Interview question - Quality work documents

[wenny]

Hi everyone, I will have an on-site interview next week. My employer has requested that I need to bring a "quality work documents to demonstrate my writing skills". I'm not sure what is "quality work documents" mean? It should be a document related to quality or it should be a formal and good/clear document with good writing skills? Please advise.

 

[Scanton]

Hi wenny, you’ve not given us very much information to be able to give you a definitive answer. What industry do you work in, what role do you perform within that industry and why are you going to be interviewed? Is this a promotion from one role within a function to a more responsible role or is it a sideways step into something new for you?

Without knowing any of the above I would say a well-crafted work, job or process instruction would probably qualify as a “quality work document”.

If you can give us a little more information I’m sure we can give you a more definitive answer.

 

[wenny]

Hi Scanton, thank you for your response. When I was typing my initial post, I only focused on the request I was asked . I will have an interview for a Quality Engineer position at a medical device company. This is a huge opportunity for me to move from small/mid-side medical device company to fortune 500 company. I really appreciate any advise/suggest from everyone in this forum.

 

[normzone]

If I was your interviewer, I'd be looking to see how and what your document accomplishes. I don't care about the topic, more about that you didn't use ten pages when three would have done the job.

But that's my style, others vary. I worked for a fellow who rarely approved my large font/easy read documents, but I noticed that he used small fonts and smushed everything together in tiny clumps with not much white space.

When I began submitting my documents so they resembled his, he began approving them with nary a glance. Such is the professional world ...

I try to keep my documents simple - they can always become more complex as they see revisions. If you start out bombastic and sprawling, it's difficult to take an axe to it later.

Your safe bet is clear, readable documentation that the first time reader can tell what it is that you want them to do. Providing appropriate references to other pertinent documentation is useful but can be overdone.

Good luck, YMMV, and don't hesitate to make a new document for a process that you never got to improve. They won't know, as long as you can tell a good tale.

 

[wenny]

Thank you normzone!!!! I will keep it in mind

 

[Jim Wynne]

Normzone has provided excellent advice. If you have to put something together just for the occasion it should be OK, as it appears that they're just looking for a writing sample. Also, as an aside, never leave a job interview without completely understanding what went on. It's much better to ask for clarification than to leave without being sure of what you were asked for.

 

[Wes Bucey]

FWIW:
I write and speak to a variety of audiences. I try to tailor my writing/speaking so that it is clear and understandable to my intended audience.


If I were writing a work instruction for an operator of a capsule-filling machine, I would probably use a different, simpler style than I might for the work instruction for a lab analyst who is performing qualitative and quantitative analysis on the contents of one of those capsules.


In my view, the test of a "work" document is whether the end user of that document can understand and follow the instructions without error. Try to avoid jargon and polysyllabic [big,overblown] words.


For example, if the choice is between "red" and "green," don't describe them as Pantone shades of "Pantone 032C" and "Pantone 355."

 

[wenny]

Thank Jim Wynne and Wes Bucey for your guidance ! all of your advise are priceless! Unfortunately, I dont get any other detail except a short statement about "quality work documents" from my potential employer. I will make sure that I clarify with my hiring team when I have interview with them.

I used to work as a graduate research assistant at a nanotechnology lab and I were the first author of some published papers. Should I present my publish papers as my "quality work documents"? I just thought about it when I review all your suggestion.