Editorial roles are among the most time-consuming to fill correctly. The typical process — job posting, CV review, telephone screens, editorial tasks, interviews, references — takes six to eight weeks and still results in hires who underperform. Structured skills assessment, applied earlier in the funnel, can halve this timeline without reducing quality.
The Time Cost of Late-Stage Testing
Most organisations send editorial tasks after first interviews. This means spending time on interviews before knowing whether candidates can actually do the job. Reversing this — testing first, interviewing only those who pass — eliminates the largest single time sink in editorial hiring.
Automated Testing at the Application Stage
EditingTests.com allows you to send test invitations at the point of application. Candidates complete the assessment on their own time, typically within 48 hours. You receive scored results immediately. By the time you are ready to review applications, you already have objective performance data for every candidate who completed the test.
Reducing the Interview Load
If you test 50 applicants and 12 meet your benchmark, you interview 12 instead of all 50. Interview preparation, scheduling, and debrief time drops by 76%. The interviews that do take place are more focused because skills are already verified — you are assessing culture fit and communication, not trying to intuit editorial ability.
Quality Does Not Drop
Organisations that test early consistently report equivalent or better hire quality compared with traditional processes. This is because the test identifies genuine skill regardless of how the CV was written or how confidently the candidate presents themselves.
