TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE:Editing and writing tests for jobs From:"Blaine, Karen L." <Karen -dot- Blaine -at- unisys -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 16 May 2002 14:44:13 -0400
Cara O Sullivan wrote:
> For those who are looking for work and are experienced tech writers, have
> you encountered many potential employers who use editing or writing tests
to
> screen candidates?
>
> And if so, what do you think of that tactic?
I have only once been asked to take a writing test, of sorts. The doc
manager apologized profusely beforehand for requiring the test - corporate
policy, you know. I was required to edit several short samples. I was
open-mouthed at the samples. All I could think was that I couldn't write
that poorly even for a first draft! And if this was a real example of the
kind of writing this company had to deal with, no wonder they were using
writing tests. And if it these weren't real examples, then the test was
pretty insulting.
Generally, I don't think much of writing tests. I find I can usually (Note,
that I said, usually. There are, as always, exceptions to any generality.)
predict the quality of writing from the way a person uses language verbally.
If you are unable to speak well, you will usually have trouble writing well.
If you can't use proper grammar verbally, you won't be able to use proper
grammar in writing. If you can't organize your thoughts verbally, you will
probably be unable to organize them in writing. Most people with whom I
interact tend to write the way they speak and vice versa. Still, I think
that chatting at length with a candidate tells me more about the candidate
than a writing test, even a candidate without any technical writing samples
to offer.
Karen
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
