What are the most common writing tests for Corporate Communications positions?

When it comes to landing a corporate communications position, there are a few common writing tests you can expect to encounter. One of the most prevalent is a writing sample, where candidates are asked to submit a piece of their own written work that showcases their professional writing skills. This could be anything from a press release or an executive memo to a blog post or social media content. Another type of test often used is the editing test, where applicants are given a document filled with grammatical errors, inconsistencies, and unclear points and are asked to correct them within a set time frame. Additionally, some companies may require candidates to write on-the-spot responses to hypothetical scenarios.

One thing I found helpful is to focus on information that would appear newsworthy such as quotes from key stakeholders or subject matter experts within or familiar with the company. Quotes add a human touch to your press release that makes it feel less artificial as well as boosting the morale of the team.

Something important to remember is to ensure that your newsletter is mobile friendly but still available through other means. While significant portions of users access their emails on mobile devices, there are still some that prefer older approaches. One good way to approach this is to segment your audience and test out different variations of your newsletter to specific groups. This allows you to tailor your content to the different demographics or interests and can help improve the relevance of your message.

Será importante captar la atención del público objetivo. Ser eficaz y concreto en la comunicación suma, hoy no se leen textos largos, hay que trabajar con microrrelatos frases poderosas y con llegada

En un proceso de selección esta no es una de las tareas o competencias que se evalúen. Para evaluar las competencias redaccionales del futuro candidato/a lo haces a través de una nota de prensa o publicaciones de contenidos para redes sociales.

Según mi experiencia las comunicaciones deberían ser muy sintéticas, claras desarrollando al asunto que se describió con sencillez y que debe resumir en dos palabras el motivo del correo.

One thing that I've always found helpful is to know the target audience for each platform. Different platforms carried different demographics. I find it very helpful to know the median age of the platform users so that my approach aligns with my intended target audience.

Las redes tienen su propia lógica dependerá de la segmentación del público objetivo, del producto a ofrecer o del tono de la historia a subir. Un hashtag es mas desafiantes porque en una palabra debe capturar a la población objetivo.

Según mi experiencia la edición es para expertos en gramática y escritura científica. No es posible corregir un texto sin acreditar expertiz en la materia. Una coma, sabemos, cambia el sentido de una oración. Es para profesionales.

Writing tests are actually strategic thinking tests in disguise. Know that and approach them in that way. While demonstrating your skill with a specific tactic like a news release is important, it also allows you to demonstrate you can think strategically. This might mean ensuring you connect your content to what's most important at the organization -- its purpose, strategy, or values, for example, or it might mean developing a lead in the context of a consumer trend in the marketplace or a geopolitical event. This shows you not only can write but can write strategically and speak the language of business.

Two things I like are: 1. Providing an obscure text/article and asking the candidate to select the 3 or 5 most important points in the article 2. Taking an opinion article or other piece of written content, printing it, and cutting it up into individual paragraphs. You then ask the candidate to put the paragraphs in the proper order.

Having a candidate write a press release is a great way to evaluate their critical thinking skills, understanding of what the media needs, and writing and organizational skills specific to press releases. For more senior positions, I recommend having the candidate submit communication plans and editorial calendars they have completed in past positions. From here, the employer can contact the company the pieces were completed for to ensure authenticity. I don't like asking candidates to do tests such as communications plans due to the time they take to develop. Also, it almost feels like the employer is asking for free work without a guarantee of employment.

My suggestion: Create a writing test that challenges the candidate on how to structure and complete a memorandum that chronicles the status of a client or internal strategic communications plan. Internal messages are vital to gauging the status of a program and can be important in evaluation.

Según mi experiencia las personas leen poco por eso es imprescindible, en pocas líneas, poder transmitir el mensaje, ya sea una noticia, una publicidad, o un intento de venta por redes.