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Subject:put them to the test! From:"Wright, Lynne" <lwright -at- positron911 -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 17 Mar 2005 10:44:57 -0500
What would be the point in spelling out to candidates exactly what to
expect in a test? What are they going to do? Spend the next week
studying grammar books and losing sleep, as though they are high school
kids facing algebra finals?
There's no BETTER way to find out how qualified and adaptable a
candidate is, than by throwing them in the water and seeing how well
they float.
The last time we interviewed, most candidates WERE surprised when i told
them they'd have to write a test, because the h.r. person booking the
interviews neglected to let them know.
So I tried to avert any panic by telling them that it was pretty basic
stuff and i was sure that, as competent writers, they'd be able to
handle it easily.
And guess what? The people who really did have the level of competence
that we wanted didn't flinch or break out into sweats, and were able to
produce excellent results in well under the alloted time. And i would
hope that for those who struggled with it, that they came away from the
experience realizing that they needed to upgrade their skills to be more
competitive.
It also don't think that candidates need to be told that they are also
expected to be able to spot common language usage, punctuation, and
grammatical errors. I consider that part of the basic skill set for a
professional writer... to be able to proofread your own (or peers')
work, if necessary.
In a field where accuracy of content is vital and you're working to
deadline, what's the point in hiring somebody, even at a junior level,
who has no basic aptitude for getting the details right under pressure?
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