The interview involved a reasonable series of straight-forward questions with two editors. Professional, succinct but friendly. It lasted around 30 minutes. No lofty questions on strengths and weaknesses, mostly job-specific ones.

I applied for a graduate reporter role online and received a phone call approximately two weeks later to attend a work trial/interview. The work trial began at 9am in the Yeovil Newsroom and was expected to last all day. Applicants were given a number of news writing tasks to do on a computer and they were to be completed independently. Before starting the tasks, applicants had to call the IT desk and set up an account on the server so that they were able to access the computer. I found this process to be a waste of time, and a little lazy on the employer's part. There was very little communication between employers and applicants, with instruction being given by a PA, and the whole thing felt like I was back at university, sitting an exam. After completing the tasks, your work was reviewed by the deputy editor and editor, before being called into an office for an interview. Feedback was given on the tasks and then interview questions followed. I found the experience to be impersonal and outdated, and I got the impression that they had a mountain of graduate work trials to get through.