You can write your way into (or out of) a job

Dear Grapevine,

Long time reader, first time questioner. Would you care to comment on writing tests stations send you as part of the hiring process? I'm working on one currently, and it's a bit tricky. It'd be nice to know more about them, how important they are to getting hired, etc.?

-Writing Riddle

Riddler,

Oh, I loved giving writing tests when I was hiring people. And sometimes I got the results before the candidate even started writing. No sooner had I said, "I'd like you to take a writing test" than the beads of sweat would blossom on the candidate's forehead and the eyes would glaze over. These are usually given in conjunction with current events tests. Once an anchor candidate actually asked me, "Why do I have to know current events if I'm going to be an anchor?" You guessed it, she didn't get the job.

So the first thing you have to do when presented with a writing test, either in person or over the phone, is to react as if it is no big deal. Letting a ND know that you're not confident about your writing is a red flag.

You may also be asked to tie stories together, especially if you're applying for a producer's job where things like tease writing are critical. The ND wants to see if you are clever and can turn a phrase.

These days tests come in two forms, as part of the in-person interview or via email, in which you are given a certain amount of time to complete the exercise. Many NDs will give you three or four stories from the wire to re-write, to see if you can compose decent broadcast copy. As you do this, make sure you read your copy aloud to check the pacing. If you run out of breath before the end of a sentence, that sentence is too long. Cut it in half.

Let's practice on this story. Just re-write it to make it more conversational and interesting.

"Things are heating up on the campaign trail this week. Senator Barack Obama is busy campaigning for votes in California's wine country with his wife Melissa and their three daughters, while Arizona Governor John McCain and wife Cindy are on a bus tour through the South. McCain, a Navy pilot, stopped to visit the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida and talked with pilots about his ordeal in a South Vietnam prison camp."

You see, I, being the devious sort that I am, liked to give reporters copy to re-write that had factual errors; the kind of mistakes that no news person worth his salt would miss. If you didn't catch the four blatant mistakes in that story, it would raise a red flag that you are all style and no substance. So while you're not only being checked for your writing style, there might be a subliminal test buried in the copy you're asked to re-write.

Anyway, let's punch up that copy a bit...

"Things are bubbling up on the campaign trail this week, as Barack Obama pressed the flesh with those who press the grapes in California's wine country. Meanwhile, John McCain went back to school of sorts, visiting the Naval Base in Pensacola, Florida where he learned to fly."

See, same story, but more interesting as we've turned a few phrases. Instead of having copy to "read" the anchor is now able to "talk" to the viewer in a more one-on-one conversational tone.

I'm often asked if a person can be "taught" to be a good writer. Personally, I think great writers are born with that talent, but that anyone can work hard to become a good writer. It takes practice and study. Listen to the copy on the networks and major market stations, pay attention to their clever phrasing, and then grab the worst wire copy you can find and do it yourself. If you apply yourself it will become second nature, and a fun challenge for you to make even the dullest stories interesting.