Should content writer interviews include a writing test?

A short one, done in the interview. A 15-minute edit of a planted paragraph shows judgment about readers, structure and sources without asking for unpaid work. Read the published samples too, and if you need a longer trial, pay for it.

How do I know a content writer's samples are their own work?

Ask them to walk through one piece: the research, the first draft and what the editor changed. Edited and ghostwritten work is normal and should not count against anyone. The walk-through and the live editing exercise show their own judgment either way.

Should we hire a content writer who uses AI writing tools?

Decide your policy before the loop and tell every candidate the same thing. What matters is accountability: checking every fact and quote, keeping confidential material out of unapproved tools, and disclosing tool use as your policy requires. Rate that, not whether they use the tools.

How much SEO should a content writer know?

Enough to plan from search intent, structure a piece so readers and search engines can follow it, and place keywords naturally. Technical SEO, such as site speed and indexing, usually sits with a specialist or developer, so do not screen writers out on it.

Free interview kit

Content Writer interview kit: questions and rubric

For hiring teams interviewing a content writer or content marketer, roughly one to five years in, who writes articles, guides and web pages for business buyers or consumers. It covers a short screen, five competencies with behavioral questions, a 15-minute in-interview editing exercise in place of an unpaid writing test, anchored ratings, the questions never to ask, and a rule for deciding.

5 competencies · 11 questions · anchored 1-to-5 scale · Updated 10 October 2026 · Written by the Itya team

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How to use this kit

Agree the competencies with the hiring manager before the job is posted.
Give each interviewer one or two competencies, so nothing is asked twice.
Ask every candidate the same core questions; follow up freely.
Rate each competency against the anchors straight after the interview, alone.
Debrief on quotes, not adjectives, then decide with the rule at the end.

First-round screen

Fifteen to twenty minutes, by phone, video or a disclosed AI screen. The aim is to confirm the basics before the panel spends its time.

What draws you to content writing, and to writing for the readers this role serves?
Tell me about a published piece you are proud of: who it was for, how you researched it, and what changed between your first draft and the published version.
The job description lists the formats this role writes, such as articles, guides, web pages or newsletters. Which have you written regularly, and which would be new to you?
The job description sets out the location, working pattern and start date. Do those work for you, what is your notice period, and what compensation range are you expecting?

Competency 1

Research and accuracy

A wrong number or an invented quote costs a brand trust it cannot easily buy back, and AI tools make confident errors cheap. A content writer must know where every claim came from.

Tell me about a piece where your research changed what you planned to say.
Follow up with
- Which sources did you trust, and why those?
- How did you check a statistic before you used it?
- What did you leave out because you could not verify it?
Strong answer
Went to primary sources (the original study, the company's own data, interviews with subject experts) rather than articles quoting them, checked dates and methods, linked to the source, and cut a claim they could not confirm.
Weak answer
Relies on the top search results or other blogs, cites statistics without reading the original, or cannot name the source for a claim in their own work.
Work sample (5 minutes): here are three sources for the same claim: a vendor blog post, a news article quoting a survey, and the survey report itself. Which would you cite, and what would you check first?
Follow up with
- What would make you drop the claim altogether?
Strong answer
Cites the survey report, checks who ran it and why, when, the sample and the exact question wording, notes the vendor's interest in the result, and states the claim no more strongly than the survey supports.
Weak answer
Cites whichever source is most quotable or ranks highest, or repeats the headline number without opening the report.
What would you do if a reader emailed to say a statistic in your published piece was wrong?
Follow up with
- What would you change on the page?
- Who would you tell?
Strong answer
Checks the original source, corrects the piece promptly with a visible note if the error mattered, thanks the reader, tells the editor, and works out how the error got through.
Weak answer
Ignores the email, quietly edits the number without checking, or defends it because another site published the same figure.

Rating	What it looks like
5 · Strong	Goes to primary sources and experts, checks dates and methods, cuts what cannot be verified, and corrects errors openly.
3 · Mixed	Uses credible sources and links them, but sometimes repeats a statistic from a secondary source without reading the original.
1 · Weak	Cannot say where the claims in their own work came from. Cites secondary sources and unverified statistics.

Competency 2

Writing for a specific reader

Content written for everyone helps no one. A writer who can name the reader, what they already know and what they need next produces pieces that get read and acted on.

