News Writer

Neglecting to use LinkedIn to research clients is not a viable option in today’s sales environment. Ensure that candidates are searching for personal commonalities in addition to professional information so they can tailor their communication as much as possible. Looking into company trigger events would be the cherry on top.

As a successful writer possessing wide experience and ability to consistently write high quality write-ups that are relevant yet simple to grasp. Anything you might want to add here.

Even if the target market of their last job is totally different than that of the one they’re interviewing for, this will show you their ability to find and keep up to date with relevant trade publications and blogs.

As a candidate for content writing job this small test is to be expected. But don’t get nervous, remembering that you have written enough content previously (even if you have no formal work exp.) to write the small piece. Be cool and calm and take your time to write a good, simple, relevant article without any grammatical errors. Any error will definitely give a negative impression, so avoid it like plague.

The Lincoln Park Zoo.

In order to determine whether or not your candidate will be able to create all the different types of content for your company (e.g., blogs, emails, landing pages, etc.), you should figure out what kind of content creation experience they’ve had in the past. If they’ve already written hundreds of blogs, you know you can trust them to write one for you. Ask for a portfolio to see examples of their previous work.

Some people are brilliant writers when expressing their own opinions or narrative. However, if you ask them to write for a specialized manufacturing facility, for example, they may struggle to alter their personal styles to fit the more technical perspectives required by the company. Ask to see samples of work your candidate has written and examine the voice and tone of the pieces. If there are various clients or topics he or she has written for, do they all sound the same? Or was the writing style adapted to accomodate how various clients wanted to come across?

Social selling is becoming more important in all industries. If the candidate has not used social channels to research prospects or look for leads in the past, make sure they have a willingness to learn.

Social Issues.

An interview with a potential copywriter is an audition. Don't be afraid to give them a writing assignment, and give them a couple days to complete it. That will give them time to research your topic and give you an opportunity to see how well they grasp your industry and, more importantly, their technical skills and style. Is their submission riddled with industry speak and jargon, poor grammar, or bad flow from one thought to the next? Their writing assignment may reveal more about him or her than a portfolio full of previously written works.

Just like it’s important for copywriters to know what they’re talking about, it’s also important that they know how to say it. Because your content will be primarily published online, you’ll want to hire someone who knows how to maximize SEO with the use of long-tail keywords, attention-getting headlines, meta descriptions, reputable links and image alt text. Of course, it won't be hard to teach a good writer how to do this, but understanding these practices and having experience using them never hurts.

Short cycles call for reps that can close quickly, and long sales cycles require a much more careful, tailored approach. They’re drastically different, and your candidate should recognize this.

Yes, for me being a journalist is being everywhere. As long as there are readers hungry for truth, I will be there- writing.

Certain companies and roles call for people better at farming or hunting, but look out for a person who performs one of these tasks to the exclusion of the other. Both are vital to selling well.

Yup. Very much.

I put my energy and knowledge to your esteemed institution.