How to hire writers.
I'm not an expert but have some experience. Here's what I look for, as well as what @bradwolverton, our head of content, looks for.
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A few beliefs I have: - The word "writing" sucks. It's ambiguous. But, it's the word most people use. Not all writing's the same. Copywriting (direct response or branding), blogging for SEO, journalism - there are so many types. Many believe they're the same. They aint.
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- I look for specific knowledge + as general knowledge. - General: they're just smart.
@zzcrockett is like this. He just consumes stuff. Very curious. Knows a medium amount about a lot of stuff (and alot on some topics). Like people who win at jeopardy. This knowledge is needed1 reply 0 retweets 12 likesShow this thread -
General knowledge helps connect dots, have cool angles. They're consumers of info and very curious. U get this by living an interesting life, trying stuff, hobbies. -Specific: Need to actually be an expert. They can become an expert, but we want our people to know their shit.
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- We talk about business. So, our people need to know about this stuff. @onetrunna, he's an expert. Ask him about the p/e ratios of various industries of SP500 companies. He can riff on it. - After that, it's storytelling ability. They need to understand story arc.
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- Storytelling: they need to know what captures attention. - 2 tricks that help see if they have this: I ask about the bottom 4th of the resume. What they studied in school, clubs, sports. They spent $100k, 4 years studying something...
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- If they can't tell me a cool story about their fav course, they're likely either boring or don't know how to tell a story. I dont want to work with either of them. - I also like looking at their social profiles. You can see what they think is cool, how they talk to their buds.
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- Now, they need to be able to write. Like anything, this is a skill. - We get thousands of shit resumes. Because everyone physically can write, many people think they're actually good. - So you need to separate the smart people who can't write from the smart people who can
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- We have people do small assignments. You can see how they write. We put a deadline on it too. - I also ask if people write in their free time. Why? Most people want the results or writing, but you really have to love the process to be a good pro writer.
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Replying to @theSamParr
Do you have an example of the writing assignment?
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Replying to @alancassinelli
We just have them write our daily email. Or a trends report
8:13 PM - 15 May 2020
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