Re: ASSISTANCE Please - Interview Questions

[Linda Holder <Linda -dot- Holder -dot- lholder -at- NT -dot- COM>]

Leonard,

I have to disagree somewhat with some of your responses to Mona's questions.
Interviewers should always ask open-ended questions. One never knows what
gems (and turkeys) will fall out and you learn much more about the
interviewee by how they choose to answer. The really astute interviewee will
answer with a question to solicit what information the interviewer is really
after. And if they don't, well you learn a lot.

Regards,
Linda Holder



> Mona,
>
> I have some difficulty with the following questions:
>
>                 Tell me about your last company (or project).
>
> This one is too vague. What do you want to know? Do you want to bait the
> interviewee into saying that his current employers are jerks?
>
>                 How did you get interested in technical writing?
>
> What is the point? Why not ask a more specific question, such as what the
> interviewee thinks to be the two or three most valuable ideas in technical
> writing.
>
>                 What are you interested in? (Most good writers have
>                 a lot of intellectual curiosity?)
>
> So, your interviewee says that he is interested in turtle racing, medieval
> philosophy, and writing Taoist explications of Mother Goose. So what?
>
>                 What do you like (disklike) about tech writing?
>
> Are you going to also ask how the interviewee sees what he dislikes as
> fitting into the technical writing picture?
>
>                 Do you know anything about structured documentation?
>                 (or whatever your favourite technique is)
>
> If I heard this one verbally, I hear "structured documentation" as a
> proper
> noun.
>
>                 How do you go about getting the developers to talk to you?
>
> Why not create a scenario and ask the interviewer how he would respond?
> This
> would give you more focused feedback to work with.
>
>                 What is the greatest achievement of your recent career
>                 (look for beating a deadline, finding the impossible info,
>                 motivating a team, etc.)
>
> If you are looking for a specific example, why not ask a more specific
> question. "Greatest" is relative, and you should make it clear in who's
> eyes
> "greatest" would appear. For example, while meeting a difficult deadline
> is
> "great," in terms of what my company wants, in terms of what I value,
> deadlines are just a fact of life and meeting them just something I must
> do,
> not something that I take pride in. I would not feel pride in meeting a
> deadline. Not meeting them is not an option.
>
>                 Tell me about a time you solved a problem.
>
> This question, too, is really broad. Again, why not find a scenario or
> problem and have the interviewee solve it?
>
> I hope that this helps!
>
>
> Leonard Porrello
> Compaq, Telecom Network Solutions
> Pubs, Omaha
> 402.384.7390
>
>

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