Why pre-screen proposal writer interns before the writing test
Proposal writing is not general writing. A submission is scored against a specification, and an elegant paragraph that misses a required element scores zero for that section. Interns arriving from an essay-writing background often write well and answer the wrong question, and that habit is fixable but only if you know it is there. A short screen surfaces whether someone has written to a requirement and how they respond to being edited hard.
What actually matters when screening Proposal Writer Intern candidates
- 01
Execution and reliability
Check whether they have worked to hard submission deadlines: RFP or grant packets assembled, compliance matrices filled, page limits and formatting rules on portals like SAM.gov or Bonfire.
- 02
Improving the process
Probe for tidying they did themselves: reusable boilerplate libraries, resume and past-performance templates, version control in SharePoint, checklists that cut rework on repeat questionnaires.
- 03
Judgement and autonomy
Assess how they handle vague inputs: an unanswerable RFP question, a subject matter expert who misses a draft deadline, a requirement that conflicts with the scope.
- 04
Communication
Judge their writing under constraint: turning engineer or clinician notes into persuasive prose, tailoring to evaluation criteria, chasing SMEs politely without stalling the schedule.
Pre-screening questions to ask Proposal Writer Intern candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Writing under a brief
4 questions01Can you describe your writing experience and any relevant coursework?
Listen forWriting done for a reader other than a marker, with the constraint they worked under such as a word limit or a form.
Only academic essays with no external reader, or writing experience claimed with no sample available.
02Can you provide an example of a time when you had to write persuasively?
Listen forA specific piece with the audience and the decision it was meant to influence, plus whether it worked.
Persuasion described as strong opinions, or an example with no identifiable audience or purpose.
03Have you had experience working with grants or contract proposals before?
Listen forAny exposure to a scored or structured submission, with honesty where there is none and what they have read about it.
Proposal experience overstated, or no curiosity about how submissions are actually evaluated.
04Are you familiar with any specific proposal formats or templates?
Listen forAwareness that submissions have required sections and compliance rules, even if their exposure so far is limited.
No idea that a format exists, or an assumption that good writing alone carries a submission.
Research and accuracy
4 questions05Can you explain a time when you had to research a new topic quickly and write about it?
Listen forNamed sources and a method for checking them, with the point at which they asked a subject expert rather than guessing.
Research that stops at a general search, or writing about a subject with no verification of the claims.
06What strategies do you use to ensure accuracy and attention to detail in your writing?
Listen forA checking routine performed separately from writing, plus an error they caught and what they changed afterwards.
Accuracy described as being careful, with no method that survives a deadline.
07What steps do you take to ensure your writing is clear and concise?
Listen forEditing described as a separate pass with something specific they cut, rather than a preference for short sentences.
Clarity claimed with no editing process, or writing defended because it reads well aloud.
08How do you adjust your writing style for different audiences?
Listen forTwo real pieces contrasted, with what changed between them beyond vocabulary, such as structure or level of evidence.
Audience adjustment described only as using simpler words, with no example of two different pieces.
Owning the deadline
2 questions09How do you stay organised when working on several writing projects with different deadlines?
Listen forA tracking method they actually use, with time reserved for review rather than finishing at the submission hour.
Organisation described as remembering, or a pattern of finishing everything at the last moment.
10How do you handle tight deadlines and high-pressure situations?
Listen forA specific deadline they met with what they cut to make it, and whether they flagged the risk to anyone in advance.
Pressure handled by working through the night, or a missed deadline that nobody was warned about.
Taking an edit
2 questions11How do you approach constructive criticism and feedback on your work?
Listen forA specific piece of feedback that changed how they write, described concretely rather than as a general openness.
Feedback described only as helpful, or an example where they defended the original draft throughout.
12Have you ever worked on a team project? How did you contribute?
Listen forTheir own contribution stated plainly, including how they handled a section written by someone else that needed rewriting.
Contribution described as helping, or no experience of working on a document with other authors.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Execution and reliability
35%5Names specific submissions they supported, tracked deadlines in a compliance matrix, and delivered clean formatted packets with zero missing attachments.
Improving the process
25%5Describes a content library, template, or tracker they built that shortened turnaround on later proposals, with before and after detail.
Judgement and autonomy
25%5Explains when they escalated versus drafted a placeholder, flagged a go or no-go concern, and made defensible calls without waiting to be told.
Communication
15%5Writes tightly to the evaluator's scoring language, cites a piece they drafted, and shows a workable habit for extracting content from busy experts.
An elegant paragraph that misses a required element scores zero, and essay-trained writers miss it often. A one-way video screen asks about writing to a specification.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for an intern take?
Ten minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async, alongside a short writing sample. Enough to hear whether they have written to a requirement, how they research, and how they handle heavy editing.
What should I expect from candidates with no proposal experience?
Most will have none, and that is fine. Look instead for writing done against constraints of any kind: a word limit, a grant form, an assignment with a marking scheme. The transferable habit is writing to the specification.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening an intern for this role?
How they describe being edited. Interns who improve fast can name a piece of feedback that changed how they write. Anyone who describes feedback only as helpful has not absorbed anything specific from it.
How do I judge research ability at this level?
Ask how they wrote about an unfamiliar subject quickly. Strong answers name where they went for source material and how they checked it. Answers that stop at a general search suggest work you will have to fact check.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
