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I think that some companies may give a particularly bad editing test to
a candidate to uncover their attitude to fixing really bad work. It's
actually a good way of discovering who thinks they're above such tasks,
and who handles things like a professional.
I had a student in one of my editing classes who was given such a test
by a publisher. She edited the document cheerfully, despite the fact
that it required much more than a copy edit. She decided to limit the
amount of time spent on the assignment, to prevent her from feeling
resentful if she did not get the job. She decided what the top
priorities were for the doc and did those tasks. Then, in her letter of
transmittal, she started off by saying that the document was far from
being ready for a copy edit, and identified the issues that had to be
addressed before such an edit could be performed. When they see this
plus the copy edited document, they will a) know that you know your
stuff, b) know that you can follow instructions, c) know what you can
handle in a short turnaround time, and d) know that you have a positive,
helpful attitude about such assignments.
The publisher got back to her and said that the document had already
been reviewed by their current editor, but that they weren't happy with
that person's work. When they saw my student's work, they fired the
other editor and gave my student the job. They cited her willingness to
take on difficult tasks with professionalism and a "can-do" attitude,
besides her obvious editing skill, as reasons that she got the job.
Kenneth Nuckols' idea #2 that the company may perceive "copy editing"
differently from we do is also a good point. Many non-editors really
don't know what the different kinds of editing are, so they ask for what
they "think" they need. They think "copy editing" is editing the copy,
or editing the text, so that's what they ask for. Also, they may not be
an editor themselves and so they may not be able to pick a document with
subtle issues, so they pick documents with dramatic issues simply
because the problems seem more apparent to them. So Bonnie, you may also
be dealing with someone whose sense of these things is not as acute as
other people's.
Bonnie, considering the misgivings you've expressed, you'll have to
decide first whether you want to work for this company at all. If the
company gives you the creeps, then yes, you do have to find a graceful
way out. But if you feel that they are acceptable to work for, then you
may probably need to find a way to make the best of a bad situation.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
Roberto in Toronto
<<Said Bonnie Granat:>>
A company (book packager who says its manuscripts are primarily from "a
well-known POD publisher") has sent me a copyediting test consisting of
2-3 page portions of three remarkably bad documents that I don't believe
any copyeditor would regard as ready for copyediting. Copyediting these
would be like putting a Band-Aid on a dislocated shoulder. I just cannot
(read, "will
not") do it.
The company says it is "dedicated to the editorial quality of the end
product," but if these documents are ready for copyediting, I'm Mother
Teresa.
Therefore, I do not plan to take the test. I don't want to just tell the
company that I am not going to take the test, but I suppose I could say
just that. I'd like to tell them in a diplomatic way what I've written
above. If I don't tell them, who will?
I just finished another test this evening -- a proofreading test, and
while it wore me out, I am certain it is not affecting my judgment of
these documents and whether I want to apply Band-Aids to serious
injuries. I do not, and I will not change my view.
But I would like some help in deciding how to tell the company. Please
offer any ideas of any kind or sort.
I am sure the following opening lines are inappropriate:
- "You have *got* to be kidding!"
- "This is 'editorial quality'?"
- "Thanks for the humor -- now, where's the test?"
-------------
Bonnie Granat | http://www.GranatEdit.com bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, US
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