Editor Mock Interview

Practice 39 Editor interview questions covering style, accuracy, and editorial judgment.

WRITTEN BY SUE OBERLIESEN

QUESTION 19 OF 39

How would you handle a freelance writer who handed in subpar work?

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Prepare for detailed questions about editorial process, fact-checking, and manuscript evaluation.

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39 Editor Interview Questions & Answers

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01 Tell me how you handled a difficult situation at your last position? SITUATIONAL 02 What was your greatest accomplishment as an Editor? ACCOMPLISHMENT 03 What was your biggest disappointment as an Editor? BEHAVIORAL 04 What have your achievements been to date? ACCOMPLISHMENT 05 What do you know about our organization? COMMON 06 Imagine that the author of an article did not like your edits, and argued with you. What would you do? BEHAVIORAL 07 What was your biggest failure? SITUATIONAL 08 What was the last book you read for fun? DISCOVERY 09 What motivates you as an Editor? BEHAVIORAL 10 What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or at work? COMMON 11 How do you make decisions? Give an example. DECISION MAKING 12 What have you done in past situations to contribute toward a teamwork environment? BEHAVIORAL 13 Give an example of a time when you made a mistake because you did not listen well to what someone had to say. BEHAVIORAL 14 What have you done to further your own professional development in the past 5 years? DEVELOPMENT 15 Tell me an example of a situation where you had difficulties with a team member. SITUATIONAL 16 How would you describe your leadership style? LEADERSHIP 17 What makes you passionate about being an Editor? DISCOVERY 18 How would you handle sensitive writers who question every edit you make? BEHAVIORAL 19 How would you handle a freelance writer who handed in subpar work? SITUATIONAL 20 Tell us about your training and experience in reading large amounts of information and gleaning the main idea? PROCESS 21 Tell us about your ability to multitask in this position. COMPETENCY 22 What are your career goals? COMMITMENT 23 What made you choose to become an Editor? CAREER GOALS 24 Describe the ideal supervisor that you want want to work for? LEADERSHIP 25 What books/magazines/newspapers do you enjoy reading? COMPATIBILITY 26 Give an example of a time when you had to edit or write a piece under a strict deadline. How did you ensure that you met the deadline? BEHAVIORAL 27 If you have a 300-page document that's a rush job and you must edit it by the end of the day, how would you approach the task? SITUATIONAL 28 How do you stay motivated with repetitive tasks like proofreading, fact-checking or source-checking? BEHAVIORAL 29 How would you define success as an Editor? CAREER GOALS 30 What do you know about our company, and why would you want to work for us? COMMON 31 In your view, what is the role of an Editor? CAREER GOALS 32 How has your education helped you prepare for this position? EDUCATION 33 Tell us about an editing project that has brought you a lot of satisfaction. CAREER GOALS 34 What would the ideal editing job be for you? COMPATIBILITY 35 What are your long-term goals or plans? CAREER GOALS 36 Describe your editing process BEHAVIORAL 37 We have several candidates with similar qualifications. Tell us some reasons why we should hire you? COMPETENCY 38 What are your interests outside of work? DISCOVERY 39 What is your working style - more independent or collaborative? OPEN-ENDED

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Sue Oberliesen

Written by Sue Oberliesen

39 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS · EDITOR