Some employers have been asking for writing samples, and not just employers looking for writers. They want to know if you can communicate. You see it sometimes in job postings for technical jobs, particularly for team leaders and project managers.

A recent article I ran across How to Send Employers A Solid Writing Sample talks about this. As it points out, if you need to provide a writing sample, FIRST, ask the employer for guidelines. What are they looking for.

If you get guidelines, then stick to them. If you don’t get guidelines, the article suggests the following:

1. Less than 500 words
2. Be careful of confidentiality
3. Make it relevant to the job
4. Make it typo free

That last one is a particularly tough one in many things I’ve seen submitted for technical jobs. I’m no English teacher, in fact I never did all that good in English though I passed well enough. But it stops me cold when I run into mis-spellings, wrong spellings, and poor grammar. This is important in your resume and even more important if the employer is asking for a writing sample. They’re trying to gauge whether you can communicate and Get Your Point Across!

Categories: Practical Applications