CheckingWorkProfiles: PVSWiki

Checking Work

There are two ways to check Profiles work:

During the first 3-4 weeks of a part-time intern's time with Vote Smart (2-3 weeks for full-time interns), you should check every candidate they have researched using a Google correction doc, which can be found in the Google Drive: Staff/Intern Corrections > [year] > [Intern Name]. Be thorough in your corrections. For the first 2 weeks, it is extremely beneficial to sit with them and explain to them why something was wrong as you watch them make their corrections. You need to remember that your interns don't know as much as you do about Profiles and will need you to explain to them as simply and as thoroughly as possible the proper way to do things.
After the first 3-4 weeks, an intern should be making less than 3 errors per profile. If so, move on to spot checking, which means randomly selecting a handful (5-10) of candidates the intern researched and make corrections.

If an intern's work quality hasn't improved, it's time to have a talk with them on what they need help with or how you can help them improve. This also means your checks will have to be more thorough and frequent. If, after a conversation, there still isn't much improvement, it might be time to consider limiting the aspect of their work to just collecting addresses, social media, and photos.

With remote supervision, it is most beneficial to do talk through any corrections via Google Hangout, to ensure that the corrections are understood.

For missing websites: explain to interns how you found a link, such as saying something like: "I found this person's Facebook using the Google search: [state] Candidate [name] facebook"
Prioritize fixing major research errors initially (missing experiences, missing addresses) over smaller issues (such as formatting) - as corrections progress, you can begin to focus corrections into more specific areas as your intern becomes more knowledgeable on the research process/standards.

Remind your interns that you are there to help them and that they should feel comfortable coming to you for questions.
Give positive feedback when they have error-free candidates. An 'I know you can do this' attitude can do wonders in motivating interns, even when they don't think they can!

Below are examples of corrections for good, average, and beginner profiles researchers:

PVSWiki : CheckingWorkProfiles