Interviewing Strategies

[James Barrow]

>Al Geist said:
>>WW wrote:
>>I am a novice tech-writer and am interviewing tomorrow for a JUNIOR tech
>>writing position with a medical/pharm administration company. It is a perm
>>position and the req. didn't mention any of the advanced utilities, like
>>RoboHelp or Framemaker, so I'm pretty comfortable with what I expect the
>>environment to be. My question is, does anyone have any last minute advice
>>for me?...
>
>I would like to add listen, listen, listen to what John said.  A common
>trait I've encountered as a hiring authority is entry level applicants
>answering questions that were never asked and not answering the one's that
>were asked. This tells me they weren't listening and if you're going for a
>TW position, listening is critical to quality documentation.

Hold onto yourselves folks, but I agree wholeheartedly with Al.  I've
interviewed people who seemed to be answering a question that was never
asked, and I've also been known to get so enthusiastic answering a question
that, halfway through my answer, I've forgotten what the question was.

Don't be afraid to ask an interviewer for clarification.  Asking someone to
restate a question won't mean that you'll be seen as unqualified.

- Jim