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Perplexity AIPerplexity AI

Writing Samples as Hard Gate

Chief of Staff

What it tests

Writing quality and strategic thinking — before any human investment

Format

  1. 1Before any interview, require candidates to submit a writing sample from past work (strategy doc, board memo, analysis, blog post)
  2. 2Also submit a new 500-word writing sample analyzing a real strategic question facing the company
  3. 3Only candidates with strong writing proceed to interviews

What to look for

  • Clarity and structure
  • Can they make complex ideas simple?
  • Do they use data/evidence or just opinions?
  • Voice and personality (is it engaging to read?)

Full description

Format: Before any interview, require candidates to submit:

  1. A writing sample from their past work (strategy doc, board memo, analysis, blog post)
  2. A short new writing sample: "In 500 words, analyze [a real strategic question facing your company]"

Only candidates with strong writing proceed to interviews.

Time: 30-60 minutes for the new sample

What to look for:

  • Clarity and structure
  • Can they make complex ideas simple?
  • Do they use data/evidence or just opinions?
  • Voice and personality (is it engaging to read?)

Why it works as a gate: CoS spend 50%+ of their time writing (memos, briefs, updates, strategy docs). If they can't write well, nothing else matters. Testing this upfront saves everyone's time.