SimpleTense Education Writer Interview Questions
& Process

After I sent in my resume through GlassDoor, the hiring manager got back to me in about 3 weeks. For this role, candidates are given an online writing test. It's a timed session where you get to pick from 5 different topics. The writing needs to be in an academic citation form and done within an hour.

I applied on my phone and it immediately sent me to a writing exam which is impossible to do on a smartphone. They didn't warn me about this when I applied. You get two tries to submit your writing sample. My first try was useless because I was on my phone when I applied. The logistics for the application and test are not good. You are given 90 minutes to write an article or memo. You are supposed to cite sources from textbooks and journals on topics you don't know about until you are thrown into the writing sample test. They don't give you enough time or guidance on which journals to find or use. For someone thrown into a 90-minute test with no warning or materials, it's ridiculous. Some of the subjects you have to write about don't have journals that are easy to find online for free, same for texts. It costs money to access resources like Lexis Nexus where you can easily find journals on anything. So most people have to use articles. For a writing company, they won't give you any feedback on your sample.

The interview process was very simple, professional, and gave me a lot of information. The person interviewing me was really honest about what they expect from freelance writers. I understood my next steps clearly after the phone call ended.