Radio Jockey Interview Questions and Answers

1. Who is a Radio Jockey?

Answer:

A person who presents a talk show on a radio is a Radio Jockey. He/she hosts the show and has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. They read the scripts, play audio advertisement at specific intervals, talk on political and social issues, interact and engage the listeners' and callers, play music, etc. They also interact with the listeners on phone, email, SMS and on various social media platforms.

The radio jockey must be entertaining and appealing. He/she must speak in a style that is engaging for the listeners.

Video : Radio Jockey Interview Questions and Answers

2. What are the skills required to be a radio jockey?

Answer:

The skills required for a radio jockey are:

i. The most important skill for a RJ is to be able to make stories, talk expressively and be an impactful communicator. Comfortable with local dialects.
ii. Good voice that is soothing and impactful
iii. Clear diction and accurate pronunciation.
iv. Good sense of humor, spontaneous, creative and quick thinkers.
v. Diplomatic while being friendly and approachable.
vi. Respectful confident with an individual style.
vii. Witty at times to handle different type of people.
viii. Good at Content Writing

3. What is the job role of the radio Jockey?

Answer:

The main focus area of a jockey is to interact and engage the audience. He/she has to entertain, inform and update the audience.

The other roles of a jockey are:

• Talk, play music.
• Discuss different social and political issues.
• Ask questions to the audience.
• Manage Contest.
• Conduct guest interviews.
• Write scripts for the show.

4. Why do you want to be a Radio Jockey?

Answer:

Hiring the candidates for the right reasons is one of the biggest concerns of the interviewers. In this case, they’ll try to see that you are really interested and not fascinated with the glamour that this job seems to offer.  

The job of a radio jockey is not easy. It needs a lot of hard work and you are always expected to be pleasant.

To answer this question, you can say something like: I am passionate & spontaneous with good presence of mind and have an ability to engage people with my talks. This job will give me an opportunity to build a relationship with the audience without them actually being able to see me and I feel this is going to be really enriching for me.

My voice and command over the language will be my biggest assets in this assignment.

5. What are the disadvantages of being a radio jockey?

Answer:

The question tries to understand, is it only the rosy picture you have painted about the profession in front of your eyes or are you aware of the reality also and face it.

Yes, there are both advantages and disadvantages of this profession.

The flip side, as some people may think of it to be, of being a radio jockey is:

i. You have to work at odd working hours depending on the timing of your show. You can’t expect it to be a 9-5 job. Your shows might be scheduled late at night or may be very early in the morning. So, you need to be flexible with the timing.
ii. Even if you are going through a stressful time, as an RJ, you need to sound happy and composed.
iii. No Holidays – When everyone else might be at home, you’ll have a show to host.
iii. Most of the times, RJs need to be working on their own, in a small soundproof cabin with just equipment around and no team as such.

So, these are certain disadvantages of this profession that you can talk about in your interview.

6. What will you do if you have made a mistake on call?

Answer:

A radio jockey is a human being and human beings can make a mistake. The key to coming out of this situation is to either admit your mistake or cover it up diplomatically. This comes with time and experience.

You need to have a professional approach and develop a relationship with your callers.

To answer this question you can say something like: "As a radio jockey, I should be ready to face it. If such a situation arises, I’ll try to cover it up in my own style. At times, with my wit and humor while at others by admitting it. If it is not something too serious, just changing the topic or playing a song might work. So, it would basically depend upon the situation at that particular moment.

I also listen to experienced radio jockeys, how they handle these situations and also take a note of how they tackle awkward comments and queries."

7. How familiar are you with sound equipment and computers?

Answer:

As a Radio Jockey, you will have to deal with a lot of sound mixers, faders, etc. You'll also need to handle advertisement database, microphones, and headphones too. Also, an RJ is expected to be computer savvy. They should be able to know which equipment to use & what to do if it stops working.

If you are not very comfortable with the sound equipment, you can say something like: "I am computer savvy and quite interested in this profession. Though I’m not very comfortable with the sound equipment, I’ll be quick to learn the tricks of the trade to be a good RJ."