Re: Interview & testing

[Connie Giordano <CPGLJG -at- AOL -dot- COM>]

Stark,

Yes, testing is a way of saying "prove it".  And I expect you to prove that
you can do what your resume says you can do.

After having been burned by three contractors who claimed experience as a
technical writer, a test has become an absolute necessity.  Personality,
skills, experience, rapport, etc., are all things I factor in before I make an
offer, but many peope have perfected interviewing and resume writing, without
having perfected a decent work ethic. After having three writers (who
interviewed well, showed portfolios and seemed eager to learn) waste thousands
of dollars of the company budget, just so I would have to go back and do it
all over, I will not take such a chance again.

Sorry if you think it's an insult to be asked to take a test, but I need to
know how quickly you can grasp what is going on in the application, can you
document it in a coherent fashion, and are you willing to use your own
judgement on style--that tells me you can work independently. And I won't have
to constantly ask you to sit down and work, or to interview a developer about
an application rather than how many baseball games you watched on ESPN last
night.

I once took a job when I was in consideration for three different positions
based on the fact that the company was the only one who asked me to take a
writing test.  To me it showed that they respected what the job entailed, and
they wanted to make sure they got someone who could do what was needed.

I took off on a bit of a rant here, and I apologize.  There are just too many
folks out there who decide they're writers, but in reality couldn't
communicate a concept or a procdure effectively if their lives depended on it.
And I don't have the time or money to waste finding that out after the fact.

My two cents

Connie Giordano


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