How I hire writers: what I actually look for

I've hired many writers and led teams as large as 30 people. Most hires worked out, a few didn't, and those few taught me the most. Here's what I look for now.

The portfolio tells you less than you think

A portfolio shows you the final version. It won't tell you how many editors touched the piece, whether the brief did the heavy lifting or how long it took. So I ask about the samples instead of only reading them.

What was the brief? What did you push back on? What would you change now? A writer who can explain their choices understands the craft. A writer who can't might have had a great editor.

I also ask candidates to pick the sample they're proudest of and the one they'd most like to redo. The second answer is often more revealing.

Range matters more than polish

Senior writers should be able to move between formats and audiences: a homepage, a long-form guide, a proposal, a tricky email. I look for at least one sample outside their comfort zone and ask how they approached it.

Polish can come from a great team or a generous deadline. Range shows me how a writer thinks when the format changes, which happens constantly on a real marketing team.

Keep the writing test short and paid

A short exercise is fair. Hours of free work aren't. A good test is small and realistic, and it's paid if it takes more than an hour. Mine usually pairs an editing task with a writing task, because how someone edits tells me almost as much as how they write.

The editing task is often the most telling part. I give candidates a weak draft and ask them to improve it. Some rewrite everything. Some fix only the commas. The best ones explain what they changed and why.

“How someone edits tells me almost as much as how they write.”

Feedback is part of the interview

After the test, I give real feedback and see what happens. Do they get defensive or curious? Do they ask good questions? Every writer on my team gets edited constantly. If they can't take notes in an interview, they won't take them on deadline.

I'm not looking for someone who agrees with every note. Pushback is fine when it comes with a reason. What I want to see is a writer who listens, thinks and stays open.

Look at how they think about the reader

Strong writers talk about readers, not themselves. In interviews, I listen for how candidates describe their past work. Do they explain who it was for and what it needed to do? Or do they focus only on how it sounded?

The writers who start with the reader tend to make better decisions everywhere else.

What I'm really hiring for

• Judgment: Knowing what matters on the page and what doesn't.
• Curiosity: Wanting to understand the reader and the subject.
• Clarity: In their writing and in how they communicate.
• Coachability: Getting better with every round of feedback.

Technical skills are teachable. These four are much harder to build from scratch.

Make the process respectful

Candidates are evaluating you too. A clear timeline, a reasonable test and real feedback make a strong impression, even on people you don't hire. Good writers talk to each other, and a respectful process makes future hiring easier.

Onboarding is part of hiring

A great hire can still struggle without a strong start. I treat the first 90 days as part of the hiring process. New writers get the brand voice guide, examples of strong work, a clear picture of how we edit and a few early assignments with close feedback.

I also pair new hires with an experienced writer on the team. That person answers the small questions that never make it into a guide and helps the new writer understand how the team actually works.

A good onboarding plan does more than speed up productivity. It shows new writers that the team invests in their growth, which is a big part of why people stay.

I check in often during those first months, too. Small questions and early misunderstandings are easy to fix when they come up quickly. Left alone, they turn into frustration on both sides.

The short version

Ask about the portfolio instead of only reading it, and look for range. Keep tests short, realistic and fair, and include an editing task. Watch how candidates take feedback and how they talk about readers. Hire for judgment and curiosity, and treat every candidate with respect.