Hiring writers and editors

Internal alignment

The first, and often-overlooked, step in a successful hiring process is careful preparation. Spending time upfront carefully considering and articulating what roles need filling and why will save time later in the process and, more importantly, decrease chances of making an unsuccessful hire.

Before hunting for candidates or conducting interviews, hiring managers should first create a “job proposal,” which can be used to inform a carefully constructed job-vacancy to be shared with prospective candidates or in job postings and ads.

Job proposals

Long before announcing to the world that they’re looking to hire, the job proposal process is designed to help hiring managers in two important ways: first, it helps clarify and solidify, in their own minds, exactly what they’re trying to achieve; and second, it can prove a valuable tool for getting other key stakeholders within the organization on the same page. A job proposal is not to be confused with a job posting, vacancy or “requisition,” as it is not designed for public consumption. 

While roles such as “content strategist” or “senior editor” may seem self-explanatory to some, in reality, job titles are confusing – particularly as they relate to content and editorial roles. Titles mean different things to different people and capabilities and skill sets associated with them can vary wildly. One company’s understanding of how a title relates to a role may differ significantly from another’s. As a result, using titles as shorthand is an inexact, and often dangerous, way to effectively communicate a need or requirement.

Job proposals help eliminate any confusion or gaps in communication by forcing clear articulation of a role’s requirements, responsibilities, day-to-day duties and overall strategic goals.

For growing companies, establishing a proposal system early can be essential to expanding efficiently and avoiding mistakes when hiring. Unsuccessful hires are much more costly for smaller companies and teams than they are for established ones, however, all companies, regardless of size, will take a hit, both financially and in terms of time, if this step is not carefully considered.

A set of job proposals ensures that departments hire for precisely the roles they need, cutting down on time and, ultimately, cost. They can be used repeatedly when re-hiring for the same or similar positions, and updated and adapted as needs change and companies evolve.

The content and approach for job proposals will vary based on company, role and manager. 

Job proposal templates can be found in the Resources section, but effective ones typically include:

1. An overview statement: This is a 25- to 30-word explanation of the need a role is intended to address. This should not be skipped. Being able to clearly and succinctly communicate a need is the most important part of the process.
2. Job title: This should be direct and appealing, but realistic. It should sit well with other titles and pay bands.
3. Scope: An outline of what the new hire is going to do – and be responsible for – in five to10 bullet points. This should be as specific as possible.
4. Timeline: Is this a nice-to-have-right-now position? Is this a must-have-right-now position? If so, why right now? Answering these questions and having a realistic timeline will help align the role with budgets, roadmaps and other roles within the organization.
5. Obstacles: These can be market-oriented or internal. Does this role necessitate a unicorn hire – that is, the perfect hire that checks every single box? Is the proposed salary low for the market? Is this person going to have to traverse a particularly complicated internal structure? 
6. The X factor: Are there key qualities a candidate might demonstrate that go beyond more easily quantifiable skills and experience?
7. Budget: This can include a range, but should be as specific as possible. If the budget for a role has a hard cap, that should be noted. If there’s greater flexibility, based on the quality and experience of a candidate, that should be specified.

Putting the job proposal to use

Once a job proposal is created, it can be circulated to relevant stakeholders within an organization. Sharing the proposal with the role’s immediate team members, senior managers and other employees who will interact with the new hire – and being open to comments and feedback – can help sharpen the focus of the role and ensure internal alignment. This process is not designed to “crowdsource” input from across the company, but to arrive at a point where the role’s requirements and responsibilities are even more clearly defined. This can aid success in the remainder of the recruitment and interview process.

For example, a senior manager hiring a writer might share a proposal with an SVP or the CEO, but also with other senior managers, VPs and writers within the group.

Opening up a proposal for comments and feedback can help:

1. Ensure the proposal reflects the needs of the role beyond what the individual hiring manager may need or gravitate towards. Other team members might offer valuable perspective on needs or qualities that might be beneficial, or may have been overlooked.
2. Socialize and familiarize team members with the role before the hiring process begins. 
3. Make the need for the role, and the rationale behind it, more convincing. 
4. Firm up realistic roles and responsibilities that can be kept on file and, once the role has been filled, be used to set goals and expectations.

Crafting an effective job vacancy

Once a job proposal has been solidified, a well-crafted job vacancy is the next step. The differences between job proposals and job vacancies can often be misunderstood, but there’s a simple distinction to keep in mind: They’re intended for different audiences.

