Interview Questions for a Job in Journalism

• Why do you want to work for [news organization name]?
• Tell me about a story you covered that went very well.
• Have you ever failed? What did you learn from the experience?
• How well do you handle deadline pressure?
• What publications do you read? What news shows do you watch? Why?
• What is your philosophy of journalism?
• What do you think of our paper/magazine/show/station? How would you make it better?
• How do you feel about the state of journalism today?
• Please give me a short critique of our paper/broadcast/magazine.
• What stories would you like to cover? (You should have at least 5 ideas).
• Why will you make a successful journalist?
• What is your news philosophy?
• What is the most recent book you’ve read?
• You have five minutes to describe the most relevant and specific items in your background that show that you are uniquely qualified for this job.
• Are you tough? Are you aggressive? Provide examples.
• Do you think your extracurricular activities were worth the time you devoted to them?
• Give me an example of a story you think you handled very well.
• Give me an example of a story you wish you had covered differently. How would you cover it now?
• Tell me about your work habits. Would you describe yourself as a hard worker?
• Do you work well under pressure? Do you mind working overtime?
• In light of recent world events, do you feel that the media has placed themselves in positive light with regard to public support? Why or why not?
• How do you feel about the state of journalism today?
• Please give me a short critique of our paper, broadcast, etc.
• What stories would you like to cover?
• (You should always have at least five story ideas.)
• Which story over the last 12 months would you most like to have covered and why?
• Why will you make a successful journalist?
• What publications do you read?
• What news programs do you watch? Why? What are they doing right? Wrong?
• What is your news philosophy?
• You have five minutes to describe the most relevant and specific items in your background that show that you are uniquely qualified for this job. (Prepare several important points you want the interviewer to remember after you have left; be able to stress them in a short, concise statement.)
• Are you tough? Are you aggressive? (Be prepared to back up your answers)
• Was the time you spent traveling worth the time you devoted to it?
• Do you think your extracurricular activities were worth the time you devoted to them?
• Are you willing to relocate?
• What do you have, that others may not, that is right for this organization?
• Give me an example of a story you think you handled very well.
• Give me an example of a story you wished you had covered differently? How would you cover it now?
• Walk me through a situation in which you had to get information by asking a lot of questions of a number of people. What were their reactions to the questions? When did you have to go back and rephrase your questions?
• Describe a recent time that you were unexpectedly in a position of orally promoting or defending something. How convincing were you?
• What arguments did you spontaneously think of during the discussion? How did it turn out?
• Getting through college requires a lot of writing. Tell me about some of the writing you?ve done: topics, length, format, etc. What difficulties did you have with any of the written assignments or projects?
• What are some of the most difficult writing assignments you have been given or have taken on yourself? Please explain.
• Tell me about a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point across.
• Describe for me a time when you effectively utilized your editing skills in a written project.
• Can you describe a situation in which your written work was criticized?
• What classroom experiences do you feel have best prepared you for a career in writing/editing/research?
• In the areas where your experience falls short for this job, what steps will you take to make up for this shortfall?
• What have you done in the last year to improve your writing/editing/researching skills?
• Tell me about your work habits. Would you describe yourself as a hard worker?
• Do you work well under pressure?/Do you mind working overtime?
• In light of recent world events, do you feel that the media has placed themselves in positive light with regard to public support? Why or why not?