I hear that ASA asks during the interview that applicants write out a statement on one of the following two topics:

Write a paragraph on a topic some got age 60 rule some got CRM.

Any thoughts on what might be wanted in such a task?

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Thanks

 

This one is new. I am guessing that they want to see: A) If you are willing to take a stand and have an opinion. and B) If you can actually put a few words together in to a sentence.
The guys that are doing the interviewing are all retired and may just be curious on where you stand. I would not worry too much about it. The gates have opened up here and they have just upgraded about 80 guys and gals in the last month. Something is happening and we are not aware of it yet. It may be a good time to get in.

 

We used to ask applicants to write a statement about what their definition of a good captain was...

Aside from the technical answer that they provided, a written statement can provide some insight on the persons writing skill and training with regards to grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. Depending on the subject it can also allow some insight on how an applicant might handle a potentially political or challenging topic.

My suggestion is to practice writing such statements at home, and then have other people edit them. Choose a wide variety of subjects (in addition to the ones in online gouge). It will help to make you more confident in your writing, which is nothing but a good thing.

When I interviewed for my present position, I had no technical interview questions, but instead had to fill out a "career and management experience assessment". It was 8 pages long and asked various questions mostly in essay format about leadership experience, financial matter, career planning, goals, ambitions, etc.

 

why not just make 'em take an SAT - oh wait they just did that!!