Re: re Interviewing Tech Writers

Subject: Re: re Interviewing Tech Writers
From: Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 09:58:56 +0800

I agree with Connie that you should look for evidence to back up your
feeling.

You said your boss didn't get the same impression. What about the other
colleague who was on the interview panel with you?

Does the applicant have a track record in tech writing? If she didn't
see interviewing SMEs as a problem perhaps this is a sign that she has
good skills in this area. Or perhaps her SMEs have all been pussycats,
or perhaps she has never had to interview SMEs. This would have been a
great time in the interview for you to ask a couple of follow-up
questions! ("Have you been in a situation where an SME was reluctant to
make time to answer questions, or didn't take your need for information
seriously? What would you do in this situation?")

In Canada, can you contact references to ask about the applicant's work
performance? Can you confirm that she actually did the work that she
brought to you as her samples? That is, whether a particular manual is
all her own work, or mostly her work, or if she was only one of a team
of writers. (Or, "Ms X? On *that* project? Uhhhhhhh....") If she shows
you technical material, she really did do the work, and it looks like
good work, surely that outweighs a theory or 'gut feel' that she might
be picky or not good with SMEs.

What were the other applicants like? Are any of them suitable, or is
this person the clear leader apart from your reservations?

Regards

Stuart
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