Re: What is a reasonable training period for newbie writers?

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

Krista Van Laan wrote:


> Right, an experienced writer might need a few months to feel comfortable in
> a job and with the technology. But I'm talking about brand-new trainees,
> people who have never been tech writers before. If it takes you, an
> experienced tech writer, 3-4 months to feel comfortable in a job, then
> I suppose a new tech writer might reasonably justify taking twice that
> long, or more, since s/he has to learn the craft or whatever-you-call-it
> of tech writing as well as learning about the company. 

I think 3 or 4 months would be a reasonable amount of time for
anyone to settle in. I'm assuming, of course, that the newbie writer
has been hired for a entrance level position. Naturally, newbies
wouldn't know everything in that time, but they should be starting
to function well, and their employer should have a good sense of how
competent they are.


> how one decides if a person isn't shaping up. Since they have no
> experience as a technical writer, how much of is the manager's fault,
> how much is the fact that they're just never going to cut it (and how do
> you tell that early?), and how much is the fact that they're brand
> new to the field and have a big learning curve?

It's not a science. But I would consider (in no particular order)
such things as: 
- How quick or willing are they to learn? 
- Do they show any interest in learning their subject? 
- Can they work on their own? 
- Can they deal with shifting agendas? 
- What is the quality of their finished work? 
- How long do they take to finish their work?
- What sort of mistakes to they make? 
- How do they react when they make mistakes: by reassigning blame?
Solving the problem? Ignoring it? Do they remake mistakes?


> I can't even imagine that a person with zero experience in
> tech writing could go into contracting or into being a lone
> writer in the first place.
> 

I did. 

It was scary, exciting, frustrating and exhilarating all at once,
and I probably wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been ignorant of
what I was getting into. I made mistakes, and I also took some
fairly low end jobs, including some where I had to push to get paid.
But, after six months, I could handle anything that was likely to be
thrown at me on the job.

I know one or two other people who jumped into the deep end the same
way. Each became experienced very quickly, and one of them was the
best sub-contractor or employee whom I've ever hired. If they
hadn't, they wouldn't have survived.

-- 
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
604.421.7189 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"The king works backwards, day and night,
Says you went left when you should have gone right,
Try to do undo what you've once done wrong,
The king works backwards all day long."
- Pete Morton

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