The Spectator is growing – and hiring. We’re looking for a researcher for fact-checking, data reporting and editing news for our daily emails. We’d like someone who can find a story in figures, perhaps someone familiar with Google Analytics (or capable of learning about it). The advantages: no two days in the office will be the same, you’ll be working with a tight and brilliant team of about a dozen journalists in our Westminster office. There will be a wide variety of editorial tasks: the job would suit someone with energy, eagerness to learn and – crucially – an eye for accuracy. The full-time post would report to John O’Neill, our research director, working in the editorial office. It would not suit someone seeking to become a writer.
As ever with The Spectator, no CVs please. We’re seeking someone exceptional, and are mindful that they can come in all shapes and sizes from all backgrounds. You could be 16 or 70, a school-leaver or a professional researcher with ten years experience under your belt. We’re looking for someone who can spot patterns in data, someone with curiosity, imagination and a passion for accuracy. An ability to spot something that doesn’t look right, and check it out. It’s more a mindset than something that can be taught.
So we instead ask applicants to complete at least three of the following tasks:-
- Find a factual error in an opinion article of your choice
- Find out when Sir Edward Lister turns 70
- We send our Lunchtime Blend email on weekdays. Imagine you are writing it on a recent Saturday or Sunday. Write the top three stories relevant at lunchtime that day.
- Our Evening Blend email has a slot for ‘Some vital statistics’. Send us a figure that you would have included on a recent email – and tell us when and why.
- Suggest how we could use Google Sheets to automate monitoring of social media posts that drive traffic to our website.
- How many times more likely are England’s poorest to die from avoidable causes than England’s richest? And how has this changed since 2001? You could answer with a graph.
- Outline recent developments in the evolution of sexbots, citing sources. We’re looking for lines of argument, quotes and interesting factoids.
- Why has rough sleeping risen so much over this decade? Support your answer with sources.
To apply: Please email your three tasks to recruitment@spectator.co.uk, together with some thoughts on what you could bring to the role. If you can code, then do say so: it’s an advantage. Please also include your salary expectations and your availability to start.
We’re serious about not wanting CVs. When applicants are chosen, we also take out the names so the assessment is anonymised.
Closing date for applications is Friday 19 July 2019.
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