Ultimate Asset Test

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, May 1, 2003 by Emily Fromm

Byline: EMILY FROMM

In a recent edition of "Getting It Write," the diary-of-a-bitter-freelancer on Mediabistro.com, pseudonymous author Michele Scherer defines the edit test as "a procedure for critical evaluation that includes ridiculous amounts of work, such as outlining story ideas, concocting coverlines, writing hed/dek tries, editing terrible first drafts, and rewriting terrible fourth drafts. The point being, that editors get lots of great story ideas, waste huge amounts of applicants' time, and don't pay a dime for any of it."

Scherer is describing a part of the job search that's all too familiar (and frustrating) to many journalists. But privately, managers and many applicants say edit tests are an invaluable part of the hiring process. "I understand the need for them," says a senior editor at a mass-market women's magazine. "A potential boss has to know that you can pitch a well-focused story and edit a so-so manuscript. That said, some tests have been completely over-the-top. I can't dash off 15 story ideas in what's often less than a week."

It may be true that some managers borrow (okay, steal) a story idea or two from these tryouts, and frankly that stinks. But the process does offer benefits to applicants. For one thing, a test can help them get a true read on the job. Says one editor in custom publishing, "If it takes an extremely long time to formulate your ideas, that job may not be right for you." Also, if someone has been trapped in a niche, "an edit test can help them break out by showing what they can do," says Karen Danziger, executive vice president at recruiting firm the Howard-Sloan-Koller Group, who has placed top editors at Maxim, Playboy, and Us Weekly.

Edit tests are particularly vital in this current, frail economy; many magazines are working with skeleton crews, so employers can't afford to make a hiring mistake. "It's become even more critical to hire people who can hit the ground running and produce faster," says Dena Habinsky, director of human resources at Fairchild Publications. "In the past, someone could be trained over time, but now staffs are leaner, so someone has to be able to do more, quicker. An edit test can help determine how close a candidate is to that level."

With a larger applicant pool for every position, edit tests are being administered to more senior personnel, including editors-in-chief, Danziger reports. And though managers are, "taking greater liberties and asking for multiple tests," she says candidates seem to be willing to jump through every hoop.

Still, edit tests should be thoughtful and practical. An ideal exam should include these components (and a fair employer will give an applicant at least a week to complete it):

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Story ideas reveal instantly whether someone understands the magazine's mission and audience. "Staffers from Cosmo and Marie Claire have applied for jobs at Jane, and when they come up with story ideas, they're so un-Jane," Habinsky says. "It's like, 'You don't get the magazine, you don't get the voice, it's just not the type of place where you're ever going to be successful.' "

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Copy writing, be it heds and deks or coverlines, instantly reveals whether or not a candidate grasps the magazine's tone. "It's surprising how someone whose resume seems really impressive can come up with completely odd headlines," says Adweek managing editor Marian Berelowitz. "If someone gives me a very cute, fun headline, it's like, 'This is a newsweekly.' It doesn't take much of a stretch to figure out that this is a trade magazine. It's not Maxim."

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A top edit of a first draft demonstrates a person's real editing chops. While potential assistant editors may get front-of-the-book pieces to edit and senior editors will be handed features, the goal is the same: "We look for clear thinking and a good sense of structure," says Robbie Caploe, executive editor of Ladies' Home Journal. "You'll find some people who really want to hack things to death because they think that's what's supposed to be done. And sometimes that is what needs to be done, but not always."

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A critique of the magazine, or the section a candidate would be in charge of if hired, says a lot about someone's vision - and people skills. "There are ways to critique a magazine without saying, 'Oh, my God, this is awful!' " says Caploe. "That's a diplomacy skill, to be able to say, 'I think this is good, but it could be improved if you did A, B, and C.' "

When it comes to niche magazines, the rules are more fluid. Some don't use edit tests at all. "As an enthusiast title, we need to see a lot of specialized knowledge in a candidate," says Kevin Smith, editor-in -chief of Motor Trend. "So anyone we're considering will generally have a proven track record. Much of the time, we're personally acquainted with the finalists." Judy Wieder, corporate editorial director at LPI Media, which publishes The Advocate and Out, says her company's magazines recently added freelance assignments to the tests for associate- or senior-editor positions in order to gauge reporting skills.