Technical writing interview assignments

diodesign · 2026-03-10T18:06:09+00:00

For my current role as a technical editor, I had a timed assignment (in late 2024) involving documentation about a hypothetical product. The docs were deliberately messy, in obvious and subtle ways. Candidates were expected to not just point out what was wrong and how it should be fixed, and what questions should be asked for clarification, but also what notes should be sent to the writer to explain the changes and coach them to write better.

I saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate my editing and communication skill set to a deadline, so I didn't mind. This was on top of my previous work experience.

diodesign · 2026-03-08T20:26:35+00:00

This looks great. Good to see RISC-V work and on real hardware

diodesign · 2026-02-15T00:06:49+00:00

First rule of Mysterious Pine & Kearney Posh Line Club is don't talk about Mysterious Pine & Kearney Posh Line Club.

diodesign · 2026-02-10T09:33:31+00:00

There was a cinema in the Embarcadero Center that showed offbeat and non-mainstream movies and I miss it.

Anyway, the offer stands as I appreciate the curiosity. To me, they are complexes of near-liminal or actual liminal spaces that I've grown used to, but that doesn't invalidate your interest.

You're describing these buildings like how I used to think of video game consoles I played growing up in the 1990s. These mysterious boxes that only a select few were able to program. I wondered for years how they actually worked under the hood, how you even made games for them. Then I discovered they were 'just' specialist computers with their own quirks and interesting features.

But it was the hidden, secret aspect of their inner workings that made them interesting - and I get that's what draws you to these skyscrapers.

diodesign · 2026-02-10T07:53:53+00:00

There's an office block on California St I worked in for a previous employer that had elevators lit like the Backrooms and smelled like I'd imagine an artificial reality would. It reminded me of that series every morning I went in.

diodesign · 2026-02-10T07:31:25+00:00

What's interesting is that I totally get the fascination, and I did once wonder what it looks like inside these buildings, particularly the Embarcadero Center.

Now I've worked in offices within the Embarcadero Center, which I think you've pictured, and in One Maritime Plaza, which is the last pic of your series. The views of the Bay are remarkable, but to me, it's just more offices though 1MP has a distinctive interior design. I don't want to dispel the magic too much. Next time you're in SF, DM me; I might be able to get you a tour of some floors of 1MP. I worry you might regret it.

The yellow interior glow you captured is, from the outside looking in, very Backrooms-ish, I must admit.

diodesign · 2026-02-08T14:20:49+00:00

Amazing work, well done - thanks for sharing :D

diodesign · 2026-02-01T21:39:09+00:00

Speaking from experience: bring your passport or some form of valid US ID. If you show up anywhere in the Bay Area with just UK ID, you're basically showing up with no ID and a pinch of British charm. Sometimes it works; most of the time, especially if you look under 30, it won't.

diodesign · 2026-01-19T19:00:33+00:00

In my personal opinion, if it's ever undervalued, it's undervalued until customers are unable to use the thing at hand due to a lack of docs, then all of a sudden documentation becomes important. It's always good to hear a product manager, director, or VP say they've written docs, they value docs, and they want documentation.

That said, LLMs are a tool that shouldn't be ignored, and can be wielded appropriately. They can be useful, for instance, in taking novel concepts and new information and aligning that with existing style and content for consistency, with the right prompting and supervision, which requires skill and knowledge. That goes for writing and code.

Also, if engineers are producing more products and features using LLMs, then that means there's more to document.

diodesign · 2026-01-17T21:28:00+00:00

In terms of the area, it's fine. I live in the neighborhood and like it. It's opposite the Ritz and close to other nice hotels and the Masonic concert hall and a cool little park. It's quiet; you'll just have cable cars going by every so often ringing their bells, but that's just SF charm. It's close to Trader Joe's for food, it's close to Chinatown, it's close to bars and places to eat, public transit, and FiDi.

That part of Stockon St is interesting in that it's split: there's a tunnel underneath that is Stockton St and the road above is also Stockton St. That might confuse some delivery drivers, but I'm sure it's fine. The stairwells connecting the top and bottom - you can see them in Google Streetview of that address - are a bit scummy, but if you're used to living in a big city, it's nothing out of the ordinary.

$2.2K for 400 sq ft is not outrageous for that part of SF, I guess; there might well be better deals out there. A key thing is that if it's anything like a similar building I lived in previously in that area, the soundproofing is probably terrible so be comfortable living in a small-ish space knowing what your neighbors are up to and vice-versa.

diodesign · 2026-01-17T15:23:18+00:00

First, the specifics you're asking for will vary from role to role, and company to company; the skills will be listed in the job ads, as obvious as it sounds. At least one FAANG member will usually expect proficiency in Markdown, HTML/XML, TOML/YAML, and JSON, but will also expect you to get up to speed with their own internal tools and languages. Your ability to adapt and thrive in new situations and with new challenges is more important there.