1. Job proposals are for internal use, to communicate requirements with internal stakeholders and to make the case for certain roles within the organization.
2. Job vacancies are for external use, and are designed to translate a role’s requirements and purpose to prospective candidates and the outside world.

Successful job vacancies strike a balance between marketing a role and a company to prospective candidates, while also pushing unqualified candidates to screen themselves out before applying. Crafting a great job vacancy is as much art as it is science, so there’s no reason not to have fun and get a little creative when writing one.

As with job proposals, the tone and content of a job vacancy will vary based on company, the nature of the role, and even managerial styles. 

Job vacancy templates can be found in the Resources section, but the most effective job vacancies typically include:

1. An accurate job title that makes sense internally, and is attractive to candidates without misrepresenting the scope of the work. The title should clearly represent the role and its responsibilities.
2. A description of the role, with four to five points that encapsulate the scope of day-to-day requirements. This should be kept brief, but transparent and informative.
3. A growth path that implies how the role may potentially evolve and grow, as well as a sense of how success is measured in that role.
4. Definitions of success that candidates can use to gauge whether they have the capabilities, skill sets and experience the company is looking for.
5. A team and company description that details in which area of an organization the role will sit, and how the team and the role will interact with both internal and external audiences.
6. A call to action beyond “apply.” In lieu of a cover letter, candidates may be asked for three to five story ideas that would work for the publication and the job for which they’re applying. These could take the form of story pitches, including a suggested headline and sources, and any other collateral such as art or video, if applicable.

Collecting candidates

There are various channels, tools and services that can be used to find and attract candidates. These include services like LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter, headhunters and recruitment services, the organization’s own job board or listing site, social channels, and many more. This guide does not make recommendations on which services and channels perform best – that’s dependent on a range of variables including the nature of a role, the company, advertising budgets, the employment market and more.

Where applicable, however, elements of a job proposal can be used to inform targeting parameters for online recruitment tools and advertising services, or even recruitment consultants.

It’s also worth exploring often overlooked channels in this process. Community-based groups and professional organizations for journalists should be considered, for example, such as the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, or the South Asian Journalists Association. Nearly every journalism school holds job fairs, as do most of the above organizations. And, there are other, less prescriptive avenues: great writers are found in many different types of organizations, including news outlets, ad agencies, content marketing firms, law firms and other entities that produce their own content.

And of course, word-of-mouth remains one of the best methods to find great reporters. Staffers can be asked who they read and are impressed by, or have worked with in the past. Having an internal referral and reward system in place can pay dividends here, and can help generate an “always-on” pipeline of potential candidates that can be tapped more immediately as and when budget and vacancies arise.

The interview process

Once a job vacancy is live and a selection of potential candidates has been collected, it’s time to move on to the interview process.

Conducting interviews is the most important part of the hiring process, however, a carefully executed job proposal and job vacancy will help make the interview process as valuable and efficient (and painless) as possible.

Defining an interview framework and goals

Navigating interviews is a skill, both for interviewers and for the candidates themselves. Just because a candidate “interviews well,” doesn’t necessarily make them the right person for a job. And similarly, the best candidates may not be particularly adept at selling themselves or communicating their strengths in an interview setting.

Additionally, cultural fit is important, but an effective interview process must move far beyond pleasantries and personalities and focus on extracting key information from candidates. The responsibility falls on the interviewer, not the candidate, to ensure that the right bases are being covered, and in a timely manner that respects both parties.

Mastering the art of a job interview – especially when related to content generation – is a process. But approaching interviews with a specific plan for what information needs to be collected – and how to collect it – is key.

Once again, the goals for the interview will vary based on company, role and manager, but interviewers should sketch out an interview framework – based largely on the needs defined in the job proposal – that can be used to guide the conversation and ensure key pieces of information are collected from candidates. This framework needn’t be adhered to religiously, nor should it disrupt the flow of natural conversation, but it will help ensure your bases are covered. The framework should be consulted by the interviewer, throughout the process, to keep the dialogue on track and reveal a prospect’s strengths and weaknesses. 

An effective interview framework should seek to uncover a candidate’s:

1. Knowledge of the hiring company and what it does
2. Past experience
3. Applicable skills
4. Interests and passions, both professionally and personally
5. Professional goals
6. Understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses
7. Communication and other “soft” skills
8. Confidence and self-awareness
9. Managerial and leadership skills and style (if applicable)
10. Ability to ask pertinent and intelligent questions of their own

It may help to write questions designed to cover each of the key points outlined in the framework. 