Pick one piece from your samples. Who was the reader, what did they already know, and what did you want them to do after reading?
Follow up with
- What did you cut because this reader did not need it?
- How would you change it for a reader with less background?
Strong answer
Names a specific reader and their situation, explains choices of structure, depth and vocabulary in terms of that reader, and can say how the piece would change for someone else.
Weak answer
The reader is 'anyone interested in the topic', or every choice is explained by word count or the target keyword.
What would you do if a subject expert insisted on keeping jargon you believe the reader will not understand?
Follow up with
- How would you make the case?
- What compromise would you offer?
Strong answer
Respects the expert's concern for accuracy, offers to use the plain word with the technical term defined once, tests the sentence with someone like the reader if possible, and brings in the editor only if they still cannot agree.
Weak answer
Gives in completely, or overrides the expert and risks making the piece wrong.

Rating	What it looks like
5 · Strong	Names a specific reader and what they need next, fits structure, depth and words to that reader, and adapts the same material for another reader on request.
3 · Mixed	Names a sensible reader and writes clearly for them, but keeps background the reader does not need, or struggles to adapt the piece.
1 · Weak	Cannot name a reader for their work, and writes the same way for every audience.

Competency 3

Editing and taking feedback

Most good writing is rewriting. Writers who edit their own drafts hard, and take notes without defending every word, publish better work sooner.

Exercise (15 minutes, in the interview): here is a 150-word paragraph from an invented company blog. It is wordy, buries its main point, leans on the passive voice and makes one claim with no source. Edit it as you would before publishing, then tell us what you changed and why.
Follow up with
- What did you cut first?
- What would you ask the author before publishing?
- How would you explain your edits to the author?
Strong answer
Moves the point to the top, cuts length without losing meaning, makes the verbs active, and flags or removes the unsourced claim instead of polishing it. Makes the changes that matter rather than touching every word, and explains each in terms of the reader.
Weak answer
Changes only commas and synonyms, misses the unsourced claim, makes the paragraph longer, or rewrites it in a new voice without being able to say why.
Tell me about the hardest edit you have received on your writing. What did you do with it?
Follow up with
- Which notes did you disagree with, and what did you do about them?
- What do you do differently now because of it?
Strong answer
Names specific feedback, separates the notes they took from the ones they discussed, and names a lasting change in how they write.
Weak answer
Cannot recall a significant edit, describes editors as not understanding the piece, or accepted every note without thinking about it.

Rating	What it looks like
5 · Strong	Edits for the reader first: point at the top, cuts that matter, unsupported claims flagged. Explains each change, and uses feedback to change how they write.
3 · Mixed	Tightens prose and fixes structure, and takes feedback well, but misses the unsupported claim or flattens the voice while editing.
1 · Weak	Edits only at word level, misses structural problems and unsupported claims, and defends drafts against feedback.

Competency 4

SEO and search intent

Search, including AI answers that cite sources, still brings many readers to business content. A writer must match what the searcher wants, not repeat a phrase until a tool turns green.

Walk me through how you would plan a piece meant to rank for 'how to choose a project management tool'. What would you look at before writing?
Follow up with
- What do the current top results do well, and what do they miss?
- Where would the phrase appear in your piece, and where would it not?
- How would you know in three months whether the piece worked?
Strong answer
Works out what the searcher wants (a comparison, criteria, a shortlist), studies what ranks and what it leaves out, answers the question early, adds something others lack (original examples, expert input), uses the phrase where a reader expects it, and measures what readers did, not rank alone.
Weak answer
Starts from keyword density or a target number of repetitions, copies the structure of the top results, or measures success by rank only.
What would you do if a manager or an SEO tool asked you to add a keyword fifteen more times to a piece that already reads well?
Follow up with
- What would you check first?
- What would you propose instead?
Strong answer
Checks whether the piece really answers the search and the related questions, proposes adding missing substance, clearer headings or internal links instead, and explains that stuffing hurts readers and goes against search engine guidance.
Weak answer
Adds the keywords without question, or refuses without offering an alternative.

Rating	What it looks like
5 · Strong	Plans from search intent, adds something the top results lack, places keywords where a reader expects them, and judges success by what readers did, not just by rank.
3 · Mixed	Understands search intent and on-page basics, but leans on tool scores or copies what already ranks.
1 · Weak	Treats SEO as keyword repetition and tool scores. Cannot describe what a searcher wants.

