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.
But I don't think there's anything wrong with providing an applicant,
particularly one with little demonstrable experience or samples, with
two basic things:
1. A couple of screen shots, and an explanation of how they work
together, and the request that they write a short instruction on how to
do a straightforward task through that interface, and
2. A paragraph or two from a manual with a few errors, and the request
that they edit that section, including any suggestions to make the
content more usable.
And to be fair, I just have to say that we also test our developers'
skills when we hire them through an INTENSELY grueling programming
language test here (the guy who administers it is great, but a little
sadistic *G*).