22 interview questions for video content creators

Here's your cheat sheet: The interview questions you need for video content creator roles

Standard, run-of-the-mill questions invite rehearsed answers, touch limited topics, and don't test for anything real. That's why we've been really methodical, covered all bases, and tapped into industry experts to bring you a solid, well-rounded, and proven set of interview questions for a video content creator role. 

Background and experience 

First things first: It's important to learn about the candidate's journey. What kind of projects have they worked on? What drew them to the world of video content? You can't really gauge someone's story and abilities from a piece of paper, so don't skip these questions. 

Asking these questions is also a great way to judge if someone's been honest about what's on their resume (one survey shows 70% of people lie on their resumes). 

Look for someone who speaks passionately about their work without taking ages to think about it and who shows the breadth of experience you're looking for. 

Here are some interview questions to ask. 

1. What made you choose a career in digital content creation?  

2. Can you walk me through two video projects you're particularly proud of? What were the goals, and what was your exact contribution to each project? 

3. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your time with [insert client, company, or project name]?

Technical skills

Hard skills and technical expertise are the foundation of a strong video content creator. These questions look at everything from filming, sound, and lighting to editing, motion graphics, AI use, and software experience. Even the best storytellers won't cut it if their footage is shaky or the audio is off. 

At the very minimum, you want someone who's hands-on with platforms like Premiere Pro, CapCut, After Effects, and other relevant tools. They should understand the nuances of each platform, know how to troubleshoot common issues, and explain clearly why they made certain technical decisions. 

Need a higher level of expertise? Listen for clues about hidden shortcuts, plug-ins, or hacks that go beyond the obvious. 

Finally, make sure candidates understand specs, formats, and best practices for the platforms you're publishing to – what works on YouTube may flop on TikTok and other types of social media. 

Here are some questions to assess video content creator skills. 

4. What tech and AI editing tools do you use most often, and what’s your favorite and least favorite feature in each tool? 

5. Can you walk me through your typical content creation process? 

6. What steps do you take to ensure your video content looks good across different platforms, like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube? 

7. How do you keep up with changing specs and algorithms across platforms?

8. Discuss a time you had to work with poor lighting or sound. How’d you work around it? 

9. Tell me about a video you created that flopped. How did you diagnose what went wrong, and what did you change? 

This last question was cleverly curated by Stephanie Segev, Head of Creative & Content at Hopp by Wix, who has spent the last decade hiring in-house video editors, motion designers, and content creators. Stephanie gets the importance of finding someone who can acknowledge their own mistakes (not common in the creative world) and iterate quickly – so we definitely suggest adding this question to your arsenal.

Creativity 

Even the most technically perfect video will fall flat without some creative flair. Creativity is what brings video content to life and helps companies stand out in crowded online spaces. 

Do all video content creators need to come up with good ideas themselves? Probably not. But they do need to shape these ideas and concepts into compelling stories using scripting, storyboarding, pacing, and visuals. 

These questions enable candidates to showcase abilities unique to them. Can they take a vague brief and roll with it? Are they good at tailoring content to different target audiences? Can they think outside the box and come up with a one-of-a-kind content strategy? 

Bonus points if their answers show real thoughtfulness around structure, customer engagement, and linking creative assets to business goals. 

Check out these interview questions to evaluate candidate creativity. 

10. Let's say we give you a broad topic like [insert an example from a previous company project] and ask you to create a short video. How would you approach it from start to finish? 

11. What process or tools do you use to storyboard or visualize your content before shooting? 

12. Tell me about a time you had to get creative when using limited resources, such as a low budget or challenging location. 

13. What's one piece of video content you didn't make but really admire for its creativity, and why?  

Cognitive abilities 

People often think you can be either creative or brainy. But great video content creators need both. Being creative isn't enough – they need skills like problem-solving, attention to detail, and time management to deliver consistent, high-quality work, especially under tight deadlines and, oftentimes, limited resources. Even the smallest mess-up can derail an entire campaign. 

So, how can you find someone who can manage the chaos? Look for answers that show someone can juggle multiple tasks with ease and precision, think on their feet when things go wrong, and spot even the tiniest of issues before they blow up. 

