Top 10 Characteristics to Look for When Hiring Writers

You have a lot of writing requirements and you decided that hiring writers is the best solution. That’s a great move! Remember, you don’t have to do everything on your own. To become more efficient, you can always get help, specifically from content writing services. However, it doesn’t mean you have to hire the first writer that comes your way. It is crucial that you set standards where you can narrow down your options. That way, you will be able to work with the best person fit for your requirements. 

This article will share with you the top 10 traits you need to look out for when hiring writers. 

1. Flexible Writing Style 

Whenever you look for the perfect writer, they should understand your requirements and base their writing on your specific instructions. This is especially true if they are working on contents that speak a lot about the company culture and brand. They will not force you to use their personal writing style but instead will adapt to what you currently need. 

It doesn’t mean that if a person is good with a creative writing style, they could deliver the same quality when tasked to write website content. Likewise, a website content writer might be challenged to work on novels and short stories. So you always have to check if they are flexible enough and could wear different hats when writing.  

2. Wide Vocabulary 

If you want to have the best output, hiring a writer with a wide vocabulary is a must. This is not to say that your articles or content must contain highfalutin and technical terms. That’s not going to be useful for your readers either. But a writer must know how to play around with words and create variation so that your articles will not sound too monotonous.  

3. Loves to Research 

When hiring writers, see to it that they love to read and do research. They don’t just settle for what they know, but instead, they try to stretch their imagination through different means. 

Take note though that researching is not confined to reading alone. It’s best if your writers love to explore new ideas by experimenting or going on an adventure. Or perhaps, they should also look for experts where they could get information that will add depth to your content. They are not just about flowery words, but rather the value of every article that is published. 

4. Manages Time Wisely 

Time management skill is very important for writers. Now, we understand that there are slow writers. In fact, George R.R. Martin, the author of Game of Thrones, is a self-confessed slow writer and we don’t convict him for it, do we? However, the case is different when we are working for brands and companies. There must be a strict deadline or the business schedule might be jeopardized. 

5. Team Player 

Writers should be able to work both independently but at the same time must be a team player. As we’ve already shared in our first point, hiring writers means they are working for your brand and with your team. They need to adjust and work based on the schedule and according to what was agreed upon. Every writing assignment must be cohesive to one’s marketing plan, and should never be a stand-alone project. 

6. Patient 

You might now wonder why we included being patient as a trait when hiring writers. Let us explain it briefly for you. 

More often than not, companies change their business plans and it could happen anytime. If this happens, there could be revisions needed on already completed writing tasks. While it is not the most pleasant thing to deal with, a writer should accept that this occurs. If one isn’t patient enough to re-do all the work, then you might want to look for other candidates who are ready for such challenges. 

7. Trustworthy

Your writers must be trustworthy. As much as possible, there’s no need to check on them every minute to see their writing progress. They value the trust given to them and they will work even without supervision. And so when the deadline comes, they are always ready to present with the final output, and they don’t give excuses.  

8. Accepts Criticisms 

If you plan on hiring writers, make sure that they are open to constructive criticisms. They accept new ideas and they use it to further improve the project. 

Unfortunately, there are several writers who do not welcome comments and other suggestions, most especially if they have been in the industry for years. However, like everything else, writing trends change. The same thing goes for languages and terms that evolve every year.

If you don’t believe us and you are in your 30s and 40s, try to read social media posts from the younger generation, and see if you can decipher everything they say. 

9. Knows How to Proofread 

Even the best writers are prone to commit writing mistakes including grammatical and spelling errors. This is natural when making a first draft, but is not an excuse to send a written output filled with mistakes. 

One of the ways to avoid this is by proofreading your own work. While oftentimes there are editors to do the final checks, it is the writer’s responsibility to send an output with the fewest errors as possible. 

Apart from manual proofreading, you may use Grammarly to check your work. 

10. Will to Improve 

And lastly, a writer must be passionate to learn and improve. They should never stop learning and should continue to find styles and strategies that can make their craft even more useful for businesses. For example, traditional writers before are not aware of SEO writing. For them, keywords do not play a huge role. But with online marketing on the rise, a writer without the basic SEO knowledge will have a hard time reaching out to the target market. 

It’s always good to have a great foundation in terms of writing. But writers should also evolve. 

Final Thoughts 

Hiring writers can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to find them. Yes, there are many freelancers out there, but how much can you trust them? The best way to hire professional writers is to work with Content Fuel. Spare yourself from doing all the interview and screening process. All you have to do is sign up, request for content, and our pool of talented writers will deliver your content in no time.