12 UX Writer Interview Questions and Answers
UX writing requires the right balance and experience of copywriting, content marketing, and branding. Most recruiters have a hard time finding a candidate who truly understands UX writing, has the necessary experience, and qualifications.
That’s why most recruiters that hire for a UX writing position set up the hiring process to gauge all that. They design the questions in a way that the candidate has very little wiggle room.
This way, they can easily distinguish between UX writers with relevant experience from others.
In this article, we’ll go over a few common UX writer interview questions and answers. As a job seeker, you can learn how to tackle tricky questions and as a first-time recruiter, you can learn what answers to expect.
Let’s get started.
What to Expect in a UX Writer Interview
The UX writing role is not a new role but its dimensions are constantly changing. As new versions of the web and apps come out, UX writers need to adjust their skills to manage the new demand.
It’s safe to say that that a UX writer interview is very different from that of a technical writer or content strategist. Even though the UX writer job borrows job elements from both of those roles.
That’s why your interviewer is likely not going to ask about anything that relates to content writing, your Medium work, or your experience with other writers.
Since the UX writing field is in constant flux, you’re likely getting questions on those changes. For example, since the Metaverse garnered attention, there is a demand for UX writing within that domain.
Therefore, a recruiter can ask you how plan to deal with writing microcopy within the metaverse.
Similarly, you’ll get questions about your copywriting experience, any recent UX project you’re working on, soft skills, and your understanding of visual design, among other things.
As a result, we went deep into conducting research into what questions are in rotation these days. Using that research, we’ll classify the interview questions into two types:
- General questions about the UX writer role.
- Technical and job-related questions.
Keep in mind that the interviewer can ask these questions in any order. There’s a chance that they may ask all of these questions or none of them during the interview process.
However, the goal here is to understand what approach interviewers take with their questions. And, what answers are more likely to convince them that you’re the right person for the job.
General UX Writer Interview Questions
Now that you have a basic understanding of what to expect in your UX writer interview, you can move on to individual questions. Keep in mind that these questions and answers will help you prepare and set you up for success.
However, your goal should always be to get an idea of how it works and derive your own answers.
We’ll start with some general questions and how you can answer them.
How did your journey lead you to become a UX writer?
There are no wrong answers when you answer this question. You don’t need to create an elaborate story to explain your journey. All you have to do is explain how you got into UX writing.
It’s always best to start with your experiences in any writing role. Whether it was a copywriter role, content marketing role, or a technical writer role.
If you were a product designer, website designer, or in any role that doesn’t involve writing, you’ll have to explain your shift towards the user experience field.
For example, a follow-up question could be about why you didn’t join countless other UX designers. What made you lean towards becoming a UX copywriter?
Therefore, depending on your journey, you also have to prepare for counter and follow-up questions.
Recruiters are not looking for a rough journey here. They’re looking for the right words that indicate that UX writing is your passion and that you like what you do.
Furthermore, don’t hesitate to talk about any bad experiences along the way. They add weight to your story and journey. It also allows you to show your process of tackling issues, challenges, and problems.
Lastly, if you have any prior experience at a startup or a fast-growing tech company, focus on your experience there. Direct experience in such companies is often a positive indicator because you help the organization grow in real-time.
How did your experience in a previous organization help you set up for this role?
This question will most likely come up whether you mention prior experience or not. That’s why it’s best to mention it in a previous answer so you can set yourself up for this question.
What recruiters look for here is your growth over time. More importantly, they notice whether this growth was self-driven or just a matter of time.
For example, if you have ten years of experience in UX writing and you apply for a senior UX writer position, the recruiter will think that the growth came through time.
However, if you have a couple of years of experience and are already in a good position, it would show that it’s self-driven growth.
This shows whether the candidate is willing to learn, adapt, change, and work their way up. These things are important because companies today invest a lot in their employees.
Everything from training to succession plans, recruiters want to make sure they hire the right person for long-term growth.
Therefore, you should be able to break your experience down to explain your progress, especially if you have more than 3 years of experience in a company.
It’s best to break it down into years and provide one massive achievement per year. And, your learnings and career growth over the years.
Furthermore, make sure you talk about your experience working in a UX team. Talk about your collaboration on different projects with the team, product owners, data experts, and other stakeholders.
If you don’t have any prior experience in UX writing, talk about whatever job, course, or work led you to become a UX writer.
How do you usually justify or defend your work?
Since UX writers write microcopy as a result of their research and creative process, it may be hard for others to understand it at times. There’s a good chance that you experience this regularly.
However, how do you usually justify your work? Maybe you show your research and why your work will manage to get the job done. Or maybe you provide multiple alternatives to gauge the client’s wants and then provide them with a final simple.
Whatever the case is, you may already have a strategy in place. Make sure you note it down so you can explain it. It’s best to provide some examples in this case where you had to justify your work.
Go into as many details as you can. For example, explain why you add certain words to your UX copy. Then explain how you defend adding those words. This would show that you can defend your style of work.
What is it about writing and content that you enjoy the most?
This is another question that gauges your interest in your work. Again, recruiters want to hire people who like what they do.
It’s crucial that don’t get stuck on this question. The answer to this question should work like a snap. You should immediately be able to explain what you enjoy about creating content and writing.
For example, you can say that you like to see your work live on websites. Or, you can say that you enjoy the creative process of transforming an entire idea into a single line.
In other words, you should be able to explain your drive and passion for UX writing in a single line. Think of this as a test of your copywriting abilities.
However, don’t spend any time defending your answer against any counter questions. Instead, reiterate that each individual has different drivers for why they do what they do.
Technical and Job-Related UX Writer Interview Questions
After the general questions, the recruiter will have a good idea of whether you’ll be a good fit. At that point, they’ll want to test your knowledge about the field.
