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Good questions, Stephanie, and good analysis of the
possible responses!
Steve
--- Stephanie Bryant <mortaine -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> I doubt it's the *best* question for assessing a
> candidate, but it
> really helps me get to know the person and what
> their real interests
> are, and what they most want to get out of their
> work environment:
> "What do you enjoy most about technical writing?"
>
> The answers I get vary widely, but they tell me
> about the candidate.
> If they immediately mention the teamwork and
> interviewing smart
> people, then I know their strength is going to be in
> that process. If
> they mention playing with new technology, then I
> know they should be
> put into a process that gives them lots of hands-on
> time with the
> product. If they say they love the methodical
> details, the elegance of
> a well-written reference, or they appreciate
> well-designed products
> and documentation, then I know they'll thrive in an
> environment that
> plays to those interests and strengths. If they
> can't give me an
> answer beyond the hours and telecommute options,
> then my guess is that
> they'll continue to be a tech writer until they can
> sell their first
> novel (so I probably have a potential long-term
> employee on my hands).
>
> The other question I ask is "so, what do you enjoy
> overall-- what
> jazzes you?" This is a good one for any type
> interview (even SME
> interviews), because it gives people a chance to
> talk about their
> passions, and to show themselves in a good, positive
> light (none of us
> is so animated and enthusiastic as we are when
> talking about the
> things we love). It's open-ended enough that they
> can steer away from
> mentioning their family if they wish, and I'm not
> evaluating them on
> the basis of their answer, so much as what the
> answer tells me about
> them (if their answer is 100% kids and family, for
> example, then I
> know they want a regular schedule with few late
> hours, but also that
> they will be motivated by having a stable employment
> situation).
>
> Also, it's easy to tell when they're lying and to
> use that as a
> baseline for other questions. If they're not
> genuinely impassioned
> when given such an open-ended, 100% positive
> question like that, then
> they're probably not being honest when they have to
> answer the tough
> ones, either.
>
> I should note that I've only been in an advisory
> capacity in the
> hiring process, never a decision-maker or manager.
>
> On 5/16/07, Kay Honaker <khonaker -at- accela -dot- com> wrote:
> > I've been invited to sit in on an interview for a
> new technical writer being added to my team. What
> are the best questions you've been asked? The
> questions you've asked yourselves, that have gotten
> the most telling responses?
>
> --
> Stephanie Bryant
> Author, Videoblogging for Dummies
> mortaine -at- gmail -dot- com
>http://www.mortaine.com/
>
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