[gennatay]

I have a interview for a senior auditor position where they will administer a writing test. Has anyone ever had to give a writing sample at a job interview? What can I expect? Any advice?

[GuitarSalad]

I've had it a few times. If it's one that you do ahead of time and turn in at the time of the interview, ask someone who's really good with grammar to make sure there's no glaring mistakes in what you've written. If it's administered on-site, my best advice is to not rush and try to address whatever they want you to write as succinctly and as clearly as possible. They're probably trying to measure your ability to write cohesively and communicate your points clearly to whomever the recipient is. If it's a timed exercise, being verbose is going to work against you.

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[MaLoTu]

Since it is a senior level are they going to ask you to write audit findings? Or is it just a short essay?

I really hate those type of interview tactics. It makes it feel like they just want you to jump through hoops.

[gennatay]

@MaLoTu I just found out that it's going to be to read an article, write up some findings and give some recommendations. Now I'm super nervous because you usually have some exceptions to support findings.

[MaLoTu]

I would address it like this:

Introduction stating the problem in the article and an out line of 2-3 points that you can support.

Body paragraph, one for each point with supporting facts. Two to three sentences should suffice. If you write too much you will risk going off topic.

Recommendations and what affect they should have on the particular findings.

Conclusion that basically is an overview to the whole thing, but is concise.

Be concise. It is better to write a short essay than a long one that is mostly a tangent.

[Author]

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