Competency 5

Using AI writing tools responsibly

Many content teams use AI tools for research, outlines or drafts, which brings invented facts, borrowed phrasing and generic copy. Rate accountability for every sentence; a candidate who does not use these tools is not marked down for that.

How do you use AI writing tools in your work, if you do? Walk me through a recent piece.
Follow up with
- What do you never hand to a tool, and why?
- How do you check a fact or a quote an AI tool gave you?
- How do you tell an editor or client what the tool did?
Strong answer
Describes specific uses (outlines, summarizing interview notes, headline options, a first pass they rewrite), checks every fact and quote against a source, keeps confidential material out of unapproved tools, and follows the team's disclosure policy. A non-user explains how they would do the same.
Weak answer
Publishes AI drafts with light edits, trusts citations a tool produced without opening them, or pastes confidential documents into public tools.
What would you do if a freelance draft you were editing looked largely AI-generated and contained two quotes you cannot trace to any source?
Follow up with
- What do you say to the freelancer?
- What do you tell your editor or client?
Strong answer
Does not publish the quotes, asks the freelancer for the sources, raises it with the editor, applies the team's AI policy, and fixes or rejects the draft. Treats the untraceable quotes, not the tool use as such, as the serious problem.
Weak answer
Publishes with the quotes in, or quietly rewrites the draft without raising the problem with anyone.

Rating	What it looks like
5 · Strong	Uses AI tools for defined tasks or not at all, verifies every fact and quote against a source, keeps confidential material out of unapproved tools, and follows the disclosure policy.
3 · Mixed	Uses AI tools for sensible tasks and checks most facts, but has no clear line on confidential material or disclosure.
1 · Weak	Publishes AI output with light edits, trusts generated sources without opening them, or cannot say how they would check AI output.

Never ask

Don't ask whether English is the candidate's first language or where they learned it. Why: it is a proxy for national origin. Assess the writing against the style and readers the job needs.
Don't set an unpaid writing test longer than the interview, or ask for a piece on your real topics that you could publish. Why: it is unpaid work and favors people with free time. Use the 15-minute edit and published samples, and pay for any longer trial.
Don't ask a candidate's age, or their graduation year to work it out. Why: age says nothing about writing skill, and age-based decisions are unlawful in many places.
Don't ask about marital status, children, pregnancy or plans to start a family. Why: none of it is job-related. Describe the hours and deadlines and ask every candidate whether they can meet them.
Don't ask about religion, caste, community or the origin of a surname, directly or by proxy ('What does your father do?'). Why: in India these questions signal caste and religion, which have no bearing on the job.
Don't ask 'Where are you from originally?' or 'What is your native place?'. Why: it invites judgments about region and community. If location matters, ask whether the candidate can work from the job's location.
Don't ask about health conditions, disabilities or past medical leave. Why: the only relevant question is whether the candidate can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Don't ask for salary history where the law restricts it, as many US states and cities do. Why: it carries past pay gaps into the new offer. Ask for the expected compensation range instead.

Making the decision

The must-haves are research and accuracy, writing for a specific reader, and editing and taking feedback. Any 1 on a must-have is a no, and so is any competency rated 1 by two interviewers. A hire needs an average of 3.5 or higher. Score the editing exercise against a key the panel writes in advance, listing the planted problems. Each interviewer rates alone before the debrief; the hiring manager decides after it and records the evidence.

Questions people ask

Should content writer interviews include a writing test?: A short one, done in the interview. A 15-minute edit of a planted paragraph shows judgment about readers, structure and sources without asking for unpaid work. Read the published samples too, and if you need a longer trial, pay for it.
How do I know a content writer's samples are their own work?: Ask them to walk through one piece: the research, the first draft and what the editor changed. Edited and ghostwritten work is normal and should not count against anyone. The walk-through and the live editing exercise show their own judgment either way.
Should we hire a content writer who uses AI writing tools?: Decide your policy before the loop and tell every candidate the same thing. What matters is accountability: checking every fact and quote, keeping confidential material out of unapproved tools, and disclosing tool use as your policy requires. Rate that, not whether they use the tools.
How much SEO should a content writer know?: Enough to plan from search intent, structure a piece so readers and search engines can follow it, and place keywords naturally. Technical SEO, such as site speed and indexing, usually sits with a specialist or developer, so do not screen writers out on it.

A kit is step one.

Itya holds every interviewer to the same rubric, records the interview, and drafts the scorecard with the quotes behind each rating. The AI drafts; your team decides. Free plan, unlimited teammates.

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