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I have some difficulty with the following questions:
Tell me about your last company (or project).
This one is too vague. What do you want to know? Do you want to bait the
interviewee into saying that his current employers are jerks?
How did you get interested in technical writing?
What is the point? Why not ask a more specific question, such as what the
interviewee thinks to be the two or three most valuable ideas in technical
writing.
What are you interested in? (Most good writers have
a lot of intellectual curiosity?)
So, your interviewee says that he is interested in turtle racing, medieval
philosophy, and writing Taoist explications of Mother Goose. So what?
What do you like (disklike) about tech writing?
Are you going to also ask how the interviewee sees what he dislikes as
fitting into the technical writing picture?
Do you know anything about structured documentation?
(or whatever your favourite technique is)
If I heard this one verbally, I hear "structured documentation" as a proper
noun.
How do you go about getting the developers to talk to you?
Why not create a scenario and ask the interviewer how he would respond? This
would give you more focused feedback to work with.
What is the greatest achievement of your recent career
(look for beating a deadline, finding the impossible info,
motivating a team, etc.)
If you are looking for a specific example, why not ask a more specific
question. "Greatest" is relative, and you should make it clear in who's eyes
"greatest" would appear. For example, while meeting a difficult deadline is
"great," in terms of what my company wants, in terms of what I value,
deadlines are just a fact of life and meeting them just something I must do,
not something that I take pride in. I would not feel pride in meeting a
deadline. Not meeting them is not an option.
Tell me about a time you solved a problem.
This question, too, is really broad. Again, why not find a scenario or
problem and have the interviewee solve it?
I hope that this helps!
Leonard Porrello
Compaq, Telecom Network Solutions
Pubs, Omaha
402.384.7390
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mona Albano
> Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 1998 10:27 AM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: ASSISTANCE Please - Interview Questions
>
> What are some good Interview Questions I can ask a Tech Writer
> candidate?
>
>
> I have a few questions but would gladly welcome any new ones.
> Unfortunately, the interview is late Wednesday afternoon, so I must
> receive all responses before this time.
>
> -------------------
> How about
>
> How would you do <this or that>?
>
> How are you at meeting deadlines?
>
> What software are you familiar with?
>
> Tell me about your last company (or project).
>
> How did you get interested in technical writing?
> OR
> What are you interested in? (Most good writers have
> a lot of intellectual curiosity?)
>
> OR What do you like (disklike) about tech writing?
>
> Do you know anything about structured documentation?
> (or whatever your favourite technique is)
>
> How do you go about getting the developers to talk to you?
>
> What is the greatest achievement of your recent career
> (look for beating a deadline, finding the impossible info,
> motivating a team, etc.)
>
> Tell me about a time you solved a problem.
>
> Find out what how they ensure that a document can be
> navigated, how they analyze information for presentation,
> and so on.
>
> My favourite method for evaluating tw candidates is to
> ask them to take half an hour and sketch out a mini-document:
> How to operate a coffee maker or banking machine of their choice.
>
> It helps you to see if they can organize material, if
> they think of diagrams, and if they write well.
>
> Mona Albano mab -at- user -dot- rose -dot- com
> Technical Writer & Editor Voice 416 469-1384
> STC senior member, Toronto Fax 416 469-1720
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=
> =
>
>
