Questions for journalists

A balanced selection of interview questions are included in this Journalist interview profile.

Questions for Interviewing Journalists

Use a journalist or reporter’s portfolio of published articles and newscasts to start a meaningful conversation. When you reach the interview phase, you should only be looking at candidates whose work samples are relevant to the audience of your company. Once you have conducted these interviews, you can verify whether you need hard and soft skills. If you’re a digital-first outlet, candidates may benefit from having some experience with CRMs, publishing tools, or social media. Identify the role they played in creating a complex project with a similar team setup if they will be working closely in a cross-functional team. Inquire about their experience uncovering and pitching their own story ideas, if they will be required to do so most of the time. Last but not least, top marks are awarded to candidates who have applied because they clearly see themselves as a good fit within your organization and can support their claims with knowledge of your audience and the type of work you typically produce.

Questions specific to a particular role

• On your own time, what do you enjoy reading?
• Tell us about a time when you found your own story and pitched it to an editor.
• Please provide some examples of your best work.
• How did you contribute to the creation of [this work sample]?
• When deadlines are tight, how do you cope?
• In what ways do you ensure that your work is accurate?
• How have you used publishing software in the past?
• What is the frequency with which you use social media? What are the most popular sites that you use?
• In terms of your ability to utilize technology for storytelling, how would you rate it? How would you describe your strengths and weaknesses in this area?
• Describe an experience in which you worked with a multidisciplinary team to tell a story.
• How familiar are you with our publication? Is there anything we could do better?
• What would you consider our competitors to be?
• What is your familiarity with our staff writers? What are the artists whose work you follow and why?
• How does our publication relate to current events?