Answered by Mike, Hiring Expert at Avery Dennison Corporation, on Monday, August 8, 2016
Hi there!
That is a good question that you asked of the company. They certainly aren't being very clear on what they are looking for in their requirements. My guess would be that they are looking for you to write a response to the question, and would use that to assess your writing ability.
For a better answer, you might want to call the company and track down the recruiter for the role and ask them directly. Depending on the size of the company, it might take a little more effort, but would be worth the answer. If it's a smaller firm (50-100 employees for example), the posting was probably created by an office manager or HR generalist that could explain a little more. If the company is one that's much larger, I'd recommend that you call the HR or Talent Acquisition department, and be prepared with the job title and requisition/job number if one is available.
And, if you do get a hold of someone that is familiar with the job, you might want to take the opportunity to introduce yourself (not too long, they're probably busy), but also see if you could get any details on the job or what they are looking for. It might help you in crafting the answer to their writing sample request.
I hope this helps! Good luck and happy essay-writing!
Mike