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Subject:Re: More on Tech Writing Tests From:"Paul Strasser" <paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 11 Feb 2003 13:42:03 -0700
John Posada wrote:
>
> AH! You write ENCYCLOPEDIAS! Cool!
>
I think the original post said something very important in the following:
"We used it for more than a year as we added new writers to the team, and
found we could tell exactly when we had found "one of us."
"One of us." They were looking for a particular mindset in a writer,
someone who fit into their company's lifestyle, and the techwriter group's
culture. Sure, this "testee" was clever, and did some stuff above and
beyond the call of Skippy, but the key is that she was a fit for the culture
of that company. Maybe this applicant went to the company website and found
out there was a high whimsy factor in the writing, and she adapted her
results accordingly. If so, bravo. She got the gig.
The problem with the "history of the peanut" approach is that there are a
lot of places where such overkill is both unneccessary and a dreadful waste
of time. "Take as much time as you need" is not something I commonly hear
(if ever!), but it was part of the test.
This is not a criticism of this test, nor its results. This techwriting
group wanted a certain mindset in their writers, and apparently this test is
a good indicator of that. She'll be a great fit.
I wonder, though, what will happen when there is a true deadline and not
nearly enough time to do a half-decent job, and the database is down, and
other fun stuff that is part of everyday life in a lot of companies. Maybe
the standard "SMEs staring over your shoulder" is a better test for the bad
times.
Paul Strasser
Windsor Technologies, Inc.
2569 Park Lane, Suite 200
Lafayette, Colorado 80026
Phone: 303-926-1982
FAX: 303-926-1510
E-mail: paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com
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