We asked Susannah Scheller, Technology Director at Grow Disrupt, for some input. She recommends the first question below, which probes candidates to discuss how they've solved real and unexpected problems in the past (this is likely how they'll solve problems in the future). 

14. When did you face a major challenge, like corrupted footage or a shoot going sideways, and how did you respond to it?

15. How do you ensure the small details, like captions, transitions, or visual consistency, are all on point before publishing? 

16. When you're dealing with multiple competing deadlines, how do you prioritize tasks and stay on schedule without dropping the ball?

Soft skills and behavioral traits

Our latest The State of Skills-Based Hiring Report found that 78% of employers admit to hiring a candidate with strong technical skills who was unsuccessful in the job due to poor soft skills. 

On the surface, video content creation seems purely technical. But in reality, a video content creator needs several soft or human skills. They must collaborate with multiple team members and adapt quickly to evolving content needs, audience preferences, budgets, and other factors.

Keep your ear open for strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and active listening. Also, spot answers that show an ability to stay composed when things don’t go as planned, take feedback positively, and collaborate with clients professionally. 

Here are some questions to dive deeper into a candidate’s soft skills for the job. 

17. Tell me about a time you had to change a project at the last minute based on feedback from your manager/client. How’d you handle it? 

18. Describe a project where you had a conflict with someone on your team during a shoot. What was the conflict, and how did you approach it? 

19. How would you handle a difficult client who has demanded more changes than were agreed upon in your scope of work? 

Values 

Don’t underestimate the importance of hiring a video content creator who aligns with your company’s values and culture. Even if it’s a freelancer, and especially if it’s a full-time employee. 

Chris Mitchell, Founder & CEO at Intelus Agency, told us, "I’ve learned the hard way that finding someone with technical skills is only half the battle. The real challenge is finding someone with… a good cultural fit."

Values shape how content creators work – do they have integrity, curiosity, and respect for others’ work? What content are they happy to put out into the world? Imagine trying to hire someone strongly against the dairy industry to write blog posts or make a video about the benefits of cow’s milk. They just won’t do their best work. 

Look for someone who aligns with your brand’s voice and values, whatever these may be (we’re not here to judge). 

Consider these value-focused interview questions. 

20. What values guide the content that you create? Can you give me two examples of projects you've worked on where those values showed up? 

21. Have you ever had to choose between creating video content that would perform well versus one that felt right or aligned with your (or the company's) values? What’d you choose and why?

22. What would you do if a client asked you to use AI to manipulate visuals – for instance, by creating deepfakes?

Sadly, interviewing isn't enough… 

The right interview questions help you dig deeper into each candidate's abilities and experiences. But interviews aren't enough to assess job fit in this role: 

• They're highly susceptible to unconscious biases, which can often lead to hiring the wrong person just because the interviewer liked what a candidate looked like, or which college they went to, or their preferred sports team – the list goes on. 

• If you're interviewing virtually, AI-based cheating has become easier, so there's no guarantee that candidates are being truthful about their knowledge and capabilities. 

• Interviews also take time and effort – energy you don't want to waste on candidates who don't truly have the skills you need. 

• But most importantly, you can't possibly test for all the skills listed in your content creator job description – production, scripting, and more – in an interview setting. 

Why talent assessments are the perfect addition to your hiring process

If you roll out talent assessments during your screening process, you'll spend time interviewing only those candidates who've proven they have the skills you're looking for. For example, with TestGorilla, you can combine up to five tests to create a custom video content creator assessment that quickly and objectively tells you who's worth progressing. 

Here are our top recommendations for this job: 

• Video Content Creator test

• Attention to Detail test (Visual)

• Communication test 

• Active Listening test 

• Culture Add test

Land the best video content creators with TestGorilla

Video content creators play a huge role in your company’s success today. But accurately judging things like editing chops, scripting ability, production thinking, and more through the standard resume screening and interviewing process just isn’t possible.  

That’s why smarter hiring practices can really help. Starting with TestGorilla's talent assessments lets you instantly filter out the fluff and focus only on applicants with the right skills. Pair that with sharp, well-rounded interview questions, and you can hire someone who ticks all your boxes and creates content that hits the mark every time. 

Create a free account or book a demo with TestGorilla to get started today.