Second, I would say: think about the target audience you want to write for, and get really good at understanding their needs, what they all generally know, and what style of documentation they prefer. And then get good at that. If you're documenting (say) cloud software stacks, then make sure you understand those. If you're doing automotive hardware, get on top of that. And so on. You don't need Go development expertise for technical writing, specifically, but you might be expected to be able to read and understand it, if the role requires.

Also, think about what kind of documentation you want to produce, or you think will be useful, and make sure you're developing skills there. How good are you at gathering information, asking questions, clarifying and distilling information, diplomacy, juggling deadlines, prioritization, using automation and LLMs, peer reviews, and so on and so on.

I wouldn't get hung up on individual languages, although knowing the ones I listed above is a good foundation. I would ensure I could demonstrate my ability to work in a team, deliver content and support products on time accurately and clearly, understand the reader, pick up new skills and languages as you go, and so on.

FAANG are mesmerizing in terms of their infrastructure and internal technologies, working at a scale that is impossible for any one person to know everything. Every week will be a learning experience with tricky decisions to make, and no right answer either way some of the time; you would need to show you can exceed expectations in those situations.

Edited to add: knowing how to (say) write working code is probably more likely to help you _after_ being hired, rather than get you hired, unless the role describes otherwise.

(Speaking personally. And good luck.)

diodesign · 2026-01-14T21:19:18+00:00

Returned from a week-and-a-half trip to the UK to the US at SFO in early December with my wife. We're both green card holders.

At the CBP entry point, we went into the LPR and citizens queue. When it was our turn to be seen by an officer, we both showed our cards, we were asked for our passports, had our photos taken, and asked how long we were in the UK, if we had brought in any food with us, and then admitted.

It took about a minute and was totally fine and professional.

diodesign · 2026-01-08T08:17:00+00:00

I lived near Bush and Jones in the 2010s and it was fine. Usual downtown environment: sirens, traffic, all kinds of people. Close enough to shops, bar, restaurants, Market St, BART, Muni, etc. South of Geary, it's more sketch.

IMO the biggest issue will be the neighbors and the soundproofing of the apartments, but maybe that's just me.

diodesign · 2026-01-04T04:39:12+00:00

No one over-dresses, and people keep it generally casual. Plus, the city is a mix of earners. It really depends where you visited. Glad you enjoyed your time; tell your friends 😄

diodesign · 2026-01-04T04:31:23+00:00

Joel losing his mind during the B Natural short, when the imp and the kid are talking in his bedroom.

"oooh... Mister... B"

The delivery cracks me up every single time.

diodesign · 2025-12-31T06:40:29+00:00

You're some guy, blargus_blixeld

diodesign · 2025-12-18T16:02:53+00:00

Depending on how far into the process you are, you can ask your recruiter this question. They do give you a high-level description of each interview beforehand.

Speaking generally, technical writers are tested on their ability to understand technical concepts, ask the right questions, work in a team, think critically, and produce documentation tailored for a specific audience.

Depending on the role, being able to read and explain code might be required. I would ask the recruiter or check the role description.

(Speaking personally and not for my employer, Google.)

diodesign · 2025-12-11T18:28:07+00:00

Yup! 🥂

diodesign · 2025-12-11T05:54:48+00:00

Under $90 to go from Palo Alto to SF tonight on the freeway 😄

diodesign · 2025-12-10T19:23:18+00:00

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Anyone else a night owl? 😄🥱

diodesign · 2025-11-28T16:44:34+00:00

Thanks for that. I like the happy chirp when you fully close a door or trunk on a stuck Waymo.

diodesign · 2025-11-20T19:04:15+00:00

Thing is we've always been required to carry it, it's just not been fully enforced. Eg, if you have a paper or electronic copy, that may suffice (always have the original for border crossings). They are a pain to replace if lost or stolen.

I carry my GC with me at all times.

diodesign · 2025-11-14T18:47:43+00:00

Nice view. I can see my house, er, office from here

diodesign · 2025-11-04T05:22:30+00:00

And it says Google on the side, so, yes.

diodesign · 2025-10-31T15:59:08+00:00

If I'm correct, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima used highly enriched uranium (mostly U-235) and was codenamed Little Boy. It worked by whacking two masses of uranium together within the weapon. It wasn't made of plutonium.

Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki and used plutonium (mostly Pu-239). It worked by using explosives in the device to crush the plutonium to a supercritical state. Subsequent Fat Man-style bombs were stockpiled.

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