Example interview questions can be found in the Resources section, but questions might include:

1. What are some of the most difficult stories you’ve written and/or reported and how did you do them?
2. What was the last piece you wrote/edited that you were disappointed in?
3. What was the last mistake you made and why do you think it happened? What have you done to avoid making that mistake again?
4. How do you like to be managed?
5. Here’s a task; how would you accomplish it?

Structuring the interview process

A thorough and successful interview process should consist of two rounds, with each round including two interviews or meetings for a total of four meetings. Meetings can be conducted in-person or via a video conferencing platform, such as Zoom.

Round 1, Meeting 1

The hiring manager should conduct the first meeting (unless some initial pre-screening is conducted by human resources or another internal department first). During this meeting, the hiring manager should get to know the candidate and their experience, and work through the planned framework and questions outlined above.

Interviewers should resist the temptation to conduct joint meetings with other members of their teams. It’s tempting to try to cut down on time and repetition, but two-on-one interviews can create noise and confusion, and quickly throw the interview framework and the flow of the meeting off track.

Round 1, Meeting 2

A second meeting should be conducted by another senior team member who won’t manage the candidate, but will work with them in some capacity. For example, another manager or senior team member might interview a writer whom they won’t necessarily manage, but may interact with on a regular basis.

Round 2, Meeting 1

If interviewers confer and decide to bring a candidate back for a second round, a team member, who would work closely with the candidate, should meet with them first. This team member could be another writer or reporter on the same team, ideally someone who has worked for the company for at least a year and embodies the team’s values. The interview framework and questions may or may not be shared with that team member, depending on circumstances. But this step is an important opportunity to collect more information and to get a third opinion on cultural fit from people who work in similar roles.

Round 2, Meeting 2

Final interviews should be conducted by an editor-in-chief, editorial director or another senior editorial staffer. These interviews are important for placing the role in a broader organizational context for the candidate – they may include a heavier focus on the vision, roadmap and goals for the whole company, in addition to further communication of its culture and structural  approach.

Post-interview testing

Once the interview process is complete – and if the candidate is deemed to meet the requirements outlined in the job proposal – they can undergo post-interview testing. Many organizations forego this step, but words on a page are an important part of evaluating any editorial candidate.

Job memos

One of the best ways to determine whether a candidate is a good fit is to review a sample of their work that directly relates to assignments they might receive as an employee. For example, ask the candidate to submit, within a reasonable amount of time, a simple, 500-word freelance piece (preferably one that they pitched in their job application). This will help hiring managers and department supervisors determine whether the candidate understands the basic mission, vision, style and goals of the organization and the target audience(s) it serves.

Where a freelance assignment isn’t possible, a “job memo” is an effective alternative. Candidates can be asked to map out what they would cover, how they would cover it and, most importantly, why.

Templates for job memos are located in the Resources section, but a candidate might be asked to outline:

1. A brief overview of their role
2. Major trends and topics they’re interested in covering
3. How they like to work
4. New product ideas
5. Top priorities in the first 30, 60 or 90 days

Post-interview testing for editors or managers

As with writers, getting a candidate to edit a raw piece of copy (preferably one that requires quite a bit of work) is step one. The basics are important here: organization, clean copy, a basic understanding of the tone, voice and sensibility of the publication.

For jobs that are more focused on direction-setting, such as deputy editors, content managers or even higher-level editorial director roles, candidates can be asked to provide a more robust memo. An editor job memo is a lot like a writer job memo, but it should go further by providing a blueprint of how the candidate would seek to help shape a department or newsroom under them.

These comprehensive memos are often most effective when time-based – three months, six months, one year. They should include story ideas, but also longer-term series and feature ideas. This is a good opportunity to identify whether a candidate has ideas that would go above and beyond the simple remit.

Templates for editor job memos are located in the Resources section, but they might include:

1. An overview of how the candidate sees their role
2. How they manage and how they would organize a department
3. New products in which they would be interested 
4. Top priorities on which they would like to focus 

Writing and editing tests

Writing and editing tests are common across content jobs of all types. While testing can be a useful metric or assessment tool in the overall search process, it’s far too often used as a crutch and leaned on too heavily. Writing tests usually take place in some kind of timed fashion, with prompts given to candidates for stories that they have to write. Editing tests are usually given to candidates in the form of “raw,” unedited copy with a set time to fix errors, arrange the copy and provide feedback in written form. 

