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Bridget O'Connor asks:
>Is there any way for these candidates to provide a writing sample without
violating their contracts?
Asking a candidate for a sample of past work is downright stupid for the
reasons already given but this is one of the few ways open to employers to
make sure you can do the job, and there are ways of making the sample much
more meaningful.
I never go to an interview without a sample, yet I too am restricted by
client confidentiality: I only have permission to show an early draft of an
operations and maintenance manual. I would like to be able to show a
finished piece, but this draft is enough to convince a potential employer
that I can do the job because I also have permission to show the planning
documents (list of questions, information plan, and content spec) I used to
write the draft. This holistic approach makes the whole sales presentation
come alive and does more to convince a potential employer of my competence
than any number of finished samples would.
I would advise your candidate to provide a sample of something they wrote
that is not restricted, anything will do, but also to put together some
background information that shows how they went about planning the piece.
