Television News Anchor Interview Preparation Guide

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Not sure of how to answer this question? Remember that this isn’t a time for a job-seeker to bad-mouth your boss or previous employer. Doing so will be a red flag and create a problem that could hurt you as early on as during the phone interview.

What this question is really getting at is why you are looking for a new job at the place you’re interviewing. So even though it’s not phrased that way, respond by talking about how appealing this specific opportunity is to you. As tempting as it may be to vent, don’t spend any time dwelling on the things that make you sound unhappy or unsatisfied at your current company.

This question is a combination of a personality-fit and work-style question wrapped up in one. It’s also an opportunity to showcase your interpersonal strengths if you have them and reflect on the way you add to the team in your current job. If you have a brief anecdote about how you were the leader in a time of crisis or pulled the team together during a stressful project, now is the time to tell it.

We have all faced challenges and overcome them, so which one do you choose to highlight for the interview? Well, ideally it is something you are proud of (which by definition means it was a significant challenge). Moreover, it should be within the professional context if possible. While it’s fine to say that you were able to climb Mt. Everest or won a medal at the Olympics, most of us will provide a great answer if we can talk about a workplace or business challenge we helped a team or company overcome.

There’s no one-size “best” answer to something that’s so personal but we think sticking with a brief vision statement about where you want to grow your career is great. It demonstrates ambition to say that you want to be managing a division (or a larger division, or even a CEO), and intrinsic self-motivation that every employer wants to see in a prospective employee.

This is actually one of the more common questions interviewers ask, even though it’s somewhat casual and may seem unnecessary — especially if you’ve already spent a good amount of time with multiple interviewers. But just in case this is thrown in at the end...have an answer in mind. It can be simple; after all, you’ve likely already discussed a lot. But prepare a brief, conclusive pitch about how you’re motivated and capable because your past experiences have prepared you well for the tasks at hand.

A news anchor is responsible for interpreting happenings locally, nationally, and internationally for a wide audience. This entails keeping at the forefront of news that has an impact on the viewing audience. Commentary is often provided to help people understand how the news affects their daily lives. Millions of people get their news from the daily evening or late night report, and come to trust and favour a particular news anchor. Successful news anchors have many followers, and are still remembered years later for covering specific events in history. While the evening news is not the only mode of broadcasting, it is perhaps the most watched and most dependable form. There are also local news programs, 24-hours news channels, and even online news programs, and they are all excellent options for someone looking to become a news anchor.

News anchors can also conduct interviews with people who impact media happenings from around the world. Interviews help to open a discussion or clarify issues that influence the news or media happenings. An interview can help broaden the audience's understanding of a particular issue or begin a discourse on an issue important to the audience. Important skills necessary for a news anchor when interviewing others is the ability to put people at ease, and remembering to be unbiased.

We want people who love this work and are going to come in ready to hit the ground running. There is no question that CNN's culture is rooted in employees' passion for the news, the desire to tell the story, and the love of the brand. That type of energy and excitement is a must. We also look for people who are curious and passionate about the types of stories they will cover for us.

Everywhere. We want to hire from a diverse mix of backgrounds and experiences. We look for the best talent for the job, wherever that person may be. Whenever possible we will help make a move easier.

Thank-you cards and emails definitely make a difference. It's an easy way for a candidate to stand out.

Ok, this may sound like a silly job interview question and something more in line with common job interview etiquette than the substance of the interview itself, but experts say that when someone does something for you, they are actually slightly more positively inclined towards you. It’s called the Ben Franklin effect: a person who has performed a favor for someone is more likely to do another favor for that person. So even if you’re not a thirsty job candidate that day, just take the water, for goodness sake!

This is a very common interview question and you should answer in a way that reinforces your work experience and your long-term career goals. You may be an amazing frisbee player, a superb cook and a talented computer programmer. But this is the time to talk about your greatest strength in the workplace — so take some tome to think about your professional strengths.

Ideally you have picked 2-3 things and a sample answer you really believe make you stand out as an employee for this particular job or company This is the kind of question that is often used during a screening or phone interview. The more specific you can be about examples demonstrating these strengths, the better. It’s much more compelling, for example, to say that you are “usually the colleague in the room that brings everyone together when there are disagreements over strategy or business plans” rather than a more generic statement about being “a good team player.”

