Re: SUMMARY: Interview Questions Revisited

[Linda Castellani <linda -at- GRIC -dot- COM>]

If I may belatedly add to the discussion...

Here are some questions that may appear too obvious to ask, but I should have:

*  Do you have a product?
*  If not, do you have a design specification for the product?
*  Do you have a development schedule in place?
*  If you do have a schedule, does it include time for documentation input
and review?

At 03:48 PM 6/2/98 -0500, K R Wolfe wrote:
>Thank you to everyone who replied to my post.  Here is a short summary of
>the responses I received.
>
>I must say that this list is does not do the topic justice, but it reflects
>the ideas in the replies I received.
>If anyone is interested in the entire compilation of responses, I will be
>happy to send them individually.
>
>The top questions seem to fall in the following groups:
>
>*  Questions about the Organization
>*  Questions about the Doc. Dept. and Position
>*  Responsibilities and expectations
>*  Work environment
>*  Tools used
>*  Benefits
>__________________________
>Questions about the Organization:
>
>Review their portfolio and don't work for someone you wouldn't hire. You
>might find things you don't like. That isn't the issue. Consistency is the
>issue. The editing better be consistent within a book and across the
>document set. Refer to Samples below.
>
>What is the single largest challenge facing your
>staff/department/organization now? See  also Documentation Department Info
>below.
>
>Does the company have a long range forecast?
>
>What is the company mission?  Do you feel the mission shows an accurate
>description of the company=92s objectives?
>___________________________________
>Questions about the Doc. Dept. and Position
>
>Ask your prospective boss about his/her  management style, definition of a
>good/great manager, greatest individual accomplishment (ego detector),
>team's greatest accomplishment, philosophy toward technical writing?  What
>is his definition of a technical writer?  (You better be ready to answer
>this question yourself!).
>
>Ask if they have a style guide
>
>How is documentation seen by the executives
>
>How can I improve upon the performance of the last person?
>
>If you have to pick one or two special characteristics that the next
>employee in this position should possess, what would that be?
>
>May I see the location of the work area?
>
>What are the different people in the department/group like?
>
>Would there be budgetary responsibility, and if so, what types, amount, or
>to what extent?
>
>Will there be staff development responsibilities? Describe.
>___________________________
>Responsibilities and Expectations
>
>Please describe the duties of the job.
>
>What might a "typical" day be like for a Tech Writer here?  That often
>helps you get a sense of the management style, how much teamwork and
>independent work is involved, the stress level in the office, etc.
>
>What skills are especially important for someone in this position?
>
>Is there a lot of team/project work?
>
>Will I have the opportunity to work on special projects?
>________________
>Work environment
>
>Where are the Tech Writers located in this office?
>
>What about telecommuting/virtual office work?  Having work-at-home days can
>be a nice perk.
>
>Is there a company newsletter? Web site? Annual picnic?  (All are 'people
>positive')
>
>What's it really like to work here?
>__________
>Tools used
>
>Consider:
>Intentions to integrate user assistance in the application's GUI
>Graphics facilities
>Is the focus on meeting deadlines? Improving quality? Processes?
>Mulit-media?
>What platforms do they use?  Compare this to the type of product they produc=
>e.
>_______
>Benefits
>
>Do they offer:
>tuition reimbersment?
>401K?
>Paid Time Off?
>Personal days?
>Travel?
>Health?
>Dental?
>_______
>Other
>
>Always ask for samples of their work
>Does every document have recognition, image, and contact info?
>Does every document have copyright and legals?
>
>Is there anything in my skills or experience that would limit me from being
>a strong contributor to your mission/goals/objectives?
>
>What if anything about my background or experience would prevent me from
>moving forward in the hiring process?
>
>Do you get along with the interviewr(s)?
>
>Are the employees smiling?  This sounds funny, but it can be important.  If
>they don't look happy, you might not be happy working here.
>
>Thanks for all responses.
>kw
>
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