Academic Writer Interview Preparation Guide

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I have been told that i am honest, reliable and ethical.
Your sense of urgency, if you know that a task is important, then you will work hard to get it done on time.
You are a fast learner.
Ability to communicate with people.
Flexible enough to handle changing environments.
Able to cope with setback and learn from my mistakes.

► Occasionally I have been told that I take longer than other colleagues to complete complicated projects or tasks. But this is only because I want to make sure the work I do is to the highest standards.
► My MS PowerPoint skills are weak, so I have enrolled on a evening course to improve them.
► I am sometimes accused of being over friendly.

You are a workaholic.

They want you to tell them (in your own words) a bit more about your background, work experience, attitude and ambitions. Make your answer brief and to the point. Do not talk about your hobbies, personal likes or dislikes. Finish the answer by focusing on your Unique Selling Proposition, do this by mentioning what you are good at etc.

► There was no real room for growing my career.
► The position you are advertising seems like a excellent match for my knowledge, abilities and qualifications.
► I am keen to use my skill sets and abilities in a different capacity than I have in the past.
► I am looking for a job that has more responsibility.
► The reason for leaving my last job was that I wanted to spend more time with my family. I am now ready to go back into full time employment.

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.

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.

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.

This can be a tricky question to answer, especially if you have never held a supervisory / managerial position or had any form of responsibility. In your replies you need to display resourcefulness, an ability to solve problems, your decision making skills and be able to clearly explain the approach you used. No matter how little work experience you have you should always be able to lead and come up with creative solutions. Describe situations where you came up with an idea that increased efficiency in your office or cut costs after you discovered a cheaper supplier etc.

► If I had a time machines I would go back to University and taken a degree in Business Studies rather than Hospitality.
► I stayed too many years in a job that was stable but didn't offer me enough challenges or opportunities for growth.

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.

Give a solution that is related to work and if possible the job you are applying for. Demonstrate something that shows how you saved a previous employer money, made them more efficient or increased revenue.

What you're listening for here is either the Associated Press (AP) Style book or the Chicago Manual of Style. I'd even accept the Yahoo! Style Guide as a runner-up.

Copy is sales-oriented, while content is value-oriented. Copy is the stuff you'd find in a brochure, while content is what you'd find in a bona fide newsletter. A good writer should know the difference between the two.

My present employer pays me well outside of the norm, however I would not like to limit my job prospects by using that salary as a comparison.
As a highly valued member of the company, I am paid on the very high end of current market rates.

There's more to good proofreading than reading your content over and over again on the screen. A good writer will have a process (or several to choose from) for proofing each piece of content. Some of my tactics are reading the content out loud and reviewing a printed copy. Give bonus points if they mention my super-ninja trick for when it's gotta be perfect: reading it backwards.

A good content creator will be familiar with the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). Your ideal candidate will answer this question by describing how he or she (a) determines which keywords to focus on and (b) works those keywords into the content.

► This really depends on what my co-worker is doing, the severity of their actions and the specific problems or disruption that they may be causing. Having said that no matter what the situation is, I would always remain in control of any situation and concentrate on my work. I would not take any arguments or heated discussions personally or hold grudges against work colleagues.
► I would avoid them and only talk to them or cooperate with them when required to in the course of my daily duties.

On two occasions at my last corporate job, we hired writers who showed up on their first day, took one look at their computers, and said, "Oh, you use PCs." Yep, they'd only ever used Macs. Each assured us it wouldn't be a problem, but … yeah, it was. So if you're hiring a content creator to work on-site with your team, make sure he or she is hip to the program-literally.

This is perhaps the most important question, because if their writing skills aren't exceptional, your content writer might succeed in driving people away from your site, not to it.
While reading previous work will give you great insight into their writing level, also ask questions specific to online writing and your industry.