If you are looking to fill a writing or editing position or even support jobs that require language skills in your public relations, marketing or communications office you may want to consider a simple battery of tests.

• A spelling test. Give the applicant 20 challenging words and ask her or him to select the misspelled words.
• A grammar test. Provide 10 or 15 sentences and ask the applicant to mark the grammar and punctuation errors.
• A word use test. Give the applicant 10 or 15 sentences and ask him or her to select the correct word. (Example: She was the principal/principle of the school.)

If you are hiring a writer, you must get the applicants to write something in your office so you can be certain their writing samples reflect their skill and not the work of a skilled editor. You may ask them to write a complete article or to construct two or three leads using information you’ve provided.