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Kris said:
> if she has done all those things well, then she can be a good tech
> writer if she wants to, and her essays, on whatever topic, should
> demonstrate that (or not).
Completely agree. While a tech comm education has value, there are other
ways to get into the profession. And the writing submitted can be evaluated
on the basis of just plain good writing and analysis.
But it sure wouldn't hurt to ask the applicant to write up a brief "tech
writing" sample, such as operating her VCR or using the draw feature in MS
Word.
At the very least, this will educate the prospective employee about the kind
of work she'll be expected to do, before she moves 3000 miles. If the
applicant shows no interest in the project, that says something too. Of
course, don't expect a perfect writing sample from a newbie. (Note: if
it's really bad, this sample may temper the manager's enthusiasm just a
bit.)
Sella Rush mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
Silverdale, Washington
Developers of the CCM Database
Demo: www.apptechsys.com/demo
