Rob Johnson, Engage Content
God, job interviews are awkward. They’re awkward for the interviewee, and often worse for the interviewer, says Rob. Especially when hiring someone like a content writer. Even more challenging is when the interviewer
is not a content writer either.
Demand Metric says 90% of companies are practising content marketing now. And I know there’s not that many content writers out there. Rob Johnson
What skills does a content writer need?
More importantly, how do you tell if someone has them? Rob’s interviewed old journalism colleagues for content writer jobs. They tell him, “I can do this content marketing lurk—it’s what we used to call Advertorials, right?” (No, it’s not.)
I’ve also had bright-eyed youngsters present me with a list of companies they’ve written for. Then I read it, and discover they’ve only written brochure copy and edited their own thesis.
How to test a content writer during the interview
No matter what they say, there is no other writing job that is the same as content writing. Some people say ‘hire journalists’. But journalists don’t have the full skill set needed. They are often willing to learn. But they are also often difficult to teach. They are trained to be cynical and self-confident. They are great qualities for chasing news stories. Not for content writing.
Check out the 3 skill sets that define a content writer at Engage Content …