Managers should keep in mind that: 

1. There are rarely correct answers. Editing and writing are more art than science, and it can be difficult to know if someone “got it right.”
2. Tests can be useful to see if a candidate goes above and beyond – for example, is an editor actively offering suggestions for how the story should flow versus simply correcting typos?
3. The challenges set are realistic. It can be tempting to add “errors” to see if people will catch them, especially for editing tests. This usually leads to the candidate feeling confused about the job at hand, especially if these aren’t common issues, and no one appreciates being “set up” – especially in the case of a test, when they’re likely already nervous 
4. Overall, exercises should be rooted in practicality. Having a writer to freelance a piece, pitch ideas, or look at current stories and suggest changes or additions is always preferable to a theoretical or “dummy” test.
5. If tests are administered, they should be kept as short as possible. Nobody likes doing work for free. 

Evaluating candidates

Following interviews and post-interview testing, the final step is to whittle down candidates and select those who might receive job offers. This process involves collecting and collating as much information as possible from those involved in conducting interviews, evaluating candidates’ interview performance and ultimately deciding on which candidates – if any – should receive offers.

What to look for in interviews

Hiring for any roles related to content creation or editorial is not a cookie-cutter process. It invariably requires a high degree of “feel,” especially as every publication and company has its own unique culture, vision and business needs. 

That said, good candidates should:

• Ask good questions. When hiring writers and content creators, interviewers should seek candidates who ask to-the-point, insightful questions that can’t be answered by facts they could easily find with a quick search. The best sign of a good reporter is one who comes to an interview with some reporting – whether on the interviewer, the company or the role, and preferably all. Tough questions for interviewers are often a good sign of an astute and curious candidate who pays close attention to detail and thinks critically.

• Ask good questions. When hiring writers and content creators, interviewers should seek candidates who ask to-the-point, insightful questions that can’t be answered by facts they could easily find with a quick search. The best sign of a good reporter is one who comes to an interview with some reporting – whether on the interviewer, the company or the role, and preferably all. Tough questions for interviewers are often a good sign of an astute and curious candidate who pays close attention to detail and thinks critically.

Hiring reports

Hiring reports are a good way to collect feedback about potential candidates from those who were involved in the interview process, and should be factored into the decision-making process. Staffers who interviewed or met with candidates should be asked for a quick and succinct “interview report” that summarizes their thoughts and perceptions of each candidate.

This exercise forces interviewers to distill and prioritize their thoughts, ensures thorough documentation, and helps eliminate “drips” of information via email, messaging platforms and verbally. 

Interview reports can be broken into four sections:

1. Key takeaways: These are high-level thoughts about a candidate and their suitability for the role outlined in the initial job proposal. 
2. Scores on key attributes: Interviewers can be asked to “rate” candidates on four or five key attributes. These attributes will vary, depending on the company and role, but should be based firmly on the needs outlined in the job proposal. A simple three-point or five-point scale is typically most effective.
3. Range: This can be controversial, but one way to quickly assess experience levels of candidates is by range. Keep this simple: Low, mid, mid-high, high, for example. This eliminates the trap of years of experience and focuses on the candidate’s ability.
4. Overall recommendation: Interviewers can be asked for a simple recommendation on a potential hire: no, indifferent or yes.

Sample hiring reports are in the Resources section.

Checklist and next steps

Sourcing and selecting candidates for offers is, unfortunately, not an exact science, especially when it comes to content roles. Making any hire requires a leap of faith, and it’s rare that any hiring manager is completely confident in their decision to make a job offer to one candidate over others. 

Finding a great fit for any role typically hinges on a myriad of variables aligning, including matching a company’s unique needs, culture and priorities with a candidate’s interests, skills and abilities. The reality is that many of these factors are simply outside of all parties’ control, but following the principles in this guide will give hiring managers confidence that they’re acting based on the best information that was available to them.

There’s no such thing as a perfect hire, but following the steps outlined above will greatly improve the chances of finding the best fit possible.

Companies should ensure they have answers to the following questions prior to conducting interviews: 

Internal alignment:

The interview process:

Post-interview testing:

Evaluating candidates:

More helpful guides and resources:

• Job interview questions
• Job memo templates