INTERVIEW EDGE • APRIL1992

Write or Wrong?

The MBA admissions offices at Chicago, NYU and Stanford now require that applicants enclose a signed statement that they have received no assistance in writing or typing their application. Why? Top business schools were frustrated with admitting students who, despite their well-penned application, could not write their way out of a paper bag.

How do you determine writing ability before you hire? You might feel foolish asking for a sworn statement that they wrote their own resumé. You can ask for samples of their written work, but can you be confident they wrote it? Here is an idea that comes from one of our Effective Interviewing!® seminar participants.

Ask the candidate to send you a half-page summary of what was covered in your interview. The half-page format makes it simple, and will demonstrate if the candidate can summarize an important meeting. It will also measure the accuracy of his or her memory. Since the candidate is summarizing an experience only the two of you had, the risk of a third-party is ruled out. If appropriate, have the candidate write a summary in your office to eliminate third-party editing.

You have a right to know if a candidate can write well. It's better to learn this in the interview process than after you hire them.