Technical Writer Interview Questions

If you fancy finding a qualified prospect for the role of technical writer, then you should approach the phase of interview preparation with maximum concentration. Make sure you’ve mentioned your business line and target audience in a job description for this role. Besides, draft a listing of the estimated written materials, which you wish to be created. For starters, a nice job description will compliment your effort with a bunch of highly skilled technical writers able to work in compliance with your company’s specifics.

An easy start: Identifying the professional knowledge

Regardless of the type of writer you want to hire, it’s always a good call to ask about their portfolio. You should discover as much as possible about their work samples to conceive their typical workload and the team setup they’re familiar with. Except for that, suss out more about the estimated level of guidance the applicant needs to start and other work process details. The list of these interview questions is the key to a conversational boost.

• How did you contribute to the creation of the given work sample?
• What is the estimated time you spent to complete the presented work sample?
• Recall a situation when you collaborated with a cross-functional team to finalize a technical writing project.
• What role did the rest of the team play? Who were they?
• Please specify what materials or guidelines you are usually given to jumpstart a project like this?
• Tell about a creation that you are proud of. Why do you determine it as successful?

The core: Role-specific questions

The middle and end parts of a job interview have to reveal the prospects’ level of proficiency and competencies. Focus the interviewee’s attention on the typical situations that they will possibly stumble upon. While questioning the potential technical writer, try to assess their reactions so you can conclude if they are sincere or not. This point is of crucial importance when asking about their attitude towards criticism. To end up positively, encourage the office seeker to inquire you about the job post.

• Why do you fancy becoming a technical writer?
• Are you in the loop on our target audience?
• How do you remain abreast of the industry news?
• How soon can you master the art of using a new tool?
• Name several software tools that you use in your everyday work?
• In case you had to conduct a field visit to find out more about the product, how would you react?
• Have you ever interviewed a subject matter expert? What tools did you use?
• Recall an occurrence when your editor gave you a piece of negative criticism. Depict your attitude.
• Tell about a situation when you got constructive criticism. Do you consider it was helpful? Why?