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Subject:Re: Agency and interviewing questions From:Linda Castellani <castle -at- CRL -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 9 Dec 1996 14:59:56 -0800
On Mon, 9 Dec 1996, Roger Morency wrote:
> Have any of you ever been given a test when interviewed? I have used this
> technique in the past and have been pleased with the results.
I have given tests to prospective writers. They were very
simple, as you described, Roger, with the difference being that the
candidates were not expected to produce them on-site during the
interview, simply because we didn't have a place for that.
I just wanted to see how they would approach the given task, what
kinds of things they would include, how they would make it look, etc.
The test proved useful in unexpected ways, too. For example, I never
dreamed that anyone would do it in longhand and not on a computer. Also,
many took the time to demonstrate their interest in the job by returning
them quickly, often the same day, even when distance was a problem.
The only time I have been given a test was during an interview
with a recruiter who had also been a tech writer for a number of years.
It wasn't a writing test per se, but more of a general knowledge of tech
writing quiz. It asked questions like how I would organize info for a
written manual versus an online document, for example. Other questions
dealt with situations and how I would handle them.
