3 Things to do before your Speechwriting Interview
About once a month I get a call from a recruiter who’s trying to fill a speechwriting position. They’re frustrated because the candidates they had selected from hundreds of resumes didn’t come prepared. So, if you’re going for your first speechwriting job, this post is for you.
Read everything the principal has written
If you’re going for a speechwriting job, the chances are it’s to write for someone who already has a decent public profile. Find everything they’ve ever said, written, or published online. If you can, ask the recruiter or hiring manager which speech is one the principal is really proud of. That’s handy info for the interview.
Download all their speeches, print them out, and analyse them. What do they do well? Where can you add value? What needs tweaking? A younger, bolder me walked into an interview with a CEO with 5 of their most recent speeches all marked up. I told them where they excelled and what needed changing. And guess what? I got the job.
Check the news in the morning
I don’t just mean the headlines or even the industry news… although you need to know those too. Do a google news search for about the company and the principal you’re writing for. The hiring manager is likely to be someone senior on the PR team who will be deep in the news cycle of the company. They want to know that you understand how headlines shape the reputation of the leaders of major institutions.
Have your writing samples handy
If this is your first speechwriting job, you don’t necessarily need writing samples that show you have written for someone else. But you do need writing samples. So start writing! There are so many online tools for writing now. Start a blog on Medium, a newsletter on Substack, or share your thoughts on LinkedIn. And after you’ve landed that first job, don’t stop your own writing projects.
In 2021 I went for a speechwriting job and sent over my portfolio of speeches, op-eds, and LinkedIn posts I’ve written for other people. But the hiring manager wanted to see something that was just me, not something that had been edited by committee. Just my writing. Fortunately, I’ve been publishing under my own name in various places since I graduated, so I had a few options to choose from. And guess what? I got the job.
Bonus tip
Don’t expect the hiring manager to trawl through the internet looking for your writing. Make a nice pdf using Canva or Keynote or some kind of design software so that you select what they see and send it over with your resume. Three samples is plenty; keep them on the shorter side and be prepared to talk about them in the interview.