The short answer you want to give is: “Well.” While you probably don't want to literally say that, the idea is to convey competence to deal with difficulty and hopefully pressure is not a problem for you. Frankly, this question tends to come with high-pressure, stressful jobs or companies and they want to know whether you’ll be able to handle tough situations. Hopefully you have self-selected into this kind of job and applied to the company and role with your eyes open about those realities and believe you can thrive in an environment that demands a lot of you.

You know why you’re good at your job, but make sure you have a specific accomplishment you can point to. Interviewers like details, so have an anecdote ready that shows how you oversaw a successful project from start to finish.

A news anchor is a journalist who educates others to the issues that continuously change and shape the world, whether locally, nationally or internationally. The news anchor delivers the day’s events on a news program, and may comment or provide professional insight on complicated issues that are reported. Sources that are analyzed for commentary or reporting are gleaned from many different media sources, including print and internet agencies.

Listen and learn, then use that information. "Throughout the interview, ask them specific questions on who they are looking for, what specific attributes stand out for them, discuss a day-in-the-life of the position, etc. Then once you understand their terms, their methodology, their process -- you use those exact attributes in answering [that famous] last question, 'Why should I hire you?'"

We have a fantastic paid internship program. Students must have completed their sophomore year in college prior to the start of the internship. Students must be seeking a degree — undergrad or graduate — at the start of the internship. We have interns in almost every area of the company. It's a very hands-on experience.

If someone has done something that relates to types of skills the job requires and/or demonstrates their leadership skills, it makes sense to share it. I'd recommend sharing how you see it connects with the role. This type of experience gives us a broader sense of the candidate.

If you think about this in advance, it’s probably easy to come up with an honest answer. What would your boss say about you? And why? Think of an anecdote that will indicate why you’re a pleasure to work with, are a team player and have the right skills for this position.

Employers want to know that you stay on top of things. Be ready to explain how you manage your current responsibilities -- whether in a detailed calendar or to-do list or through some kind of organizational service or app.

We have a great recruiting team that visits colleges across the country throughout the year. We also have our people out at the major journalism conferences [such as National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists].

Absolutely. Anyone working here needs to have a strong understanding of what's making news.

If you’re worried about standing out from the crowd and have an unusual hobby or pastime (singing in a punk rock band, for example) talking about this briefly can make you memorable or round out an otherwise very professional conversation. However, if you’re not very active outside of work, it’s also ok to talk about your friends and family and the things that make you seem like a whole, well-rounded human being.

☛ Why do you want to be in the television industry?
☛ How does this job fit into your career plans?
☛ Why do you think you are a good fit for the job?
☛ How do you keep up to date with entertainment news?
☛ Why did you choose entertainment over other aspects of news?
☛ How do you find unique contacts within the entertainment industry?
☛ Where do you see yourself five years from now?
☛ Why is this station a good location for you?
☛ How do you work under pressure?
☛ What is your experience writing for television broadcasts?
☛ What stories do you believe are the most important to report?
☛ What is your favorite entertainment story you have covered and why?
☛ What are you most proud of in your career?
☛ What is your biggest failure professionally?
☛ What time of day do you work best in?
☛ What is your experience in the entertainment industry?
☛ Why do you want to be an entertainment anchor?
☛ What is your experience in front of a camera?
☛ What are your favorite types of stories to report?
☛ What is your experience with social media?
☛ What are your salary expectations?
☛ What are your benefits expectations?
☛ How do you take criticism?
☛ How do you work as a part of a team?
☛ What is your experience ad libbing when necessary on television?
☛ How do you find the balance between national and local entertainment stories?
☛ Why is this job right of you at this time?

☛ Who was your favorite manager and why?
☛ Can you describe a time when your work was criticized?
☛ How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?
☛ What are you expecting from this firm in the future?
☛ What is your greatest achievement outside of work?

Don't be too specific by giving away a word for a particular period of time. Avoid negative comments about past employers. Don't spend a lot of time on these News anchor interview questions.

☛ Describe a time you were faced with stresses which tested your skills.
☛ What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
☛ What do you think this position involves.
☛ What major challenges and problems did you face?
☛ Who has impacted you most in your career and how?

Have some good ones handy to mention. We recommend that you don't immediately respond to the question directly. Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.