STC Newsletter

Home > Articles

Printable

Take Advantage of a Defining
Moment: Ask Questions

by David Dick, Associate Fellow and Member, Washington, D.C. Chapter

Have you ever been to an employment interview where the interviewer asked, “Do you have any questions?”If you said “no,” then you missed an opportunity to take advantage of a defining moment of your interview. Dalton Hooper writes, in“Getting Yourself Hired Lesson 3: Do You Have Any Questions For Me?”,that the opportunity to ask questions is a precious gift. You should never throw it away. Leveraged to their fullest, the questions you ask can carry more weight than the answers you have given up to that point.

Having passed up opportunities to ask questions during interviews, I decided that it was time to educate myself on the questions that I should ask. I want to make a positive impression of my character and competence—what questions would do just that? Should I ask if Friday is casual day, if I can work from home, and if the company will pay my expenses to attend the annual STC conference? Are those questions deal-breakers?

I posted my question, “What questions should I ask during an interview?” to the Lone Writer e-mail discussion list. Several people replied with questions they considered essential to ask an interviewer. I grouped their questions into the following categories:

Background of the company
Documentation management
Professional development
Are you qualified?

From the replies I received, I chose 10 questions that will help provide a solid background of the company and the position. This article lists those questions and why they are important to ask.

Background of the Company

Are you pursuing a job (or a pay check) or a place to work? Nick Corcodilos writes in “Pursue Companies, Not Jobs”to look for good companies that are in a business you want to be involved in. If the company has people, a culture, a product line and a future that appeals to you, then investigate it in detail and craft your questions accordingly. Learn as much as you can about the company before the interview. A good place to begin your investigation is the company’s website to learn about services, customers, and corporate culture (for example, About Us).

Some questions you may want to ask the interviewer about the company are:

Ed Marshall suggested asking a question or two about who uses their products and for what purpose, who are their main competitors, and what long-term projects they have. These questions emphasize your interest in the company and that you have dome some research. It can also be a good lead-in to the next question.
Ask the interviewer to explain the project to which you would be assigned and the documentation deadlines. Ed Marshall suggested asking the interviewer to explain how to handle priorities and progress reporting, how to work with subject matter experts and project stakeholders, and the process for work order fulfillment.
Ask to see where you would be working. A technical writer wrote to me that she had an interview with a company that provided all the right answers and assured her that their writers were valued members of the company. She asked to see where the writers work. The manager walked her by all the neat cubes and offices to where the writers worked—in one large cube, divided into four triangles, wedged into the corner of the attached warehouse.
If you work as a contractor, ask the interviewer the status of the contract. If the interviewer tells you that the contract was recently awarded, you can be confident that the position is stable.

Documentation Management

Whether the company follows ISO 9000 or CMMI, each phase of development requires artifacts (documents) for each phase of the development cycle (specification, architecture, design, implementation, and testing) has a myriad of documents to be written. That said, how will you contribute to the design and delivery of documentation?

Some questions you may want to ask the interviewer about the process to produce and manage publications are:

Ask about processes the company employs to ensure quality of documentation such as peer reviews, technical reviews, and usability testing, and how you would participate in those processes. Susan Park wrote to me, “If I were interviewing, I would like to know what processes they use to ensure the quality of documentation (for example, peer reviews, technical reviews, or nothing).”
Kris Westrum recommends asking what types of user assistance and tools are used to create embedded help, online help (format types), and books. If you have a background in development of Help solutions or are interested in learning how to develop them, ask the interviewer what opportunities would be possible for you.
Susan would ask, “How do current writers gather information? Do they work closely with testers, programmers, trainers, or are they expected just to re-hash specs and not ‘bother‘ other groups?” Sometimes, employers view technical writers as experts in the art of formatting text to page. This question offers you an opportunity to discuss the job description with the interviewer, and verify and clarify your roles and responsibilities.
Which leads to the next question, what is good writing? “I like to know what people think of as good writing,” Elisa Sawyer wrote to me. “I was once asked, in an interview, what I thought of a specific manual. The people interviewing me wanted someone who could make substantial improvements while preserving the self-esteem of the author, who had good writing skills but did not understand some finer points in handling the material. Apparently I handled the interview with enough tact, and got the job.”

Professional development

Generally, you are responsible for your own professional development to keep your skills fresh. Many companies pride themselves on professional development of their staff such as certifications and advanced college degrees. No doubt, you have ambitions to improve your skills and experience. How can the company support you?

Kris Westrum recommends asking the interviewer what training opportunities the company offers to enhance your skills, how other writers stay current, and what cross-training opportunities does the company offer that could help you get a better handle on the company and possibly lead to advancement.
Ask what career advancement opportunities are available to you, Teresa Trujillo wrote to me. "If they haven't given a lot of thought as to why, or how, someone in this position might advance, you can be assured that it is a dead-end position," she continued. According to Trujillo, a good employer will like the fact that someone is entering the company looking for long-term advancement.

Are you qualified?

The final question to ask will allow the interviewer to close and provide you feedback about your qualifications. According to WikiAnswers, a very good end of interview question would be:

Do you have any concerns that would prevent you from recommending or selecting me for this job? This would give you an opportunity to directly address any concerns that the interviewer might still have.

Final Thoughts

The interview is an opportunity to prove your inquiring mind. Asking well thought-out questions of your own will not only show the interviewer that you are interested in the position and that you were paying attention to the discussion, but also lets you determine whether the job opportunity is a good fit for you.