At a certain level of BBC News job interview, the questioners quite reasonably indulge in tests of thinking on the spot - 'hypotheticals', quick judgements on the relative importance of that day's news, etc. It may be the first (and only) time the recruiter meets the applicant, and both sides need to be comfortable about basic instincts and approaches to news events, before they get to air.
At a higher level, you can see showreels, research the on-air past performance of candidates, ask questions of people who have worked with them. The interview itself is usually a much more grown-up discussion, about deeper issues, areas of inquiry, long term development of coverage, tone etc.
Which is why I find this line from Guido Fawkes extraordinary, about the recruitment process for the next Political Editor at BBC News, the highest profile reporting job in the country. "According to one person who was in the running, the interview process has been arduous, with interviewees asked to improvise on the spot impromptu reports in front of the interviewing panel."
If true, it's wrong-headed. No-one should be at final interview if there are doubts about their core skills. It's more than an audition, Mr Munro.
Twas always the case. In the late 1970s I was asked to do a voice test etc on a candidate for a correspondent job. 'Not up to it', said I, 'jabbers and slurs irretrievably'. 'Pity', I was told. 'We've appointed him anyway'.
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