I read an article about someone who used Chat GPT-4 to prepare for a job interview. I decided I would try to structure a prompt that referenced a job opening that a friend of mine was considering. Here’s a link to the prompt. As I was writing the prompt, I realized that the more specific I was able to structure it, the more likely that the response would align with my intended question. The Chat GPT response follows the prompt.
How would you prepare for a job interview for a web writer/social media position?
Preparing for a job interview for a web writer or social media position involves a mix of traditional interview preparation and industry-specific steps. Here’s a suggested roadmap:
- Understand the Role: First, go through the job description in detail. Understand the responsibilities, required skills, and goals of the role. This will help you tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with what the company is seeking. Are they looking for someone who can write engaging blog posts? Do they want someone skilled at managing social media campaigns? Your answers should show you can do what they’re looking for.
- Know the Company: Research the company. Get familiar with its products, services, mission, values, and culture. Check out its website, social media platforms, and any recent news articles about it. Look at the tone and style of their content. This will show your interviewers that you’re genuinely interested in the company and have made an effort to understand its brand.
- Know Their Audience: Identify the company’s target audience and think about how you would create content that resonates with them. Understanding the audience will allow you to demonstrate your ability to create effective and engaging content.
- Prepare Portfolio/Work Samples: As a web writer or social media professional, your writing is your most powerful asset. Compile samples that demonstrate your ability to write in different styles and for different platforms. If you have metrics showing the success of your past work (e.g., increased engagement, traffic, or conversions), be prepared to share those.
- Know the Platforms: Be familiar with all major social media platforms and understand which platform is best suited for different types of content. If the job will involve working with a specific platform you’re less familiar with, spend some time getting to know it.
- Stay Current: Social media trends change rapidly. Demonstrate that you’re keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and tools (like changes in social media algorithms, new features, or trending topics).
- Prepare for Common Interview Questions: In addition to the standard interview questions, prepare for ones specifically related to web writing and social media. For example:
- How do you tailor your writing for different audiences?
- Can you tell me about a time when your content significantly increased engagement?
- How do you measure the success of your writing?
- How do you handle negative comments or feedback on social media?
- Can you describe a social media campaign you’re particularly proud of?
- Have Questions Ready to Ask: Prepare some thoughtful questions to ask your interviewers. This can show your interest in the role and help you determine if the company is the right fit for you. You might ask about their content strategy, how they measure success, or what a typical day looks like for this role.
- Practice and Review: Review your resume and practice your responses to potential questions. You should also practice explaining your past experiences, skills, and successes.
- Dress Appropriately and Show up on Time: First impressions matter. Dress appropriately for the company culture, and make sure to arrive on time for your interview.
Remember, every interview is an opportunity to learn more and get better. Good luck!
I thought the Chat GPT response was good to great. It provided tips related to the technical side of the position as well as tips related to understanding the specific industry. If I had been the hiring manager, I might have asked a similar prompt to evaluate the preparation of the various candidates for their interview.
I thought it might be useful to go through an exercise like this if I was teaching a group of students how to prepare for a job interview. Depending on the size of the class, I would assign everyone a unique job or two unique jobs to use in their prompts. Comparing the answers to the prompts would be useful in understanding how the LLM works. Is the response plagiarized from an expert in hiring or is it a paragraph with the word sequences determined based on probabilities? Would the answer be much more different if I inserted the name of the company listing the job opening? Since I’m not currently teaching a class, I could generate a dozen or so unique prompts myself but I think it might be a better experiment if different people created the prompts. If you try to create a similar exercise, let me know how the answers to your prompts turn out.
