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As you are aware from this list, the hiring process is as different and
unique as the people here. Sometimes you encounter things like tests. I
have!
I have seen (and written) a few tests, and here's what (generally) they've
been looking for:
Formatting - are the headings consistent?
Is the text wordy?
What style is the language (too technical, too obtuse, etc)
How is the information architecture (is process and procedure mixed up)?
Do you have an unnatural fear of sheep?
Can you spot the grammatical and spelling mistakes?
Does the tense change?
Does the text change from active to passive, 1st person to 3rd, etc?
There's no real way to "study" other than to skim a few books to get the
basics back into your head. I think what is really being tested is not your
knowledge but rather your confidence. Can you take something that has
obvious issues and clean it up. If you believe you can, then you probably
will. This type of testing is one way to ensure that the candidate isn't
able to just "talk the talk". The jury is out on how effective this is.
Personally, I don't like (or use) tests, as the candidate is under enough
pressure already and these things are better at discovering what people
DON'T know as opposed to what they DO know.
Like the latest threads on this list have made glaringly clear, no
definitive answer will ever be found on their effectiveness.
Good luck!
Rob Domaschuk | 312.853.8337 - t
Technical Writer | 630.430.4162 - m
Datalogics inc. | 719.623.7431 - f
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable,
but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
- George Bernard Shaw
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