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Subject:Re: Writing samples: what to look for From:Todd Snarr <todd_snarr -at- AUTOSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 20 Jan 1998 08:12:16 -0700
One of the items Jane Bergen looks for in writing samples is...
> Intelligent formatting (headers, footers, chapter front layout, use of
>graphics, etc. (Of course, I would be sure to inquire whether the writer
>had control over this element. In some organizations, the writer must
>turn over his or her work to someone else for the "desktop publishing."
>If the writer said that this was done by someone else, I would query him
>or her long on hard on why and how he or she would change things.)
You probably shouldn't have to inquire whether the writer had control over this element or how they would change things. A writer's portfolio should be "structured" in a way that it answers this and many other questions. Why not have one portfolio that is designed with all the elements Jane mentioned--a portfolio clearly divided and chunked into the types of information or projects that the writer has developed or worked on. It's nice (but rare) to see a portfolio with a preface, a table of contents, different sections, divider pages, introductory pages, and so forth. If I'm looking for an editor, I could quickly go to the editing section of a portfolio and skip the usability and design sections. If I'm looking for a Help author, I would naturally be more interested in the online Help section of the portfolio. In addition, It makes the interviewer's job easier when each piece in a portfolio is introduced with an introductory page--a page that specifies and audience, purpose, and objectives of the sample communication, whether the project was a team or individual effort (if a team effort, what role did the this writer play?), key things learned (or not learned), and so forth. If the writer does a good job at answering such questions for EACH sample IN their portfolio, it shows that they are taking your needs into account. IMHO, such forethought is impressive. Show, don't tell. How a portfolio is structured and how well it answers such questions is a good sign of a candidate's understanding of process.
Todd Snarr
Senior Technical Writer
Auto-Soft Corporation
Salt Lake City, UT
todd_snarr -at- autosoft -dot- com
