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1. Clips (writing samples) 2. A copy editing test (to make sure they write cleanly) 3. Actual stories written from some facts or info provided.
That's not so different from asking a developer to write some code during technical interviews. Good clean copy requires similar precision, but your compiler happens to be a human.
If you're hiring a writer, you cam ask to see his previous work. Unless he worked for CIA, he can point to books he's written, articles he published etc. You can then read them and that's all you need to make a decision if he's competent enough (you might still interview for cultural fit).
If you're hiring a senior engineer that claims he spent last 5 years coding Big Table at Google, you have to take his word for it. It's not that you wouldn't like to see all his past checkins, you just can't in most cases.
Not being able to see past work, we do the next best thing: interviews, coding questions etc.
The simple explanation is: we don't hire programmers like writers because we can't, not because people hiring programmers are inexplicably so much more incompetent than people hiring writers (despite running much more profitable businesses).
This is changing a bit due to open-source in that more and more people are hired like writers i.e. based on their publicly available past work, but it'll never be the case that every programmer will be able to show his past code.
edit: I should be less eager to click buttons ---- Where do I begin… 'spelling of conscientious' This would be covered in the first editing pass when I turn the spell checker on. I don't see what this is meant to demonstrate. Even good writers have trouble remembering how some words are spelled. 'explain oxford comma' What's the point of this? 'repeating a tongue twister; I like the “Betty Botter bought a bit of butt…
This ignores different realities in how programmers and writers work. If you're hiring a writer, you cam ask to see his previous work. Unless he worked for CIA, he can point to books he's written, articles he published etc. You can then read them and that's all you need to make a decision if he's competent enough (you might still interview for cultural fit). If you're hiring a senior engineer that claims he spent las…
I'm not a programmer, but I've seen startups co-founded by engineers try hiring designers in a similar fashion to I assume programmers as they test designers with a variety of unpaid projects. I've found it to be pretty annoying given that I've already shown a portfolio of work and it's not unlike spec work. I get that some people may have fabricated their history, but that's why some companies do a trial period before committing to a full-time gig.
> Good spellings and knowledge of grammar rules does not indicate a good writer, and there are tools (spelling/grammar check) and (editorial) processes to take care of that. Good grammar doesn't indicate a good writer, but bad grammar does indicate a bad one[1]. (Good grammar meaning, in this case, an ear for language. Good writers avoid grammatical errors because grammatical errors sound wrong , like an off-pitch no…
Using parenthesis like this indicates that it should be either a footnote or worded differently. Nesting it just makes my brain shut off.
I fall victim to using parenthesis in this manor myself quite often, its a hard habit to get out of.
Someone once made a blog with the same argument but used the comparison of a mechanic instead. Anyone know the URL?
This ignores different realities in how programmers and writers work. If you're hiring a writer, you cam ask to see his previous work. Unless he worked for CIA, he can point to books he's written, articles he published etc. You can then read them and that's all you need to make a decision if he's competent enough (you might still interview for cultural fit). If you're hiring a senior engineer that claims he spent las…
Where is the fine line between coding tests and spec work? I'm not a programmer, but I've seen startups co-founded by engineers try hiring designers in a similar fashion to I assume programmers as they test designers with a variety of unpaid projects. I've found it to be pretty annoying given that I've already shown a portfolio of work and it's not unlike spec work. I get that some people may have fabricated their hi…
If I ask someone to implement a linked list during 1hr interview, it's clear that it's not because I need a linked list implementation in my company.
If I ask someone to stay for a week to work on the company's code base, that's clearly a work that should be paid for at a market rate.
Similarly, I'm pretty sure that you, as a designer, know without a doubt when company's request crosses the line from "I need to make sure you know what you're doing" to "I need you to do free work for me".
edit: I should be less eager to click buttons ---- Where do I begin… 'spelling of conscientious' This would be covered in the first editing pass when I turn the spell checker on. I don't see what this is meant to demonstrate. Even good writers have trouble remembering how some words are spelled. 'explain oxford comma' What's the point of this? 'repeating a tongue twister; I like the “Betty Botter bought a bit of butt…
>>We have found that we are able to hire great writer
>I see.
And was only going downhill from there.
Don't worry about it, we're all there.