Re: Brainteasers as hiring indicator (was Re: Bringing "Mental Gymnast" back On Topic)

[Lois Patterson <skycerulean -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

--- Steven Brown <stevenabrown -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
> Brainteasers like the one we've hashed around today
> are fun (and f-ing frustrating!), but a better use
> of
> the limited time spent in an interview is discussion
> of the real-world challenges that technical writers
> face. That might include an assessment of the
> applicants' subject matter expertise, familiarity
> with
> technology, work style, whether they use serial
> commas
> (kidding).

Yes, but brainteasers can indicate whether the person
has mental agility and whether he can explain a
complex or tricky answer clearly. The type of tech
writing that the prospective employer requires may
indicate whether brainteasers would be a useful
screening tool. 

> If brain teasers ARE going to be used, they better
> be
> 1) administered by HR so that they don't reduce the
> amount of time the hiring manager spends with
> applicants, 

In the scenarios discussed so far, the brainteasers
were to be answered in an attachment to the cover
letter. They could also be asked in an interview
situation. A thought-out written response (with no
time limit and no limit on people you can ask) will
obviously be different than an extemporaneous
response, of course.

and 2) be thoroughly tested so that
> there's absolutely no ambiguity in the way the
> brainteaser can be approached and answered.

Part of the brainteaser could be that the applicant is
able to discern issues of ambiguity and point these
out in his or her response. 

Lois Patterson

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