These were the top questions I liked from what I saw. Know a few of the questions that might be asked of you can really help you to prepare for an interview. You still need to know how the think in the moment and really listen to what is being asked. But having something prepared can give you a little more confidence when sitting down for the interview.
1.
Which
blogs do you read
a.
I
liked this question because if you are in the media industry you should be
reading other peoples work. It is important to know what your community is
discussing.
b.
Knowing
what you read could give an employer an idea of your writing interests. As a
sort of video columnist it would be beneficial for Zuffa to know where there
candidates interests are.
2.
What
is your proofreading process?
a.
Proofreading
and quality checks are pretty similar. The question could easily be interpreted
as How do you quality check your work.
b.
With
a fast turnaround on clips and live shows all the time the margin for error is
pretty small. UFC has a need for quality video with little proofing time.
3.
What
operating systems and programs do you use?
a.
Any
job involving media should ask this question.
b.
There
are vast differences in some of the operating systems out there and the
programs available are even more diverse. If UFC uses Apple products and all
you know is PC there will be a steep learning curve.
4.
Can
you describe the difference between “there,” “their,” and “they’re?”
a.
This
is important when blogging, writing, or engaging in social media. There are a
lot of people on the web that will judge the content of writing based on
grammatical errors.
b.
Although
the primary purpose of this job is video editing, UFC has many blogs and
written articles as well. It would not be out of the realm of possibility to
transition into writing also.
5.
What do you know about the company?
a.
I like this one because as we learned earlier in
this class knowing about the company you are allying for can be very useful. It
is important to know if the companies philosophy is in line with your own.
b.
Zuffa is a good example of this, without a
little research one might not know they represent UFC.
6.
What is your greatest professional achievement?
a.
This one is interesting because your greatest
achievement might not have to do with the job you are applying for. Is it
better to answer with one that shows your professionalism or one that might be
less impressive but be inline with the job?
b.
I feel like this one could fall into the same
category as the last one in that it tells how much the interviewee knows about
the company.
7.
Tell me about a challenge or conflict you've
faced at work, and how you dealt with it.
a.
This one is a little less direct then “what is
your greatest weakness?” It still asks you to spin something negative into a
positive trait without coming right out and saying it.
b.
No job goes smooth 100% of the time. Knowing how
a potential employee handles a conflict can be very helpful. The UFC is know
for conflict it is presumable that tensions can run high.
8.
What's your dream job?
a.
Here is another one that makes the candidate
consider how much truth the interviewer wants. If it is not your dream job how
can you spin it so that it is inline with the job you are applying for?
b.
This really is a dream job for me. I want to
work for a some what smaller niche company that wants video created and edited
on the fly and involves some travel. The catch for me is telling the
interviewer that without making them think I am just spouting what they want to
hear.
9.
What do you like to do outside of work?
a.
Although it may seem like this shouldn’t matter
to an employer, there are a lot of companies that want to maintain a certain
image. If your personal hobbies don’t coincide with that image it could cause
issues. I learned a lot about this from my time in the military.
b.
UFC has a pretty distinct image. They may not be
too concerned with what you do on your personal time, but how you answer could
be an indicator of how you will fit in with the staff or how you will react to
job requirements.
10. Why
do you want this job?
a.
I like a very direct question. This one gets
right to the heart of what you are doing there.
b.
There may be people applying to Zuffa and UFC
because they think it might be a way to break into the MMA ring. Or they just
want to be closer to the fighters for whatever reason. I imagine they want
people for this job that are interested in doing the work required by the
position and this question could weed some of those out.
