Editor Interviews

Editor Interview Questions

"Responsible for reviewing and evaluating content, editors are highly attentive to detail, organized, and collaborative. In an interview, expect to be asked about how you work with deadlines, your toolbox of editing systems, and where you get your ideas for stories. Especially desirable are candidates with strong communication skills who can work well in teams."

Top Editor Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: What's your process to maintaining deadlines?

How to answer
How to answer: When working as an editor, you'll face deadlines when you must provide the work back to the writer or project manager. Highlight any tools you use to track and manage deadlines, such as a calendar or task management system. You can also use this question to describe your work ethic and situations in which you've faced and maintained tight deadlines for clients or team members. This question also works well to discuss your prioritization skills.
Question 2

Question #2: How do you maintain focus when handling the mundane aspects of editing?

How to answer
How to answer: Editors often face tedious and monotonous tasks, such as proofreading, checking sources, and fact-checking. When answering a question about maintaining your focus, talk about any processes you have in place to stay alert as you review other people's words. For example, if you read sentences aloud when assessing grammatical correctness or use a digital tool to check facts, describe these habits.
Question 3

Question #3: Describe your approach to offering constructive feedback.

How to answer
How to answer: An editor often has to provide constructive feedback to writers and content experts. They need to be able to do so in a way that benefits the other party while maintaining a professional and positive tone. Outline your communication skills and ability to provide feedback in a way that doesn't generate a negative or defensive response.

11,605 editor interview questions shared by candidates

The phone interviews were mostly walking them through my resume and them describing the position. The in-person interviews were quite relax, without the typical questions I expected such as "describe a time you failed", "show and example where you practised your leadership" or "what is your biggest weakness". We mostly discussed my interests in science, the company, and they asked me what i would do in some situations.
avatar

Editor

Interviewed at Springer Nature

4
Jul 1, 2016

The phone interviews were mostly walking them through my resume and them describing the position. The in-person interviews were quite relax, without the typical questions I expected such as "describe a time you failed", "show and example where you practised your leadership" or "what is your biggest weakness". We mostly discussed my interests in science, the company, and they asked me what i would do in some situations.

The interview itself -- which did not include either of the two above people -- was quite nice. The interviewer laid out her interview approach and outlined what we'd discuss and in what order. The only two questions I recall were something akin to, "How do you approach a writer when you see errors in their work?," and there was another about learning/using editorial style guides.
avatar

Copy Editor

Interviewed at ICF

3.7
Jun 15, 2017

The interview itself -- which did not include either of the two above people -- was quite nice. The interviewer laid out her interview approach and outlined what we'd discuss and in what order. The only two questions I recall were something akin to, "How do you approach a writer when you see errors in their work?," and there was another about learning/using editorial style guides.

Viewing 2561 - 2570 interview questions

Glassdoor has 11,605 interview questions and reports from Editor interviews. Prepare for your interview. Get hired. Love your job.