We have talked a lot about Technical Writing and the skills required to be one. If you are really passionate about entering the domain of Technical Writing, then this article will be a lot useful to you. Here we will discuss on how to prepare for a Technical Writing Interview. Interview preparation do give some kind of stress to each one of us, at some point. Until and unless, we are not done with the interview process, sub-consciously our mind keeps wondering on the question that could be asked by the interviewer. If this has not happened to you anytime, then you are really lucky. But for me, it doesn’t matter how much experience I have gathered, this phase keeps bothering me until the event is done.
For those of you who can’t stop thinking about the interview, it is better to prepare it well. This could save us the little precious time that could go waste wondering. Coming straight to the steps, lets be very clear that a Technical Writing Interview will have atleast 4-5 rounds. This includes:
- A Written round
- Technical Round
- Client Round
- Managerial Round
- HR round
If you are lucky, it might get squeezed to 3-4 rounds but not less than that. We will begin by describing what is expected from you in each round.
Written Round:
It is very rare that an Interviewer escapes this step for a Technical Writer. It doesn’t matter if you are a fresher or an individual with 10 years of experience, this round will happen for you most of the time. And to be true, this is going to be a lengthy one. They might ask you to write an article, some procedural steps of writing, emails, grammar and what not. You could be checked on your writing skills from all perspective.
They might also check on how good you are at handling basic writing tools like word and PowerPoint. They might ask you to write some content keeping in mind the way we prepare a formal guide. You shouldn’t be surprised either if you are asked to make a stunning ppt out of a 2-page document.
As a Technical Writer, you should not take this round too lightly. This is one of the important rounds. If you make a good impression in this round, then your prospects in technical round is immensely enhanced. So, brush up your grammar. Take care of the punctuation and articles. Don’t leave anything behind. If you are a passionate writer, this should be a cake walk for you.
Technical Round:
This is a common round for every IT professional. In this round, the interviewer will check your technical skills in terms of familiarity with the various tools, the style guides, the various types and formats of documentation, grammatical knowledge, etc. They will definitely ask you about your practical experience in handling and documenting. Overall, anything and everything you have worked upon is asked during this round.
Client Round:
This might or might not happen for you depending on the organization for which you are giving interviews. More and more organizations these days are involving their clients or foreign counterparts during an interview. For this round, you should prepare your resume well. Because, irrespective of whether you are giving interview to US or UK client, they will ask you question straight from your resume. So, in case if you have exaggerated about anything in your resume, it is not a bad idea to remove them. Because if you are honest and straight forward in answering the questions, then you could easily get through this round. In general, whenever an interview happens with a client or foreign counterpart, it is always cool and conversational. They are always keen on knowing your behaviour towards a particular situation rather than the ideal behaviour. So, just be yourself and get through it.
Managerial Round:
This round is mostly conversational focussing more on your behaviour and attitude. Are you a team player or not, how well can you handle stress, do you prefer quality or quantity, etc. are some of the questions that could be thrown at you. The basic purpose of this round that the interview wants to analyse whether you are good enough to adapt their environment and way of work. As usual, this might comprise of some technical questions as well. One of the most common question that you would get in this round is “What do you know about our organization?”. This of course is a way of checking whether you are keen and informative.
HR Round:
This round actually belongs to you. If all the above rounds go in your favour, then most likely you would go through an HR round. In this round, you will deal with salary negotiation, HR polices, your keenness to join the organization, your availability, etc. For most part of the round, you will have a say. In some organization, even the HR round will comprise of knowing your behaviour and attitude. My only suggestion for this round will be to keep calm and be straight forward. Talk to the HR about your expectations so that there is no ambiguity later on. Negotiation on salary and joining date is the two components here about which you should always be crystal clear.
I think I have covered enough for you to give an insight. So, be confident and start preparing. Have a Happy Learning!