Publishing is a competitive industry, so if you have managed to snag an interview, congratulations! That means you are doing something right. In this blog, we will be exploring the best tips and advice for interview preparation, so you will be ready next time the opportunity arises.
This may also be helpful if you are beginning the recruitment process, or if you are actively applying to jobs in publishing. Interview preparation does not have to be conducted solely when you have an interview in place. Having strong interview skills that are practiced over time may help you when interviews come around at short notice.
This blog will give you five main tips for interviewing, including:
- The STAR Method
- Research
- Making a good impression
- Preparing the basic questions
- Thinking of three questions to ask them
The STAR method
This is one of the most important interviewing techniques to have in your arsenal. The STAR method explains how you should answer a question from an interviewer and will help you to remain concise, engaging and to the point. It is an acronym for:
S – Situation
T – Task
A – Action
R – Result
You might employ this method if a company asks you a competency-based question, such as: Tell us about a time when you had to effectively prioritise competing deadlines. Following the STAR method, you would first explain the Situation, providing context and explaining the problem at hand. Then, the Task, which is the role you played in the situation or your responsibility. Next is the Action, meaning the steps you took to tackle or resolve the problem. This is typically the longest and most impactful part of the answer, so take your time to explain your involvement and impact. Finally, the Result. This is the resolution as a consequence of your actions, which is ideally quantifiable in terms of concrete metrics.
This ensures that, even if nervous, your answers remain completely on topic and relevant to the question. You should practice using the STAR method for different competency-based questions.
Research
Researching the company, the interviewers and your specific role are all key parts of interview preparation. For interviewers, try using LinkedIn or the company’s own website to read up on their publishing interests, perhaps how long they have been at the company and what upcoming titles they are excited about.
For the company and imprint, use websites such as The Bookseller to see if there are any relevant news stories, including rights deals, acquisitions, awards or changes in leadership. You can also use the company’s own website to find their publishing list, as well as research any upcoming titles that you may wish to reference. You should also figure out who their competitors are to show your familiarity with the industry as a whole.
For researching the role itself, you can look at recruitment platforms, such as Inspired Selection, Creative Access and Redwood publishing, or publishing bodies, such as the Publishers Association. These sites will give you insight into the responsibilities and day-to-day tasks of the role, as well as the desirable skills they are looking for in a candidate.
While this research is important and you may be asked directly related questions, try to be thoughtful when highlighting your research. For example, you could be asked whether there are any book trends you have noticed at the moment, or any titles you are excited about. You could apply your research to your answers. You may also wish to showcase your research through bespoke questions to your interviewers.
Making a good impression
Being a friendly, warm and professional face is extremely important when meeting interviewers. These interviewers may be your new line managers, so they will want to ensure that you are not only qualified for the role, but will fit into the company’s culture. A good first impression can be conveyed in multiple ways, including through body language, eye contact, tone and overall confidence. Of course, balance is key, as is being yourself!
To ensure you are putting your best foot forward, maintain eye contact with interviewers, smile, take time to consider your answers, shake hands before and after the interview, and be enthusiastic. This is an exciting moment for you, and for them too, and you want both parties to be assured that this is the right fit.
Preparing the basic questions
Though interviews vary, there are some universal questions you are likely to hear. For example: Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to this role. This can be answered with a two-minute elevator pitch about your experience, why you are the best fit and what drew you to this specific company and position. This can be a question you have a structured and pre-written answer for, which hits the key points in your career and company-specific research.
A few more examples might be: What are you reading at the moment? Where do you see yourself in five years? What is your biggest strength/weakness? These are questions you can absolutely prepare for in advance. Since you cannot predict every question, you may also wish to create a roster of experiences within your career that you can draw from and tailor to different questions. Again, here you can use the STAR method to keep answers structured.
Depending on the seniority level you are interviewing for, they may wish to ask you either more competency-based questions or role-based questions, based on your expected familiarity with the industry. This is at your discretion, but it is worth prepping for both types of questions.
Thinking of three questions to ask them
If an interview is running over, you may not have time to ask all three questions, so prioritise them in order of importance. This is a chance to show off your research, get to know your interviewers and check that this company is the right fit for you.
Here are a few questions you may consider asking: What titles are you excited about publishing in the coming months? Can you tell me what success looks like in the first six months of this role? Can you tell me a little about the company culture? Or, if any of the interviewers are changing roles, you could ask them what they are looking forward to in their new position.
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