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Subject:Writing Tests depend on field From:Matthew Schenker <Mattschenk -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 13 Mar 1995 23:23:22 -0500
Robert responds to my statements about using cover letters and interviews as
a test by saying that such things don't work. I feel that the problem here
is that technical writing (or what I like to call professional writing) is a
vast field. True, for more technical types of professional writing (e.g.,
software documentation) a cover letter and an interview would not be good
enough. However, there is a whole other side of professional writing, and
that is the side I represent as a grant-writer. As a grant writer, I not
only write proposals, but I also meet face-to-face with foundation directors
(i.e., donors), and so language, both in written form and in live gesture, is
important, and CAN be tested with an interview and a cover letter -- provided
the interviewer is competent.
In sum, I guess it's fair to say that, depending on the TYPE of professional
writing you're engaged in, a cover letter/interview test may or may not be
effective.
Anyone have an opinion about this? Anyone out there from the non-technical
fields of professional writing?
