Writing Content

Writing Content for an Interview

You’ve got the interview. Congratulations. But now what? You need to provide examples of content and you’re not sure all the other stupid shit you wrote will cut it in a professional environment?

Don’t panic. And don’t say ‘shit’ again. Follow this handy guide to bluff your way through.

1. Consider your topic.

What’s that? You don’t have a topic yet? Huh. Well, pick something that might make you look clever – like some kind of meta- commentary on your current problem. Don’t worry, there’s no way this will look like you’re trying too hard.

2. Research, research, research.

Google is your friend at this stage. If your article is of an instructional nature, just apply the words ‘How to’ before the title of your article and plagiarise whatever comes up first. Don’t worry – everyone else is writing their own content, so if you think about it, by being the sole plagiarist you’re the one being original.

If your article is about current affairs, don’t forget that you can use Google to search for news stories about your topic.

3. Start writing.

Or just hit CTRL+V if you decided to plagiarise.

4. Editing and redrafting.

Ernest Hemingway once famously said, “The first draft of anything is shit”, and writers love to wheel this quote out as a poor attempt to justify the quality of their own work.

After you’ve written your article, set it aside and do something else. Forget about it for a while; go for a walk, take a bath, or make a batch of doughnuts in case the people where you want to work like doughnuts. When you return to your article you should be able to see it with fresh eyes. At this stage you can fix any problems with structure, spelling, grammar or the entire premise. Repeat this stage until you are happy with your content.

5. Add images.

Pictures or infographics help to break up a piece. There are many stock photo repositories online which you can mine for images relevant to your article. Some of these are free, but others require a fee, so be careful to read any licensing information associated with a particular picture before you use it. Remember – nobody likes a copyright thief.

If you are feeling adventurous you can even make your own graphics. Don’t forget to add relevant captions.

Venn diagrams are easy to understand and can add a splash of colour to your content.

6. Congratulations, you’ve written some content for an interview.

If you’ve taken it seriously you’ll be fine.