There’s a good chance that you had to complete a writing test before the interviews. In that case, the hiring manager may bring that up to ask you relevant questions while interviewing you.
However, there’s a good chance that those questions will revolve around the following interview questions.
How do you manage to stay up to date with the latest industry trends?
This question is usually a part of a UX writing interview if you’re applying to a small company. That’s because small companies need to stay ahead of the curve to stave off the competition.
When you’re going through a job ad, make sure you make note of these things. It helps you better prepare for your UX writing interview.
If you’re a part of the UX Writers Collective, you can start with that. Talk about doing courses and certifications, and mention any training sessions you’ve gone to.
Don’t forget to check out our UX writing certification course to master the UX writing skills. Share it with your friends in need:
Furthermore, explain your daily learning process. You can talk about how you take notes while browsing the web and social media.
Talk about creating multiple reference points daily that help you keep track of what’s working nowadays.
Provide some examples of digital products you follow. You can mention a weekly newsletter, tools, and even how you spend your time on the Medium app.
Your goal is to let the recruiter know that you have multiple channels of information to stay up to date.
Describe your experience working with developers, researchers, designers, and leadership
You may work well with your UX team but your job will also require you to work with other people. And recruiters want to know how well you work with others on a daily basis.
When you’re answering this question, you should not only describe your best experiences but also your worst.
The more disparity in your experiences, the more honest it will seem. You can talk about your experiences with individuals too. You can also talk about your collective experiences, such as with the product design team, marketing team, and developer team.
Provide some examples of tasks you were collaborating on. Emphasize your role and explain your process of working with others.
This helps recruiters gauge how well you’ll settle with your potential co-workers in your new role.
How do you maintain and improve your UX writing skills to keep coming up with ideas?
Anyone hiring for a new job wants to know your process of improvement and how you work. This question aims to get an idea of how you work on your UX writing skills. The second part of the question focuses on your ability to come up with new ideas.
It’s safe to say that everyone has gone through writer’s block (and creativity block). You can answer this question by talking about your block and the process of overcoming it.
Furthermore, talk about specific skills when mentioning how you maintain and improve them. You can say that going over the design process of different websites allows you to improve your design thinking.
Similarly, you can talk about improving your UX design skills by creating custom designs along with your copy by yourself.
Talk about what skills you regularly maintain and how you do it. Then, talk about how it helps you maintain your creativity and create a constant flow of ideas.
Do you have experience with product design?
Your UX writing interview will also gauge your seniority during your interview. That’s where such questions come in. Answering these correctly may open you up to roles like the senior UX writer.
A lot of UX writers work in broad product roles where they are active with the design team. That gives them a unique perspective on the product.
It also gives you an upper hand against other candidates. Having a general understanding of product design is one thing but if you have any experience, that’s even better.
Therefore, if you do, try to go into detail about what experience you have. That means you should talk about your contributions to the design department. Talk about your level of involvement and whether your ideas came up in the final result.
If you’re continually improving the user experience, how do you manage to keep the same tone of voice?
Such questions never have a straight answer so don’t worry if it fazes you. The best way to answer such a question is by bringing up an example from a personal experience.
You can bring up any experience when had to choose between improving the user experience and maintaining the company’s tone of voice. It’s safe to say that improving the user experience takes precedent.
You can take point to explain that the end-user will concern themselves with the user experience and not the tone of voice.
Alternatively, you can talk about getting to know the company well enough first. Then, once you have a good enough idea, you focus your efforts on improving the UX. This helps you come up with UX improvements that work with the company’s process.
How would you write about a complex feature for the average user?
There’s a good chance that a UX writer may have to develop content for an audience that has little knowledge about the product.
Again, there’s no right answer here and no specific process. Therefore, you should resort to your personal experiences. If you don’t have any, read up on how others got over it and then provide their example.
It’s also good to utilize a base to answer this question. Choose one product that fits the profile, preferably something by the company you’re applying to.
Use that product to explain how you would write about an XYZ feature if it was to become a part of the product.
How do you go about writing a technical article for a broad audience while ensuring everyone understands it?
While writing for different audiences requires different approaches, there are ways to grab everyone’s attention. All it takes is effective formatting, lots of imagery, and easy-to-read writing, among other things.
For this question, emphasize the importance of understanding what it takes for people to understand complex topics.
Provide examples of user data that show that videos, graphics, and proper formatting show higher levels of engagement among most audiences.
The same is true for technical articles. If you’re trying to improve the user experience by explaining how to use a certain feature, it’s much better to use images and screenshots. It’s even better to make a video of it.
Would you make any changes to our product copy and content?
There are two aspects to this question. One, it shows the recruiter how much research you have put into their company and how well you know it. Secondly, it shows how good you are with on-spot ideas.
There’s always some way to improve UX copy and content. It’s your job to prepare a few examples beforehand.
Go through the organization’s product copy and make notes for improvements. Go above and beyond and think about what will improve the copy. Then make notes of the improvements.
During the interview, if the hiring manager asks this question, provide them with some of your notes. If they don’t ask the question, try to share your thoughts regardless to show them that you did your research and you know what you’re doing.
Wrapping It Up
The best way to land your new job is to anticipate what’s coming in the interview. Use the questions and answers above to get an idea of what to expect.
The good news is that it’s relatively easier to prepare for a UX writing interview, especially if you have prior experience. That’s because you can answer most questions by digging through your personal experience.
Lastly, keep in mind that an interview is a two-way communication process. You should follow up with your queries to learn as much as you can. It also gives the recruiters the impression that you’re serious about joining their company.
If you are new to UX writing and are looking to join the professional UX writer community, we recommend taking our UX Writing Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamental skills for UX writing, how to successfully land UX writer interviews, and how to stand out from the rest of the crowd as an expert UX writing candidate.
