Editor Interview Preparation Guide

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Talk about strengths that will be useful in the job and about weaknesses that are irrelevant to the job. But I'd advise against say you're too hardworking, for example, as a weakness, as it just sounds creepy.

Give an example. This shows that you can work to deadlines.

I can’t say I dislike anything, but my least favorite part is the administrative work. I hate paperwork with a passion. And meetings. If it becomes monotonous, I don’t enjoy it.

Again this is about researching the job and knowing the career structure. You have to be realistic, so avoid saying you expect to be the managing director as this just sounds arrogant.

I do not know more than that but what I can say is that the crossword puzzles are much harder when compared to the other leading newspapers.

I enjoy reading my Toastmasters magazines for inspiration and newspapers so that I can know what is happening in the country.

This offers you an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the industry, touch on the importance of freedom of the press etc.

The whole thing is challenging. You have to look out for the overall future of the newspaper, how it is perceived in the community, you have to look out for your staff. But the most challenging is getting people to reach their potential.

Make it relevant to the job. Identify the skills they are looking for and match them to the achievement. There's no point saying it was spending the night up a mountain in Wales with three friends if you don't say how that experience is going to help you do the job.

Before the interview sit down with a pen and paper and jot down your achievements and their relevance to the job.

Being an editor means you get to help people with their writing, and I like to read other people's work. I also just like helping people improve on what they already have.

Allows the selector to see if you can provide detailed, interesting and concise information. Think about skills and abilities you've acquired that apply to journalism and practice describing these.

$42,000 in salary, plus health insurance, a matched 401K, dental, vision, the usual benefits. I also get a two-week vacation, and will get three when I have been there for three years.

This could help the interviewer check if you have an interest in current affairs, people, places and events. It could also help the interviewer establish what types of assignments you might be able to deal with.

The magazine industry is a small industry. If you did work with X person, again, KIP (Keep It Positive). Even if you hated X person. Even if he/she made you cry into your Michael Kors tote bag every day. Even if the editor interviewing you says nasty things, just KIP. “Yes, we did work together! I learned a lot by working with her.” Next question!

Anything which helps the community in a positive way x.

Most local papers don't want to upset people. It's important to show your credentials, explain why you want to write a story and say where it will go in the paper. If the story is about a death, you could ask for a photo of their loved one. Most people are happy to talk, but if not give them your card and encourage them to contact you if they change their mind.

If you are going into journalism for a 9-5 job, then you are daft.

Every newsroom is different, but at some point you will have to work weekends and some evenings, because most news isn’t planned.

Say you are flexible and more than happy to swap sunbathing in the garden at short notice to go and cover an exciting story.

Nod along.

Give examples of when you have done this in the past at university in work, and you will be well away.

A pretty straight-forward question, but now that you know editors like to ask it, think back through your list of clips and use the time to talk about something that sounds really impressive. Maybe it was an investigative piece you wrote for your school’s newspaper, or maybe you interviewed someone really inspiring for your blog. Talk it up! Here, editors really just want to see that you’re passionate about your work.

I list in order from the most important to least important.

I try my best, nobody is perfect but I like to be on time for anything.

The most rewarding thing is when you are actually able to help someone. My favorite success story is a man I hired when I first got here, who didn’t have some of the qualifications of the other applicants, but who had a strong desire to be a professional journalist. I decided to give him a chance. Since then, he has moved on to be an assistant editor in another town, and I feel I had something to do with that.

Most newspaper reporters have to be willing to take low salaries. I started out at $26,000, went on to $35,000. But I was fortunate. Our entry-level reporters here make $22,000. With hard work, they can move up rather quickly. I want to hire people who want to move up, and will reward those who do. The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.

My job is administrative, in that I oversee payroll and HR issues, but I also work alongside my reporters as an active member of the team. I do what ever needs to be done. Sports, is a large part of it right now, because school is in session, and we have six high schools in our town, and one Division II University. And there is also a lot of Junior High stuff going on right now. But it is my job to make sure that everything works smoothly, and that the news is adequately covered, and that the newspaper contains the important news in our town, every day. We have no interaction with the advertising part of the business in the newsroom. There are times when the ad people will come by and ask us to do something like covering a ribbon cutting, and I always tell them no.

A wise editor once told me that they wouldn’t even consider someone for an interview if they didn’t have a Twitter account.

That may seem harsh, but in reality social media is such an important way of sourcing news stories. By not having a Facebook or Twitter account, you are automatically at a distinct disadvantage.

Mention how much you use social media, how you use it, and how you would use it to find a story.

Make sure you know how many Twitter followers you have! This was a question I got asked in an interview and luckily I knew the exact number.

Talk about your blog if you have one and tell them what type of people you follow or pages you like.

Also talk about the negatives of finding stories by using social media, for example making sure information is legit and how to trawl through all the spam!

Since you’re interviewing for a job in publishing, editors want to know that you like to pick up a good book once in a while. Be ready to list off anything interesting you’ve read recently—books, blog posts, magazine articles. But don’t just talk about the magazine where you’re interviewing—editors have special brown-nose detecting powers.