Re: Technical Writing Tests

[Beth Agnew <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>]

Yes, the "How to brush your teeth" or "Making a Cup of Tea" tests are 
insulting to any experienced technical writer. What I have found to work 
very successfully is to present the candidate with a real technical 
document written by an engineer or developer. I choose one that contains 
enough background information and context. Then I ask questions that 
elicit their understanding of the document, such as "From the user's 
perspective, what is the most important point in this document?" and 
"Does this information suggest any potential problems for the user?"

After that, if it seems as though they have a grasp of the kind of 
writing we're looking for, I ask them to write up a short readme or 
release note based on the document given. I don't expect it to be 
exactly as we'd do it in-house, but as long as it serves the purpose, it 
illustrates well enough whether the candidate can handle the intake and 
output of technical information. I also give a copyediting test.
--Beth

Erika Yanovich wrote: