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Writer Interview Questions

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Writer interview questions and answers.

  1. As a writer for a digital marketing company, what strategies would you use to design a successful landing page? See answer
  2. What are your topics of interest as a writer? Do you have a particular niche? Why do those topics interest you? See answer
  3. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for a successful press release? See answer
  4. What is your approach to writing a blog post? What do you believe makes a blog an effective storytelling platform? See answer
  5. How do you feel about working on tasks as a ghostwriter? See answer
  6. Before you start a project, what information do you need to know? See answer
  7. What does your research process look like when starting a new assignment? See answer
  8. What techniques do you have experience using to make your content more SEO-friendly? See answer
  9. Describe your experience working with editors. How do you incorporate feedback into your work? See answer
  10. What time management techniques do you use to make sure you meet deadlines? See answer
  11. What proofreading strategies do you use as part of your writing process? See answer
  12. What techniques do you use to determine the success of a piece of content? See answer
  13. What strategies will you use to capture our company’s voice?
  14. What content management systems do you have experience using?
  15. What’s something unique about your writing style, process, or journey?
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Ready to get started?

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Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

15 Writer Interview Questions and Answers

As a writer for a digital marketing company, what strategies would you use to design a successful landing page?

This question aims to understand the candidate's experience with writing for digital marketing campaigns. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies
  • Experience designing landing pages
  • Skills in writing for online marketing campaigns

Example:

"I have experience working directly with marketing teams to create digital content for various brands. When designing a landing page, I use SEO best practises, create backlinks, and write a clear call to action that directs the reader to carry out a specific behaviour."

What are your topics of interest as a writer? Do you have a particular niche? Why do those topics interest you?

Asking this question can help you understand the candidate's interests, passions, and background with writing on specific topics. What to look for in an answer:

  • Topic preferences and experience with writing for specific industries
  • Self-identification of writing strengths and weaknesses
  • Preferences that relate to the content your company produces

Example:

"Although I've been a professional writer for nearly 10 years, I also have a background in psychology. I'm passionate about writing on topics related to self-help, stress management, and mental wellness. I'm also interested in related subjects like research and medicine."

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for a successful press release?

The purpose of this question is to examine the candidate's knowledge of writing effective press releases. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of what makes a press release successful
  • Ability to create content that benefits a company's reputation
  • Knowledge of how to write marketing pieces that represent a business

Example:

"An effective press release is one that has a clearly defined goal, promotes a company's value and vision, and engages the audience's attention. To me, this means using good formatting strategies to express the intention of the piece, crafting an appealing headline, and developing high-value content that avoids fluff and promotes content that applies to the company's values and marketing strategy."

What is your approach to writing a blog post? What do you believe makes a blog an effective storytelling platform?

This question can help you assess the candidate's knowledge of and experience with blog writing. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understands the function of blog posts and their typical style
  • Knows how to use various writing styles to deliver information or tell stories
  • Can adapt writing style and voice to different types of content

Example:

"When writing a blog post, the first step in my approach is to get to know the voice and style of the blog. I read several articles from the blog, and then I research competitor blog posts on the same topic to understand the differences in approach. Once I feel confident in the tone and style of the blog, I strive to write a piece that meets the audience's expectations for voice and content. Blog style writing is more personal than other kinds of writing, so I try to use simple, conversational language that addresses the reader directly."

How do you feel about working on tasks as a ghostwriter?

This question can help you understand the candidate's experiences as a ghostwriter or willingness to produce ghostwritten content. What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience working as a professional copywriter
  • Willingness to work as part of a team to reach goals
  • Passion for writing and producing content

Example:

"I have experience working as a ghostwriter and understand the value of producing content that helps others reach their goals. I don't mind if I don't receive immediate credit or recognition for my writing because I'm passionate about the process and putting quality content into the world."

Before you start a project, what information do you need to know?

You might ask this question to gain insight into the candidate's process and priorities when starting a project. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to prioritise information
  • Ability to ask good questions to inform initial research
  • Understanding of what knowledge is needed to write for a business

Example:

"Before starting any project, I always ask some general questions about the client's audience, tone, vision, and style. In addition to these general questions, I spend some time learning about the topic of the piece. Even a well-written piece has little value for the reader if the information it presents isn't accurate."

What does your research process look like when starting a new assignment?

