SUMMARY: Interview Questions Revisited

[K R Wolfe <keith -at- MERGE -dot- COM>]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my post.  Here is a short summary of
the responses I received.

I must say that this list is does not do the topic justice, but it reflects
the ideas in the replies I received.
If anyone is interested in the entire compilation of responses, I will be
happy to send them individually.

The top questions seem to fall in the following groups:

*  Questions about the Organization
*  Questions about the Doc. Dept. and Position
*  Responsibilities and expectations
*  Work environment
*  Tools used
*  Benefits
__________________________
Questions about the Organization:

Review their portfolio and don't work for someone you wouldn't hire. You
might find things you don't like. That isn't the issue. Consistency is the
issue. The editing better be consistent within a book and across the
document set. Refer to Samples below.

What is the single largest challenge facing your
staff/department/organization now? See  also Documentation Department Info
below.

Does the company have a long range forecast?

What is the company mission?  Do you feel the mission shows an accurate
description of the company?s objectives?
___________________________________
Questions about the Doc. Dept. and Position

Ask your prospective boss about his/her  management style, definition of a
good/great manager, greatest individual accomplishment (ego detector),
team's greatest accomplishment, philosophy toward technical writing?  What
is his definition of a technical writer?  (You better be ready to answer
this question yourself!).

Ask if they have a style guide

How is documentation seen by the executives

How can I improve upon the performance of the last person?

If you have to pick one or two special characteristics that the next
employee in this position should possess, what would that be?

May I see the location of the work area?

What are the different people in the department/group like?

Would there be budgetary responsibility, and if so, what types, amount, or
to what extent?

Will there be staff development responsibilities? Describe.
___________________________
Responsibilities and Expectations

Please describe the duties of the job.

What might a "typical" day be like for a Tech Writer here?  That often
helps you get a sense of the management style, how much teamwork and
independent work is involved, the stress level in the office, etc.

What skills are especially important for someone in this position?

Is there a lot of team/project work?

Will I have the opportunity to work on special projects?
________________
Work environment

Where are the Tech Writers located in this office?

What about telecommuting/virtual office work?  Having work-at-home days can
be a nice perk.

Is there a company newsletter? Web site? Annual picnic?  (All are 'people
positive')

What's it really like to work here?
__________
Tools used

Consider:
Intentions to integrate user assistance in the application's GUI
Graphics facilities
Is the focus on meeting deadlines? Improving quality? Processes?
Mulit-media?
What platforms do they use?  Compare this to the type of product they produce.
_______
Benefits

Do they offer:
tuition reimbersment?
401K?
Paid Time Off?
Personal days?
Travel?
Health?
Dental?
_______
Other

Always ask for samples of their work
Does every document have recognition, image, and contact info?
Does every document have copyright and legals?

Is there anything in my skills or experience that would limit me from being
a strong contributor to your mission/goals/objectives?

What if anything about my background or experience would prevent me from
moving forward in the hiring process?

Do you get along with the interviewr(s)?

Are the employees smiling?  This sounds funny, but it can be important.  If
they don't look happy, you might not be happy working here.

Thanks for all responses.
kw