A writing sample is a document that showcases your writing skills and is often requested by employers as part of a job application. It provides an employer with an example of how you organize and express your thoughts, and allows them to judge your ability to convey a written message. Writing samples are commonly requested for jobs that involve a significant amount of writing, such as those in media, law, public relations, marketing, and research.

When choosing a writing sample, consider the writing style that you will be using at your job, internship, or graduate program. Writing samples can come from your coursework and/or work experiences, and typical samples include academic papers, policy briefs or memos, published articles, blog posts or web content, and press releases. It is important to select a sample that is relevant to the position or program for which youre applying, and where possible, your sample should reflect the organizations style and tone.

There are no excuses for spelling or grammatical errors in a writing sample, so be sure to proofread the entire piece and have a trusted friend, colleague, or reliable software check your work. Most employers will specify how many pages or how many clips they want, and if they don’t, then submit 2-5 pages of writing, usually double-spaced (unless it is a clip). If you want to use a paper that is longer than five pages, provide an excerpt with a notation at the top that tells the employer that it is an excerpt from a (number)-page paper on (topic) and where in the paper this excerpt is from.

To create the perfect writing sample, you should read the job posting, research the company, choose your best idea, write, and edit, edit, edit. It is critical to achieve as close to perfection as possible in a writing sample, as your writing skills are the key focus of this document. If you dont have a writing sample due to lack of professional experience, it is acceptable to write a new sample for the employer.

In summary, a writing sample is a document that demonstrates your writing skills and is often requested by employers as part of a job application. It should be well-written, relevant to the position or program, and free of spelling or grammatical errors.