisor say about your time management skills?
I try my best, nobody is perfect but I like to be on time for anything.
23. Explain me what is most rewarding?
The most rewarding thing is when you are actually able to help someone. My favorite success story is a man I hired when I first got here, who didn't have some of the qualifications of the other applicants, but who had a strong desire to be a professional journalist. I decided to give him a chance. Since then, he has moved on to be an assistant editor in another town, and I feel I had something to do with that.
24. Tell us what does your work entail?
My job is administrative, in that I oversee payroll and HR issues, but I also work alongside my reporters as an active member of the team. I do what ever needs to be done. Sports, is a large part of it right now, because school is in session, and we have six high schools in our town, and one Division II University. And there is also a lot of Junior High stuff going on right now. But it is my job to make sure that everything works smoothly, and that the news is adequately covered, and that the newspaper contains the important news in our town, every day. We have no interaction with the advertising part of the business in the newsroom. There are times when the ad people will come by and ask us to do something like covering a ribbon cutting, and I always tell them no.
25. Explain me how much do you use social media, which sites do you use the most?
A wise editor once told me that they wouldn't even consider someone for an interview if they didn't have a Twitter account.
That may seem harsh, but in reality social media is such an important way of sourcing news stories. By not having a Facebook or Twitter account, you are automatically at a distinct disadvantage.
Mention how much you use social media, how you use it, and how you would use it to find a story.
Make sure you know how many Twitter followers you have! This was a question I got asked in an interview and luckily I knew the exact number.
Talk about your blog if you have one and tell them what type of people you follow or pages you like.
Also talk about the negatives of finding stories by using social media, for example making sure information is legit and how to trawl through all the spam!
Since you're interviewing for a job in publishing, editors want to know that you like to pick up a good book once in a while. Be ready to list off anything interesting you've read recently-books, blog posts, magazine articles. But don't just talk about the magazine where you're interviewing-editors have special brown-nose detecting powers.
27. Tell me how would you handle a freelance writer who handed in subpar work?
I would provide them with guidelines of how the company expects the work and some pointers on how to write articles. They coud also shadow one of the senior writers to their work.
28. What education or skills are needed to be an Editor?
A college degree is preferred, but there is no substitute for experience, such as having been on a college newspaper, or a smaller weekly or daily. I hire people who can do a little of everything. One of the first things I did here was phase out the photographer position. My reporters were told to get some camera equipment and take photos themselves. A photography purist might say that the quality of our work would suffer as a result, but now I feel the quality of our photos have actually gotten better since we made that move. They need to be able to write in Associated Press style, take notes, write fast, and be accurate; and they have to do it quickly, because the presses are waiting.
29. Explain me how would you describe what you do?
I oversee a newsroom of six; it s a small-town community newspaper, so in addition to being in charge of the daily newspaper, I do a little bit of everything. In fact, I'm one of the six. We have a news editor, a sports editor who is a one-man sports department, a lead reporter, and two hybrid positions – one does reporting three days a week and works the news desk two days a week, and one who does sports reporting three days a week and news reporting two days a week. I also edit all the news stories for style and for mistakes. We still make mistakes. But we just make a correction and go on from there. I tell my reporters to do everything in their power to keep a mistake from happening, but if they are doing everything they can and are giving 110 percent, then I'm not going to eat their lunch.
30. Tell us what do you think of our website/ newspaper, what do you think we could do better?
Now, this isn't the time to slate all the things you dislike about the company's publications.
It will offend your potential employers and won't make you look very good.
This is a chance for the interviewers to get an outsider's view of their work and to see if you are capable of coming up with ideas which will improve the company as a whole.
Start off with positive aspects of their website/ newspaper, then move onto things they could improve on.
For example, you could word it like this: “You have great video content on your website, I think having more of this would drive people to the site.”
31. Explain me how are you with social media?
Editors want to know you have a strong social media presence. Steer the conversation toward the platform you love and use the most, and your enthusiasm for it will become evident. If the editor asks, “Well, what about Twitter?” Or, “What do you think of Facebook?” You say: “They're still strong and relevant ways to drive traffic.” (Or, if you really know your stuff, talk up the new guard of social, whatever that may be!)
32. Social Media Based Editor Job Interview Questions:
☛ What is Web 2.0?
☛ What does Web 3.0 look like?
☛ What's the “next big thing?”
☛ What is the difference between social media and social networking?
☛ What do you think of social media consultants?
☛ What's the scariest part of social media?
☛ What's the most exciting part of social media?
☛ What social media blogs do you read? What research do you follow?
☛ Who's your favorite social media expert?
33. Technical Social Media Editor Job Interview Questions:
☛ Explain the difference between Facebook Like and Sharing on Facebook.
☛ If you're planning a vacation and will be out of touch and not able to get online for a week, what tools would you use to ensure social media updates are being posted?
☛ Write three headlines for news stories that you think will have tremendous success on social media. What makes the headline successful? Write a headline for a successful article about our company.
☛ How often should we update Twitter?
☛ How do you handle criticism of a company online?
☛ What would you do if someone started a parody account poking fun at our company?
☛ What is your policy for moderating comments?
☛ Would you pay a blogger to write favorably about our company?
☛ How would you show unique content only to fans on our Facebook page?
☛ Who in our organization should be blogging on behalf of the company?
☛ What is a “sneezer”?
☛ How would you perform competitive analysis in the social space?
☛ What do think about software applications that autofollow or try to get get large masses of friends on social network sites?
☛ What do the statistics look like for a healthy Facebook fan page?
☛ Explain what a retweet is.
☛ What is RSS? Why is it important?
☛ Have you ever gotten a piece of content onto the front page of Digg?
☛ How frequently do you update Facebook and Twitter?
34. Portfolio Based Editor Job Interview Questions:
☛ Which story in your portfolio are you most proud of?
☛ What was your role in conceptualizing and editing [this work sample]?
☛ Describe a time you worked with a team to complete a challenging project.
☛ Which tasks did you delegate? Who did you delegate tasks to and why?
☛ Which of your pieces would you consider to be successful? How do you measure success?
35. Job Interview Questions From Editor:
☛ Tell us about your career history so far.
☛ What do you think makes you a good editor?
☛ Take us through the project-editing process from when you get the manuscript until the book is published.
☛ Do you have experience working with budgets?
☛ Have you worked with manuscripts a lot?
☛ Have you had to deal with a tardy author or freelancer?
☛ You say you have a close working relationship with your production department. Tell us about that.
☛ What do you know about [our company]?
☛ How do you feel about ebooks?
☛ Have you got any questions for us?
