Academic Writer

I have been told that i am honest, reliable and ethical.

Your sense of urgency, if you know that a task is important, then you will work hard to get it done on time.

You are a fast learner.

Ability to communicate with people.

Flexible enough to handle changing environments.

Able to cope with setback and learn from my mistakes.

► Occasionally I have been told that I take longer than other colleagues to complete complicated projects or tasks. But this is only because I want to make sure the work I do is to the highest standards.

► My MS PowerPoint skills are weak, so I have enrolled on a evening course to improve them.

► I am sometimes accused of being over friendly.

They want you to tell them (in your own words) a bit more about your background, work experience, attitude and ambitions. Make your answer brief and to the point. Do not talk about your hobbies, personal likes or dislikes. Finish the answer by focusing on your Unique Selling Proposition, do this by mentioning what you are good at etc.

You are a workaholic.

This is perhaps the most important question, because if their writing skills aren't exceptional, your content writer might succeed in driving people away from your site, not to it.

While reading previous work will give you great insight into their writing level, also ask questions specific to online writing and your industry.

Working with different clients often means having to change not only the topic of your work, but even the tone and style. This is where a very good writer is going to be your goal, and the research about the topic can be learned.

This is a tough question to answer, but most good candidates will explain that the target audience is typically small business marketing departments. This of course depends on the type of company that the candidate wrote for in the past (which might very well be slightly different than your current audience).

There are tons and tons of different tools that a writer can use. Mentioning any sort of social tools for promotion (Buffer, Social-bro, etc.) is a great way to show that he/she understands the industry. Any talk of using analytics and analyzing CTR is also a great (and fairly advanced) answer. This is one of those questions that you'll have a good feeling about right when it is answered.

I typically go around to different blogs to find a topic, and then I take that topic and find a bunch of articles regarding that topic. I try to take bits and pieces of each, and the majority of the time a new angle or opinion will come to me through all of the research.

On two occasions at my last corporate job, we hired writers who showed up on their first day, took one look at their computers, and said, "Oh, you use PCs." Yep, they'd only ever used Macs. Each assured us it wouldn't be a problem, but … yeah, it was. So if you're hiring a content creator to work on-site with your team, make sure he or she is hip to the program-literally.

► This really depends on what my co-worker is doing, the severity of their actions and the specific problems or disruption that they may be causing. Having said that no matter what the situation is, I would always remain in control of any situation and concentrate on my work. I would not take any arguments or heated discussions personally or hold grudges against work colleagues.

► I would avoid them and only talk to them or cooperate with them when required to in the course of my daily duties.

A good content creator will be familiar with the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). Your ideal candidate will answer this question by describing how he or she (a) determines which keywords to focus on and (b) works those keywords into the content.

My present employer pays me well outside of the norm, however I would not like to limit my job prospects by using that salary as a comparison.

As a highly valued member of the company, I am paid on the very high end of current market rates.

Copy is sales-oriented, while content is value-oriented. Copy is the stuff you'd find in a brochure, while content is what you'd find in a bona fide newsletter. A good writer should know the difference between the two.

What you're listening for here is either the Associated Press (AP) Style book or the Chicago Manual of Style. I'd even accept the Yahoo! Style Guide as a runner-up.

Give a solution that is related to work and if possible the job you are applying for. Demonstrate something that shows how you saved a previous employer money, made them more efficient or increased revenue.

There's more to good proofreading than reading your content over and over again on the screen. A good writer will have a process (or several to choose from) for proofing each piece of content. Some of my tactics are reading the content out loud and reviewing a printed copy. Give bonus points if they mention my super-ninja trick for when it's gotta be perfect: reading it backwards.

This can be a tricky question to answer, especially if you have never held a supervisory / managerial position or had any form of responsibility. In your replies you need to display resourcefulness, an ability to solve problems, your decision making skills and be able to clearly explain the approach you used. No matter how little work experience you have you should always be able to lead and come up with creative solutions. Describe situations where you came up with an idea that increased efficiency in your office or cut costs after you discovered a cheaper supplier etc.

You're looking for a writer who's committed to keeping his or her skills sharp, and that includes reading some of the better blogs on the subject of content creation.

A good writer views his or her work as a business, one that is worth investing in-and part of that investment involves joining professional organizations. They offer the opportunity to keep up with trends, sharpen skills, and benefit from interaction with other professionals. And a good writer will find a way to come up with the annual dues.