Essential Work Samples for Hiring a Top-Tier Content Editor

Content Editors serve as the critical quality control and strategic minds behind effective content marketing. They transform raw content into polished, engaging, and strategically aligned assets that drive business results. Finding the right Content Editor requires evaluating both technical editing skills and strategic content thinking.

The traditional interview process often fails to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in content editing. While resumes highlight past experiences and interviews explore theoretical knowledge, neither adequately demonstrates how candidates will perform when faced with real editing challenges. This is where well-designed work samples become invaluable.

Work samples provide a window into how candidates approach actual content problems, revealing their attention to detail, editorial judgment, and strategic thinking. They show you not just what candidates say they can do, but what they actually deliver when presented with realistic scenarios.

The following four activities are designed to evaluate the essential skills every Content Editor needs: technical editing proficiency, SEO optimization capabilities, content planning expertise, and brand voice alignment. By incorporating these exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's abilities and make more informed hiring decisions.

Activity #1: Editorial Revision Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's core editing skills, including grammar, style, clarity, and fact-checking abilities. A strong Content Editor must be able to quickly identify and correct issues while maintaining the original message and improving overall readability.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a 500-700 word blog post draft that contains various deliberate errors, including:
• Grammatical mistakes (subject-verb agreement, tense issues)
• Punctuation errors
• Inconsistent formatting
• Factual inaccuracies (1-2 easily verifiable facts)
• Awkward phrasing and redundancies
• Structural issues (poor paragraph transitions, illogical flow)
• Provide the candidate with your company's style guide or basic style preferences.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for completion.
• Create a clean version with all issues corrected for your reference during evaluation.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided blog post draft and edit it for grammar, style, clarity, and accuracy.
• Follow the company's style guide for formatting and language preferences.
• Make corrections directly in the document using track changes or a similar feature.
• Add brief comments explaining significant changes or suggestions that go beyond simple corrections.
• Submit your edited version within the allotted time.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After submission, provide immediate feedback on two aspects: one strength (e.g., "You caught all the grammatical errors and improved sentence structure") and one area for improvement (e.g., "Some of the transitions between paragraphs could be smoother").
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to revise a specific section based on your feedback.
• Observe how receptive they are to feedback and how effectively they implement changes.

Activity #2: SEO Optimization Challenge

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to optimize content for search engines while maintaining readability and engagement. A skilled Content Editor balances SEO requirements with quality content that serves both algorithms and human readers.

Directions for the Company:

• Select a published but underperforming blog post from your website.
• Provide the candidate with:
• The original blog post
• 2-3 target keywords you'd like to rank for
• Basic analytics showing current performance (views, bounce rate, etc.)
• Your SEO guidelines or best practices
• Allow 60 minutes for completion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided blog post and optimize it for the target keywords while improving overall quality.
• Make the following improvements:
• Revise the title and meta description for better CTR
• Restructure headings and subheadings to include keywords naturally
• Improve keyword placement throughout the content
• Add internal linking opportunities (you can suggest URLs)
• Enhance readability through formatting, shorter paragraphs, or bullet points
• Provide a brief explanation (100-150 words) of your optimization strategy and why you made specific changes.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After reviewing their submission, highlight one effective optimization strategy they employed and one missed opportunity or area for improvement.
• Ask the candidate to revise their title and meta description based on your feedback.
• Discuss their thought process during the revision to assess their understanding of SEO principles.

Activity #3: Content Calendar Planning

This exercise evaluates a candidate's strategic thinking, content planning abilities, and understanding of content marketing objectives. A successful Content Editor must be able to develop cohesive content plans that align with business goals and audience needs.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with:
• A brief overview of your company, products/services, and target audience
• 1-2 specific marketing objectives (e.g., increasing product awareness, driving sign-ups)
• Information about an upcoming product launch, campaign, or seasonal opportunity
• Examples of your current content types and channels
• Allow 60-75 minutes for completion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Create a one-month content calendar that supports the provided marketing objectives.
• Your plan should include:
• 8-10 content pieces across appropriate channels
• Content types (blog posts, social media, emails, etc.)
• Proposed headlines/topics
• Brief description (1-2 sentences) of each content piece
• Target audience segment for each piece
• Distribution channels and timing
• How each piece connects to the overall marketing objectives
• Use a spreadsheet or table format for clarity.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strategic strength of their plan (e.g., "Your content sequence effectively builds awareness before driving conversions") and one area for improvement (e.g., "Consider how these pieces could be repurposed across additional channels").
• Ask the candidate to revise or expand on one specific content piece based on your feedback.
• Discuss how they would measure the success of their content plan.

Activity #4: Brand Voice Consistency Exercise

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to maintain consistent brand voice across different content types while adapting tone for various audiences and purposes. A skilled Content Editor ensures all content reflects the company's personality regardless of format or channel.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare materials that showcase your brand voice:
• Your brand voice guidelines or description of brand personality
• 2-3 examples of content that effectively embody your brand voice
• Create a scenario requiring three different content pieces for the same announcement (e.g., a new feature launch, company milestone, or policy change).
• Allow 45-60 minutes for completion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the brand voice materials provided.
• Write three short content pieces (150-200 words each) announcing the same information but for different channels:

1. A professional blog post introduction
2. An email to existing customers
3. Social media copy (choose one platform)

• Each piece should maintain consistent brand voice while adapting tone appropriately for the channel and audience.
• Include a brief explanation (50-75 words) of how you adapted the voice for each channel while maintaining brand consistency.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Highlight one aspect where the candidate successfully maintained brand voice and one area where the voice could be more consistent or better aligned with your brand.
• Ask the candidate to revise one of the content pieces based on your feedback.
• Discuss their approach to learning and adapting to different brand voices.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allow for these exercises during the interview process?

Each exercise requires 45-75 minutes for completion, plus time for feedback and revision. We recommend conducting these as take-home assignments or dedicating a separate interview session specifically for the work sample. For in-person assessments, select 1-2 exercises most relevant to your needs.

Should we compensate candidates for completing these work samples?

For extensive work samples (especially if you request multiple exercises), offering compensation demonstrates respect for candidates' time and expertise. This also typically results in higher quality submissions and a positive candidate experience.

How should we evaluate candidates who have different editing styles?

Focus on whether their edits improve the content's effectiveness rather than whether they match your exact preferences. Look for consistency within their own editing approach, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt to feedback. The revision portion of each exercise helps assess adaptability.

Can we modify these exercises for junior versus senior Content Editor roles?

Absolutely. For junior roles, focus more on the technical editing and brand voice exercises with simplified scenarios. For senior roles, emphasize the strategic elements like content planning and SEO strategy, and consider adding questions about measuring content effectiveness or managing a content team.

What if our company doesn't have established brand guidelines or a style guide?

This presents an opportunity to see how candidates would approach developing these assets. Modify the exercises to ask candidates what elements they would include in a style guide for your company based on your existing content, or how they would define your brand voice based on your website and marketing materials.

How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from diverse backgrounds?

Review your exercise materials to ensure they don't contain cultural references or language that might be unfamiliar to candidates from different backgrounds. Provide clear context and background information, and evaluate responses based on effectiveness rather than cultural familiarity.

Finding the right Content Editor can transform your content marketing efforts and significantly impact your business results. These work samples will help you identify candidates who not only have the technical skills to polish content but also the strategic mindset to align content with business objectives.

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