Re: Interview Questions

Subject: Re: Interview Questions
From: "Brierley, Sean" <Brierley -at- QUODATA -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 10:35:43 -0400

Hallo:

If you've been working there only two weeks you are in a tough spot. I would
try to find out about the writing skills, experience, thought process, and
tool use of the candidate.

For example, find out how the candidate gathers information. Discuss typical
roadblocks and see what effect that has on the candidate (often, questions
need not be asked, just a discussion shows the level of comfort a candidate
has with something).

Find out what kind of writing the applicant has done, how lengthy the
documents, for what market and audience. Discuss cross-references and see if
the candidate has anything to add that indicates any experience making long
books with lots of xrefs, for example.

Evaluate how a writer goes about the project. For example, discuss setting
up paragraph styles and see what the candidate thinks about deviating from
those styles at will or whim. See whether the candidate thinks the structure
provided by using styles provides ease of documentation at the expense of
flexibility and style, for example.

If you are interviewing for an entry-level post, tool use might not be a
huge concern for you, but it will show more of the candidates thought
process, style, etc. Ask questions about whether the candidate has used your
DTP tools. For example, sometimes a candidate will list software experience
just because the software was once loaded onto a PC adjacent to an area the
candidate once visited. I see this a lot with FrameMaker, where the
candidate lists FrameMaker experience but the truth is they had it installed
on their PC and opened it once, by accident. OTOH, for entry or mid-level,
if the candidate has good, solid skills, I am very willing to teach and/or
send the new hire to classes for tool use.

I am not one to make a writer take a writing test (okay, maybe for a co-op
or workstudy candidate <g>). I prefer to sit down at my PC with the
candidate, run through some books, applications, etc., and hold a general
discussion. This tells me much about what the candidate brings to the table
without hammering them with a list of questions. Of course, this depends on
your interview process, how many interviews you have, and how those
interview stages are set up.

Good luck,

Sean
sean -at- quodata -dot- com

>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Carla Martinek [mailto:fkfcarla -at- GEOCITIES -dot- COM]
>>>Sent: Friday, April 30, 1999 10:13 AM
>>>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>>>Subject: Interview Questions
>>>
>>>
>>>Does anyone have a good list of interview questions that they'd be
>>>willing to share? (offlist, if you prefer)
>>>
>>>I just started a a new position two weeks ago, and I'm being
>>>pulled in
>>>to interview another potential writer for the group in less than an
>>>hour. Unfortunately, I don't have all my resources, including my own
>>>list of questions, with me right now.
>>>
>>>Many thanks to anyone that can help.
>>>
>>>Carla Martinek
>>>Technical Writer
>>>TeleHub Technologies
>>>cmartinek -at- telehub -dot- com
=

From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=




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