This question can help you gauge a writer's process, including what questions they ask and how they conduct their research before writing. What to look for in an answer:

  • Commitment to conducting thorough research before writing
  • Understanding of the research process
  • Ability to find and use credible sources to inform their writing

Example:

"Before I start writing, I outline everything I know about the topic, everything I don't know about the topic, and everything I want to know about the topic. This helps me structure my research process while also helping me think about the subject and get some words down on paper. Then, I begin my research using keywords related to the topic. As I research, I fill in my outline until I feel I've gathered enough information to write."

What strategies will you use to capture our company's voice?

This question aims to understand the candidate's process for learning your company's values, style, and expectations. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to understand and adapt to a company's voice
  • Knowledge of your company's brand and values
  • Ability to revise writing style to meet different audiences

Example:

"I've followed your company's content for many years and have always admired your writing team's ability to turn complex, technical concepts into simple, direct, and clean copy. As a writer for your team, I would keep up with your most current publications, study your most popular pieces, and learn your company style guide to make sure my writing upholds your brand."

What techniques do you have experience using to make your content more SEO-friendly?

This question assesses the candidate's familiarity and knowledge of SEO best practises. What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience optimizing content for SEO
  • Knowledge of SEO best practises
  • Ability to implement SEO strategies

Example:

"I've taken several training and certification courses in SEO strategy. For each piece I write, I implement keywords in strategic places in the copy. I also use hyperlinks and backlinks to optimise my content. I prioritise using SEO best practises in my work."

Describe your experience working with editors. How do you incorporate feedback into your work?

Asking this question may help you learn about the candidate's experience working with editors and their ability to respond to constructive feedback. What to look for in an answer:

  • Comfort working with editors
  • Openness to accepting and incorporate feedback
  • Commitment to growth and development

Example:

"I've worked directly with editors in prior copywriter roles. I love receiving feedback on my writing because it helps me to refine my voice and grow my craft. Writing is a skill that takes time and attention to develop. I'm the writer I am today because of the feedback I've received on my work, and I hope to continue growing by collabourating with future editors."

What time management techniques do you use to make sure you meet deadlines?

This question can help you learn about the candidate's ability to manage time to meet production deadlines. What to look for in an answer:

  • Skill with time management
  • Knowledge of organisational techniques to use time effectively
  • Commitment to meeting important deadlines

Example:

"For every piece I write, I keep track of my word count and the time I take to reach certain milestones. For example, I track how many words I write per hour and measure that number against my final word count to make sure I'm progressing on schedule. I also believe in writing task lists at the start of my workday so I know everything I need to complete before the end of the day."

What proofreading strategies do you use as part of your writing process?

Asking this question can help you gain insight into their editing and proofreading strategy for producing error-free content. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of proofreading practises
  • Ability to apply proofreading strategies
  • Attention to detail and concern for producing high-quality content

Example:

"Ideally, I prefer to finish my first writing draft well before the deadline so that I have time to step away from it for a few hours or overnight. Returning to it later with a new perspective often helps me catch errors I wouldn't have caught otherwise. However, if I have limited time, I try to read the draft aloud to myself or read it backward to catch mistakes."

What content management systems do you have experience working using?

If your business uses an online system for writers to produce and submit their work, this question may help you gauge their familiarity with working in these systems. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of common content management systems
  • Willingness to learn new software
  • Comfort with adapting to new technologies

Example:

"I've worked with several content management systems in the past. Although they all have their differences, I'm comfortable learning new technology. I enjoy getting to know different systems, and I've always been quick to learn new software."

What techniques do you use to determine the success of a piece of content?

This question assesses the candidate's knowledge of what makes a piece of content successful and the tracking measures used to evaluate success. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of engagement metrics
  • Understanding of the importance of tracking engagement
  • Ability to adapt content to meet audience interests and preferences

Example:

"In my previous copywriting positions, I worked closely with our marketing team. They published regular reports on our most popular pieces, and our writing team frequently met with the marketing team to develop content strategies based on those reports."

What's something unique about your writing style, process, or journey?

Asking this question can help you get to know the candidate's personal writing process and what they value in their own skills, process, or journey. What to look for in an answer:

  • Personal interest in their work
  • Passion for their craft and thoughtfulness for their process
  • Personality characteristics that may make them a fit for your team

Example:

"I strongly disliked writing in high school. I thought good writers were people who could sit down and write a flawless draft on their first attempt, and because I couldn't do that, I thought I must not be a good writer. After learning about writing as a process, my perspective changed. I realised I love seeing my work develop over several drafts, and now I can't imagine myself doing anything else for a living."

Three individuals are sitting at a table with a laptop, a disposable coffee cup, notebooks, and a phone visible. Two are facing each other, while the third’s back is to the camera. The setting appears to be a bright room with large windows.

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